DV-2013 Green Card Lottery Applications fall 50 percent

Entries into the US Diversity Visa Lottery, also know as the green card lottery fell almost 50 percent last year, from 15 million the prior year to 8 million. This huge decrease in applicant entries was mainly due to natives from Sri Lanka not qualifying to enter the lottery any more. Each year the US Department of state makes a list of countries that are eligible to enter the lottery from a formula that states: Countries that have sent less than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the past 5 years are eligible to enter the lottery. This is one of the reasons why natives from Russia were allowed to enter the lottery again last year, due to the huge drop in children adopted from Russia the past 5 years. Last year natives from Poland were allowed to enter the lottery again after not being eligible for a decade.

US Goverment to Charge Fee to Enter the Green Card Lottery

Due to a new law passed by the US Congress the Green Card DV-Lottery will no longer be free to enter this year and going forward. Since the USA Diversity Visa Lottery, also known as the green card lottery was established in 1990, it has always been free to enter the DV-Lottery. Last year 8 million people from all over the world enter the lottery in hope of winning one of the 50,000 green cards awarded to the winners each year. The US Congress passed a new immigration law that will extend benefits to political refugees with disabilities and to prevent this program from adding to the US deficit, law makers have introduced a new green card lottery fee that will pay for this program. The fee is expected to be between $30 and $60 per entry into the green card lottery.