Diversity Visa (Green Card) program launched for 2024

Baku/06.10.22/Turan: On October 5, the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Azerbaijan announced the launch of the US Diversity Visa (Green Card) program for 2024. This program, which gives the right to live, study and work permanently in the United States, is implemented every year around the world. This year, the application deadline is November 8th.

The goal of the “Green Card” program, which has been in use since 1990, is to increase cultural diversity among the American population. There is no fee to participate in the program, and the selection is made at random, as in a regular lottery.

The minimum requirements for participation in the  lottery program are secondary education, age over 17 years.

Applicants can access the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at the official E-DV website, https://dvprogram.state.gov/, during the registration period, which is open from October 5, 2022, to November 8, 2022.  DV instructions also are available on the Department of State’s webpage at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/diversity-visa-program-entry/diversity-visa-instructions.html

The embassy also urged avoiding visa consultants who offer to boost applicants' chances by adding incorrect information to the application. “Incorrect information may result in your application being rejected. If possible, fill out the form yourself. If you need help, make sure the person helping you is entering the correct information. Also, avoid visa consultants who charge money because they claim they can increase your chances of winning. We do not work with consultants and they cannot increase your chances of being elected."

According to information released by the “Green Card” office at the end of September, 7 million applications were received from around the world to live and work in the United States under the Green Card program. 120,000 of them  won lottery.

The number of "Green Card" holders from Azerbaijan amounted to 1260 people. For comparison, the number of lottery winners from Russia was 5,505, and from Armenia - 3,525.

The US Department of State website reports that the total number of online applications from Azerbaijan in 2021 under the Diversity Visa program was 108,805. The latest statistics on the number of program winners are from 2018.

According to the rules, visa appointments for “Green Card” holders living in Azerbaijan are scheduled at the US Embassy in Georgia.

During the pandemic of 2020 and 2021, this rule created problems for lottery winners  from Azerbaijan. In August 2021, 1,439 people selected from Azerbaijan under the Green Card program (Diversity Visa 2021) applied to the Turan news agency.

They said that they were in a difficult situation because the visa interviews took place in Georgia. They noted that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the interviews, which were supposed to begin in September 2020, started seven months later - from March to April. “At the US Embassy, ​​this process is very slow. The process will end in September. According to the latest statistics, out of 1,419 cases awaiting interviews, only 74 cases have received invitations and visas have been issued to only 51 cases.

The US Embassy in Azerbaijan told Turan that during the pandemic, US embassies and consulates are mainly focused on providing services to US citizens abroad, as well as issuing emergency visas. "Positions that may provide additional services prioritize immigrant visas, intercountry adoption, and certain special immigrant visas for relatives of U.S. citizens, including spouses and children."

The Embassy noted that nonimmigrant visa processing centers also deal with cases of extreme humanitarian concern and cases intended for individuals traveling to provide vital public health or national security support. "Not all US embassies abroad process immigrant visas, including multiple-entry visas, and citizens of a number of countries must contact the nearest US embassy to process their immigrant visa application."

It was noted that due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, "it is impossible to predict how many diversity visas we will issue this year, but we want to set expectations accordingly and say that we will probably not issue all the diversity visas allowed by law for 2021."

In 2022 the number of applications for the “Green Card” from Azerbaijan for the next year was approximately 80-90 thousand, Turan was told in the “Green Card” company . “About one out of every 100 applicants from Azerbaijan wins. This year, the youngest “Green Card” holder is 17 years old, and the oldest is 64 years old.

The company noted that in previous years the number of applications increased, but there was no growth in the last 3 years. “About 3 years ago, a request was received for the provision of passport data for applying for a green card. As a result, the number of applications for the Green Card has decreased all over the world, including in Azerbaijan. It appears that not all applicants have passports or their passports are expired. Another reason is the war in Azerbaijan about 2 years ago. The third reason is the psychological effect of the pandemic.”

It is noted that sometimes 35-40 percent of card winners have not traveled to the US before. “Now that figure has dropped to about 10-15 percent.”

The Embassy also issues anti-fraud advisories annually. Yes, unscrupulous visa facilitators have been known to assist entrants with their entries, retain the confirmation number, and then demand more money in exchange for the confirmation number.  Entrants can avoid this by ensuring they receive and keep the unique confirmation number at the time of entry or by completing the entry themselves. 

The Department accepts entries ONLY through the E-DV site, which has complete instructions.  There is no fee to enter.  All entrants must print and retain their online confirmation page after completing their DV entries so that they will be able to check their entry status as explained below.    

It is very important for entrants to keep a record of their unique confirmation number until at least September 30, 2024.  The confirmation number is the only way to check whether an entry has been selected if selected, the entrant will also need to confirmation number to obtain visa application and appointment information, if a visa interview becomes available.  The unique confirmation number helps to protect DV entrants against fraud, malfeasance, and problems with the mail.  

Beginning May 6, 2023, DV-2024 entrants will be able to use their unique confirmation number provided at registration to check the online Entrant Status Check at https://dvprogram.state.gov/ to see if their entry was selected.