Diversity Visa Requirements

Diversity visa requirements are simple but you would be disqualified if you fail to satisfy even a single criterion. The most basic of the diversity visa requirements is your country of birth or nativity. You have to hail from a country that is eligible for the diversity visa under the section 202 (b) of the INA or Immigration and Nationality Act. The eligibility of a nation is determined by the number of people migrating to the US including the family sponsored and employment based categories. A nation falls under the qualifying list if it has sent less than 50, 000 people from their country in the past five years.

This numerical value is never constant which leads to the need for a revised list every year which means that a country can become disqualified if it manages to surpass the numerical limit. Some of the ineligible countries include India, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, south Korea, Poland, brazil, Canada, china (mainland), United kingdom excluding Northern Ireland and Vietnam, etc.

If you reside in an ineligible country but originally hail from a qualifying country, then you can show your place of birth as country of chargeability. You can even show your spouse’ country (if it qualifies) or your parents’ native country for satisfying Diversity Visa requirements.

Though there is no minimum or maximum age limit specified for diversity visa requirements, yet a person less than 18 years can not apply for the diversity Visa owing to the educational requirements (high school diploma or equivalent certificate) or work experience that it demands.

The educational diversity visa requirements are: high school diploma or an equivalent certificate which as defined as successful completion of a 12 year course of elementary and secondary education OR you must have two years experience within the past 5 years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform.

You must specify your level of education from any one of the following listed in the chronological order: primary school only, high school no degree, high school degree, vocational school, some university courses, university degree, some graduate level courses, master degree, some doctorate level courses, and doctorate degree.

Once you satisfy the diversity visa requirements, then you have to file it electronically with the US department of state. It is free of application fee. You have to be clear with the procedures of diversity visa