2016 Green Card Lottery (Diversity Immigrant Visa Program) Results Announced!

Green Card Lottery is one of the easiest ways of earning permanent residency in the United States. Not only is this program completely free, but winners can also earn their green cards within a few months.

According to the Department of State, DV-2016 Entrants may enter their confirmation information through the official website of the Diversity Visa program to check the status of their applications. Winners will not receive mails from the Department of State.

Of course, there are various ways of earning the U.S. green card, but some programs are not cheap. For example, applicants need to invest at least $500,000 to get qualified for the U.S. EB5 program.

Although the other immigration programs mean to filter out specific types of immigrants, the selectees of Diversity Immigrant Visa Program should meet simple eligibility requirements in order to qualify for a diversity visa.

There’s no guarantee that all the winners of this lottery will receive green cards. According to the Department of State the lottery application is an expression of interest in immigrating to the United States

It is good to know that the congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered annually by the Department of State. Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for a class of “diversity immigrants,” from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For fiscal year 2016, 50,000 diversity visas (DVs) will be available. There is no cost to register for the DV program.

Because of the nature of this immigration program, the nationals of several countries were banned from applying for DV 2016. These countries are Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.

It is worth mentioning that selectees need to demonstrate that they will not become a public charge in the United States before being issued a visa. This evidence may be in the form of a combination of personal assets, an Affidavit of Support (Form I-134) submitted by a relative or friend residing in the United States, an offer of employment from an employer in the United States, or other evidence.

Selectees must pay all required visa fees at the time of visa application and interview directly to the consular cashier at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Winners are entitled to apply for visa issuance only during U.S. Government Fiscal Year 2016, which spans from October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2016. Selectees are encouraged to apply for visas as early as possible, once their lottery rank numbers become eligible for further processing.

The American legislators have already tried to cancel the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program for different reasons. For example, the terrorist Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, an Egyptian citizen, was among the beneficiaries of the program.