US Announces Green Card Lottery In Kenya: How To Apply

In terms of work experience, the department will use the US Department of Labour's database to determine the work experience of an applicant, which groups job experience into five job zones based on education, experience and training levels necessary to perform the job.

The database groups the job zones from Job Zone One to Five, where one requires little or no preparation while five require extensive preparation. The State Department places a requirement for the job category to be 7.0 or higher.

Passport

Applicants should also possess a valid passport as a passport number will be integral during the application process. You must write your name as it appears on the passport.

"If your passport includes a first, middle and last/family name, please list them in the following order: last/family name, first name, middle name). If you have only one name, it must be entered in the last/family name field," read part of the statement.

"Only you as the principal applicant must meet these requirements, your spouse and children do not have to meet the requirements."

How to apply

Applicants who meet the requirements for a DV visa should visit the US State Department website to register online, with the option of doing it independently (remotely) or through a cyber cafe.

You should carry a passport-size photo, birth certificate or ID and submit the entry electronically on the DV website.

It is worth it to note that multiple and incomplete entries will lead to automatic disqualification. Applicants have until September 30, 2024, to check the status of their entry through the State Department's website.

"The law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period. The Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries. If you submit more than one entry you will be disqualified," added the statement.

Which countries can & cannot apply?

The department has listed 53 countries in Africa whose residents can apply for the program. The countries are selected because they have in the past recorded low rates of immigrants into the United States.

For DV-2025 however,  natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years: 

• Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, The People’s Republic of China (including mainland and Hong Kong-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Venezuela, and Vietnam.

However, the department offered an alternative for residents whose countries are not listed on the database if either your spouse or your parents are natives of a country already listed.

Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible. With the exception of the United Kingdom and its dependent territories, which are now eligible for DV-2025, there were no changes in eligibility from the previous fiscal year.