How to become a permanent resident of the U.S. through Diversity Visa | Green Card Lottery for Ukrainians
If you are looking to become a permanent resident of the U.S., the “Green Card Lottery,” also known as a Diversity Visa, offers a potential way.
You may have heard a lot of talk about the Green Card Lottery. To give you accurate and reliable information, we’ve put together this article to answer the most common questions you might have.
I’ve been hearing about a “Green Card Lottery,” what is it?
A green card is the common term for a U.S. lawful permanent resident card.
The Green Card Lottery is one way to become a permanent resident of the U.S. It’s officially known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa program, which is run by the U.S. Department of State.
What is a diversity visa?
Diversity visas are immigrant visas–meaning visas leading to lawful permanent residency, as opposed to short-term visas for people intending to return to their home country. They’re provided to people from countries that have not historically had large numbers of immigrants coming to the U.S.
There are eligible countries in every region (Europe, Africa, Asia, etc). Ukraine is eligible.
The State Department issues a limited number of diversity visas each year. 55,000 total diversity visas will be issued for 2025. (Visas for 2024 have already been issued). Because there is always more demand than diversity visas available, the State Department uses a lottery system to randomly choose among qualified individuals.
Registration to enter the 2025 lottery is open from October 4, 2023, to November 7, 2023.
Once registration closes, all qualified applicants will be put into the lottery and a computer will randomly select individuals to invite to apply for a diversity visa.
Note that being selected in the lottery doesn’t automatically guarantee you a diversity visa. You’ll still need to apply and pass interviews with the U.S. consulate.
Do I qualify?
There are two main requirements to qualify:
Be from an eligible country
Meet the requirements for education levels AND work experience
You count as being from an eligible country if any one of these applies:
You were born in an eligible country (Ukraine is eligible).
If your spouse was born in an eligible country (you can claim your spouse’s country as yours as long as he or she is also eligible, and you both enter the U.S. together on diversity visas.)
If you weren’t born in a qualifying country – but your parents were – and they weren’t residents of your country of birth at the time you were born (for example they were visiting your country of birth or studying or temporarily working there but not residents).
Make sure you fit one of these requirements and fill out the form accurately – listing an incorrect country of eligibility will make you ineligible for a diversity visa!
You meet the education requirements for a diversity visa if:
You have at least a high school education or its equivalent – which is successfully completing a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education similar to a high school education in the U.S. If you finished vocational/trade school, you are likely to meet the education requirement too.
Alternatively, if you have two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience, you can qualify.
If selected, you’ll need to present documentary proof of education or work experience to the consular officer at the time of the visa interview.
You meet the work requirements if:
You have, within the past five years, two years of experience in an occupation that scores a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) range of 7.0 or higher according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Typically, professions that require a university degree such as engineers, lawyers, nurses, marketers, etc have an SVP higher than 7. Professions that only require vocational training such as estheticians, drivers, cooks, and construction workers have SVPs under 7.
You can check your occupation’s SVP range on the O*Net OnLine database by searching for your profession in the search bar, or by clicking on “Job Families” and browsing your area of work. When you click on an actual profession’s summary tab, scroll down to the area that says “Job Zone” and you can see the SVP range below:
When is the deadline?
The deadline to register for the lottery is noon EST on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. We strongly recommend you register as early as possible – do not wait till close to the deadline. According to the State Department, excessive demand at the end of the registration period may slow the processing system, and they will not accept anything that’s submitted after the deadline.
If I win, can I bring my family with me?
Yes, you can bring your spouse or children under the age of 21. You cannot bring your parents or siblings or extended family.
Should my spouse and children over 18 apply separately?
Yes, so it increases the chances of winning the lottery. However, if your children win and you don’t, they will not be able to bring you, your spouse, or their siblings.
How and when will I know if I am picked?
The only way to find out if you won the lottery is to go to the E-DV website and check the Entrant Status. The state department does this to prevent fraud – they will never send you emails or call you to let you know if you were selected or not. Even U.S. embassies and consulates will not provide a list of selectees. Again, the only way to know is to use the website.
Therefore - keep the confirmation number you get after registering – it’s essential! Keep it in a safe and accessible place; you’ll need it to check your status on the website. We highly recommend accessing Entrant Status Check yourself. Do not rely on someone else to check and inform you.
If by chance you lose your confirmation number, there’s a tool on the E-DV website that will allow you to retrieve your confirmation number via email by entering certain personal information to confirm your identity. But try to not lose it!
You’ll likely know by the end of May 2024. However, you should check your entrant status on the E-DV website from May 4, 2024, through September 30, 2025. Keep checking throughout this period. The government won’t officially tell you no, so check periodically.
If your entry is selected, you will be directed to a confirmation page with further instructions, including information about fees connected with immigration to the United States.
What happens if I am picked?
If you’re selected, act fast to complete the rest of the process listed on the E-DV website. It takes a while to go through the visa application process and consulate interview, and the process will take even more time if you’re already in the U.S. (see below). The longer you wait, the greater the risk of not completing the process in time.
Since there are more people selected than diversity visas available, if you wait until the last minute, there might not be any visas left.
Can I increase my chances of being picked?
No, you can’t increase your chances in the lottery. The U.S. Department of State will randomly select individuals by computer from among qualified entries in each region. All entries within each region have an equal chance of being selected.
However, in order to avoid being disqualified, make sure you fill out the registration correctly, including having the right types of photographs of you and your family members (see how do I apply below).
I’m already in the U.S., can I still apply?
Yes, you can apply while in the U.S., even if you are here on another status.
If selected for a diversity visa, you’ll need to apply to adjust your status and it’s probably best to speak with an attorney about the exact mechanism to do this (see the bullet below). You’ll need to work on this promptly to make sure that USCIS can complete your adjustment, including processing any overseas applications for a spouse or children, before midnight EDT on September 30, 2025. That’s when the program expires, and the Department of State will not approve any visas or adjustments of status after.
Depending on your winning lottery number, your chances of obtaining the visa before September 30, 2025, maybe better if you leave the United States to process your application at a U.S. consulate abroad rather than applying for an adjustment of status inside the United States. For diversity lottery winners currently inside the United States, we strongly suggest consulting with an experienced immigration attorney to determine the best course of action.
How much does it cost?
There is no fee charged to submit an electronic entry. However, if you are selected and apply for a Diversity Visa, you must pay all required visa application fees at the time of visa application and interview directly to the consular cashier at the U.S. embassy or consulate.
If you are selected, you will receive details of the required fees with the instructions provided through the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov.
You can estimate these fees to be around $450 USD per person for the diversity visa portion. But other fees may apply too.
If you are a selectee already in the U.S. and you apply to USCIS to adjust your status, you’ll have to pay additional adjustment fees directly to USCIS. The Entrant Status Check contains separate instructions on how to mail adjustment of status application fees.
Do not send money for diversity visa fees to anyone through the mail, Western Union, or any other delivery service if you are applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
No refunds for ineligibility: If a consular officer determines you do not meet the requirements for the diversity visa, the officer cannot issue a visa and you will forfeit all fees paid.
Critical steps in your application
Filling out your application correctly is essential. The State Department is very strict – you’ll be disqualified if you fill something out incorrectly or neglect to fill something out.
3 things pay extremely close attention: 1. Accurately listing family (see below), 2. Photo requirements (see below). 3. Saving your confirmation number and keeping it safe and accessible.
How do I apply?
Go to the state department website: The E-DV Entry Form is the only way to apply.
Give yourself enough time to read the diversity visa instructions [Ukrainian] completely before you start to complete the form online so that you know exactly what information you will need.
Take and prepare photographs – it’s very important to follow the exact specifications [Ukrainian translation | Russian translation] of the photograph requirements you’ll need to submit for yourself, your spouse, and your children. Look at the example photos here. [Ukrainian | Russian]
Make sure you know which family members you need to list. You’ll need to list your spouse (unless you are officially divorced) along with all children, legally adopted children, and step-children who are under 21 (and unmarried).
If you are not married at the time of entry but plan on getting married in the future, do not list a spouse on your registration form, this will make you ineligible.
Be careful when listing – if you neglect to include a dependent, or if you list someone who is not your dependent, you’ll be disqualified and your dependents will also be disqualified.
Start filling out the form. Go through the form carefully – you cannot save progress on the site. It’s designed to be completed and submitted in one sitting, within 60 minutes. If you exceed the 60-minute limit and have not submitted completely, the system discards all information you already entered.
Submit and wait for a confirmation. You should get a confirmation number – hold onto this! If you don’t get a confirmation, or there’s a webpage error, then you can resubmit the entire application before the deadline. If you do get a confirmation, do not submit a second application – you will be disqualified!
Selection: You’ll be able to check to see if you were selected by using your confirmation number on the same state department website under the DV Entrant Status Check section starting May 4, 2024, until September 30, 2025. Please note that being randomly chosen as a selectee does not guarantee that you will receive a visa or even the chance to make a visa application or schedule a visa interview. Selection means that you may be eligible to apply for a diversity visa.
If selected, apply and interview for the diversity visa: If your rank number becomes eligible for final processing, you may have the chance to make an application and potentially may be issued a diversity visa. Interviews for the DV-2025 program begin in October 2024 if you’ve already submitted all the pre-interview paperwork and other information requested. If your application has been fully processed and you’ve been scheduled for a visa interview appointment, you’ll receive a notification through the E-DV website’s Entrant Status Check four to six weeks before the scheduled interviews with U.S. consular officers overseas.
Steps of the DV program (from the state department):
Someone said they can apply for me, should I let them?
Beware of fraud and scams. There are people who will offer to apply for you, but then hold your confirmation number hostage until you pay them. We highly recommend registering and applying yourself. If you absolutely need help, make sure it’s a trusted attorney, friend, or relative. Ultimately, make sure you review the entire form yourself – you will be held responsible for ensuring that information is correct and complete; entries that are not correct or complete may be disqualified.
Make sure you keep your confirmation number, so you can check your status independently of anyone else. And make sure to keep access to the email you use to register for E-DV submission.