The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Lottery, better known as the Green Card Lottery 2018 is open from October 4, 2016 until November 7, 2016.

The lottery is administered by the Department of State and available for people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. 50,000 green cards will be issued to lucky winners.

The requirements are basic but strict and include the need to meet specific education or work experience requirements, the submission of a digital picture and nationality of a country from a limited list. 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. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan, however, are eligible. If you do not reside in a qualifying country, you may be eligible based on your country of birth, your spouse’s nationality, or your parents’ nationality.

Detailed in instructions to the electronic DV Entry Form are available at www.dvlottery.state.gov and please be sure to read the instructions carefully. The program is highly technical and even the slightest error or minor typo such as the spelling of your name or number error in your birthdate, can result in disqualification.

I encourage you to apply early, as in the past, system delays caused by extremely heavy demand in the final days of the registration period have prevented some applicants from registering for the program.

The law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period and the Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries. Individuals with more than one entry will be disqualified.

Selectees are chosen through a randomized computer drawing and starting beginning May 1, 2017, you will be able to check online at www.dvlottery.state.gov by entering your confirmation number to see if you were selected. The Department of State does not send selectee notifications or letters by regular postal mail or by e-mail. It is therefore of utmost importance that you keep a record of your confirmation number.

Please know, entering the lottery is free and it is not necessary to pay an immigration lawyer or any other service in order to apply. However, if you are selected as a “winner,” you may want to consider hiring an immigration lawyer to ensure the correct and timely submission of your paperwork, as once your lottery application is drawn, the real application will start and depending on how high or low your winning number, and of course whether you fulfill all the other requirements, your chances of actually getting a Green Card in the fiscal year 2018 will increase. Winning the lottery is only the first step and does not always mean actually getting a Green Card. Please also keep in mind that playing the lottery is not a quick fix for a current immigration needs. The lottery is for Green Cards to be given out for the fiscal year 2018.

Best of luck should you decide you play!