Diversity Visa Eligibility

1. COUNTRY OF BIRTH

To qualify for the Diversity Visa, you must have been born in a country that has sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the preceding five years.

The following countries and areas were ineligible to register for DV-2025 because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States within the preceding five years:

  • Bangladesh
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China (including mainland and Hong Kong born)
  • Colombia
  • Dominican Republic
  • El Salvador
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Mexico
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Republic of Korea (South Korea)
  • Venezuela, and
  • Vietnam

If your home country is not eligible, you can still qualify for the Diversity Visa in two other ways:

  • If your spouse was born in a qualifying country, you can register with them and select their country of birth on your application.
  • If neither of your parents were legitimate residents in your country of birth, you may select the country of birth of your mother or father.

2. EDUCATION / WORK EXPERIENCE

The second primary requirement for Diversity Visa applicants is a high school diploma or two years of work experience in the past five years in a profession requiring at least two years of training, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor.

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