The Diversity Immigrant Visa program also known as the Green Card Lottery enables 50,000 randomly chosen people from eligible countries to obtain permanent residence in the United States each year. The idea behind the Diversity Visa Lottery is to give the opportunity for immigration to people from cultural backgrounds that are considered under-represented in U.S. immigration statistics. The theory is that American economy and culture are stronger when people from diverse backgrounds become part of U.S. society.

The US State Department publishes a list of ineligible countries on its website every year. Natives of these countries may not apply because their countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. over the period of the previous five years. Among ineligible countries this year are: Canada, Mexico, Poland, Russia, and the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland). Israel does not appear on the list of ineligible countries, thus, Israeli natives may apply. A very important thing to remember is that the determination of eligibility for an individual is based upon their country of birth, not the country they currently live in or which country (or countries) they have citizenship with. An applicant may also claim the birth country of their spouse on their own application. However, both the applicant and spouse must be listed on the selected entry, and both must be issued visas and enter the U.S. at the same time.

Entries for the DV-2009 diversity visa lottery must be submitted electronically between noon EDT, Wednesday, October 3, 2007, and noon EST, Sunday, December 2, 2007. Applicants must use the electronic entry form at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ during the registration period. Mailed paper entries will not be accepted. The applicant must attach digital photographs of him/herself, and any spouse or unmarried children under 21 who will be accompanying the applicant (photographs are not required for children who are already U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents). There must be no mistakes in the application. Small mistakes can invalidate the application.

You should not need assistance to submit an electronic application because the State Department website provides comprehensive step-by-step instructions. Be aware that there are many fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites seeking money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the electronic visa lottery entry form on the State Department's official website. It is important to remember that only one application per person is allowed. If the government determines that a one person applied more than one time, the applications will be invalid.

Lottery and visa applicants must meet certain education or work experience requirements. A person must have either a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. No documentation should be submitted with the DV application. The education/work experience must be documented at the time of the visa interview, which will be scheduled for those whose applications have been selected.

A computer will select individuals randomly from among all qualified entries. Selected individuals will be notified by mail between May and July 2008 and will be provided further instructions. Individuals not selected will not receive any notification. DV-2009 visas will be issued between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2009.

Finally, it is important to note that not all applicants who win the visa lottery will get a green card. Winners of the visa lottery are still subject to medical, criminal and other grounds of ineligibility under immigration law and will be interviewed to determine if they qualify for the green card.