The final day to register for a 2025 Diversity Visa application is Nov. 7. Registration will close at noon EST that day.

Key Points:

• Registrations must be submitted online at the State Department’s e-DV website. Paper registrations are not accepted.
• Entries are limited to one per person. Multiple entries will result in ineligibility.
• Winners of the lottery will be selected at random. Registrants will receive a confirmation number that they may use to see if they’ve been selected starting May 4, 2024 on the e-DV website.
• This year, individuals born in the following countries are ineligible: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including mainland and Hong Kong born), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Venezuela and Vietnam. Natives of Macau and Taiwan are eligible.
• The State Department’s instructions on how to register are here.

Background: Also known as the Green Card Lottery or the Visa Lottery, the Diversity Visa program allows nationals of countries with low U.S. immigration rates and who meet eligibility requirements to register for a chance to apply for a U.S. immigration visa. The State Department is alerting individuals to be wary of scammers who send fraudulent emails and letters posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from Diversity Visa applicants. There is no fee to enter; fees are only required at the time of the scheduled appointment.