There is only one official website where you can register to participate in the lottery: https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/.

 

All other sites are either intermediaries or scammers. Be very careful with them. Some of them even demand money for registration. However, the Green Card lottery is completely free!

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You can find the rules of the drawing in Russian here: https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Diversity-Visa/DV-Instructions-Translations/DV-2016-Instructions-Translations/DV_2016_Instructions_Russian.pdf

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— Who should participate in the drawing, and who should not?

Very often people ask me: “Is it worth participating in the lottery if I am in the United States illegally? I won’t be able to use my winnings anyway.” I would not be so categorical in saying that a person without documents has absolutely no chance of getting a Green Card if they win. First, immigrant visas for winners of the current drawing will be issued in 2017. By that time, immigration law may change. Second, the winner’s personal circumstances may change in a way that allows him/her to obtain a Green Card. Therefore, I would like to encourage those without status — participate in the Green Card lottery, because you may get a chance to change your legal position.

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— Does it matter which country the participant is a citizen of?

Yes. Only citizens of countries — according to the U.S. Department of State formulation — “with historically low rates of immigration to the United States” may participate in the Green Card lottery. Since immigration statistics change, the list of countries ineligible for participation also changes.

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— Do I need to list all family members in the application?

Before answering this question, let me give an example from practice. A citizen of Uzbekistan, when filling out the application, indicated that he was divorced from his wife. At that time, as a result of a family conflict, they were living separately and planning to divorce, but the divorce documents had not yet been filed. He received a notification of winning, but was unable to obtain a Green Card because at the time of submitting the lottery entry, the spouses were not officially divorced.

Therefore, the State Department instructions for participating in the lottery clearly state that you must indicate your spouse (husband or wife), regardless of whether you live together or not, or whether he/she intends to immigrate with you to the United States or not. Widows and widowers do not need to list deceased spouses. You must also list all unmarried children under 21 years of age, regardless of whether they are your children from the current marriage, children from previous marriages, or children whom you officially adopted in accordance with the laws of your country. List all children under 21 years old, even if they do not currently live with you or do not intend to immigrate to the United States. You do not need to include children who are already U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status in the United States.

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— How can I find out if I won?

Participants will be able to check their DV lottery results on the website https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ in the Entrant Status Check section, using their individual confirmation number and personal information for access. The Entrant Status Check section is the only official source of information about your win in the lottery.

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GOOD LUCK IN THE LOTTERY!