Each year the Department of State (DOS), through its Visa Lottery or Diversity Visa program, grants 50.000 immigrant visas to nationals of countries with low levels of immigration to the United States. These visas are randomly selected from all applicants.

The application to participate in this lottery must be made strictly online during the registration period determined by DOS, which generally begins in October and ends in December each year.

The only way to know if a participant has been selected to proceed with the visa application is to consult 'Entrant Status Check', on the program's website. The Kentucky Consular Center no longer sends notifications by regular mail or email.

Requirements:

• Being born in one of the eligible countries or belonging to a family group where one of its members belongs to an eligible country.
• Have a high school diploma or its equivalent, or two years of work experience in the last five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.

If you want to know if you can participate in the visa lottery, call IACO at 973-472-4648.

For more information about how to obtain a diversity visa, visit the page of Diversity Visas from the United States Department of State.