The Chicago law office of Zneimer & Zneimer PC reminds interested immigrants that the Diversity Lottery DV-2019 begins on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and ends on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-4). There is no filing fee to participate in the lottery.
Bear in mind that participating in the DV Lottery demonstrates immigrant intent, and can affect future eligibility for non-immigrant visa that does not allow an immigrant intent. In addition, even if selected for the lottery, a person needs to be admissible to the United States in order to obtain permanent residency. People who are or have been in the United States out of status or unlawfully present, should contact an attorney to determine whether they may be inadmissible to the United States and whether there is a waiver of inadmissibility.
For DV-2019, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. There are exceptions, so check with an attorney.
Instructions for the DV Lottery have been published by the State Department.
The State Department warns of various visa scams connected to the DV Lottery program and reminds people to check on the most recent scam alerts. Some scams target specifically DV Lottery applicants.
If you have questions about the DV Lottery or your ability to take advantage of it, contact our office.