is form ds 260 the first step in immigration

If neither of your parents were legal residents in your own country of birth, you can choose your mother or father’s country of birth.

If your spouse was born in an eligible country, you can apply with your spouse and choose your spouse’s birth country on your application.If your native country is not eligible, there are still two ways you could qualify for the Diversity Visa: United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territoriesįor more information, the State Department provides a list of all eligible countries.

There is some yearly variation in the countries that are eligible, but Canada, China, India, Mexico, and the United Kingdom never make the list, because these countries all send a large number of immigrants to the United States.įor the 2023 application period, nationals from the following countries were not eligible to apply: In order to be eligible for the Diversity Visa, you must have been born in a country that sent less than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past 5 years. There are two main requirements when applying for a Diversity Visa: 1. The winners are selected at random by a computer, and they and their immediate families receive green cards. You can enter the lottery every year from early October through early November. It’s a way for individuals and families who otherwise wouldn’t have any way to legally immigrate to the United States to get a green card.Įntering the Diversity Visa lottery (aka green card lottery) involves filling out a simple form online, and it doesn’t cost anything. The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is administered by the Department of State as a way to increase the diversity of the immigrants coming to live in the United States.Įach year, the Diversity Visa program allows more than 50,000 randomly selected people - only from countries that don’t send many immigrants to the United States - to obtain permanent residency (commonly called a “ green card“).

Is form ds 260 the first step in immigration