This archive report was first published on 20 September 2019.
The US State Department has announced the registration period for the DV-2021 Diversity Visa Program, also known as the green card lottery, from October 2nd, 2019 to November 5th, 2019.
As part of the program, 55,000 Diversity Visas will be available through a lottery system for Fiscal Year 2021. The Diversity Visa program was introduced in 1990 after the Immigration Act of 1990, aiming to diversify the immigration population in the United States.
However, nationals of countries with historically high levels of immigration to the US are not eligible to participate in the program. The following countries are not eligible for DV-2021: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
