In this week’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast, my partner, Anita Koumriqian, is joining us today as we discuss the annual Green Card Lottery called Diversity Visas.
Under the diversity immigrant visa program, 50,000 green cards are made available each year to people who are born in countries that have lower rates of immigration in the U.S. Similar to the H1-B lottery, it’s a pure random online lottery, but anybody can apply for it as long as their country is eligible.
Diversity green card candidates may apply either while residing outside the U.S. or while residing in the U.S. If you’re outside of the U.S., you go through the consular process. And if you’re in the United States, you can file the green card with USCIS as an adjustment of status, just like how all other green card applications are.
Please share this episode with companies, HR and recruiting professionals, startup founders, international talent, or anyone who can benefit from it. Sign up for the Founder Law monthly newsletter to receive the latest immigration news and issues. Reach out to us if we can help you determine the best immigration options for yourself, your company, your employees or prospective employees, or your family whether in the U.S. or abroad.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- Examples of countries that don’t qualify for this type of visa
- The crux of the diversity lottery program
- Eligibility requirements for diversity visas
- Application timeline, minimum number of submissions, and zero registration fee
- How to know that you’ve been selected and what to do next
- Applying for green card based on the visa bulletin
- Can your spouse and/or children come with the applicant?
- The interview process
- Things to look for in an attorney to help you with this process
Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!
Resources:
List of countries eligible for diversity visas
Founder Law:
- Subscribe to the monthly Founder Law newsletter
- Path to Green Card Handout
- Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast:
- Episode 27: How to Prepare for Visa and Green Card Interview
- Blog: Diversity Green Cards
- Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
- Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.