REGISTRATION FOR THE NEW LOTTERY FOR RESIDENCY VISAS BEGAN ON OCTOBER 2 AND ENDS ON NOVEMBER 5

The period to register for the 2026 Visa Lottery drawing began at noon on Wednesday, October 2 and ends at noon on Wednesday, November 5, 2024. The lottery of 55,000 visas for legal permanent residence is a program sponsored by the Department of State of the United States government, in which people from countries considered with low immigration to the United States during the last five years can participate, each year millions of people from different countries and continents participate, the applications must be sent electronically, they do not accept applications by regular mail and if you are one of the winners you can receive the legal permanent residence (green card) for you, your spouse and unmarried minor children. 

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COUNTRIES NOT ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE 

As every year, 55,000 residency visas will be raffled and as every year in the 2026 lottery (DV2026) the following countries are NOT eligible to participate: Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela, among other non-Latino countries such as Bangladesh, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), South Korea, Philippines, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, United Kingdom (including Ireland) and Vietnam because in the last five years more than 50,000 immigrants from these countries entered the United States.

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UNDOCUMENTED PERSONS INSIDE THE UNITED STATES SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS

Most people residing without permission in the United States cannot participate in the lottery because even if they win a spot in the preselection process they will not be able to obtain a visa because they are out of legal status. The only exception is for those who have had a family or labor petition filed before April 30, 2001 under section 245(i) who can participate and in case of winning a slot will have to pay $1,000.00 corresponding to the fine for remaining in the country undocumented. 

Also, persons who have lived in the U.S. for more than one year in the last 10 years without permission will be disqualified even if they are currently outside the U.S. Most of the applicants are persons who have never lived in the U.S., and who meet the requirements of schooling or work with specialized training.

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SCHOOLING OR SPECIALIZED TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must have completed junior high school or high school equivalent (12 years) in the U.S. or have 2 years of experience in a trade or specialty requiring technical training.

Individuals may only apply once each year, with the exception of couples who may apply separately for both husband and wife; unmarried minor children will be included with their parents. If the government learns that a person has applied more than once in the same lottery, he or she will be disqualified.

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BEWARE OF SCAMS

Beware, with offices and websites that in exchange for high amounts of money guarantee that you will get a visa by using their services, no one can guarantee it since the selection is random through a lottery.

In our office we can help you fill out the application for you and your family members who are outside the United States, you can call my office to schedule an appointment or if you have any questions regarding this lottery.

You can also apply on your own but you must be careful to fill out the form correctly on the State Department's website.