One of the most popular ways to legally immigrate to the United States is through the annual lottery organized each year by the State Department, also known as the “Diversity Visa Program.”

The requirements to participate in the annual lottery are:

• Birth in a country that has not sent a large number of immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years. The exact list of countries changes every year, but generally, those born in Greece are eligible to participate in the lottery. Even those born in countries that have sent a large number of immigrants, such as Mexico or China, may participate in certain cases, for example if they have a spouse or parents born in a country eligible for participation such as Greece.
• A high school diploma or equivalent, which is defined as successful completion of 12 years of schooling, or two years of work experience within the last 5 years in a profession that requires at least two years of training or experience.

The lottery application is submitted each year during October-November via the U.S. Department of State website, https://dvprogram.state.gov. Anyone seeking more information should check the State Department’s website during the final months of each year. CAUTION: There are many other websites by various intermediaries that attempt to scam hopeful immigrants by charging fees for supposedly entering the annual lottery. The only official lottery website is https://dvprogram.state.gov – intermediaries or others who offer assistance with submitting applications for the lottery program act without the approval of the State Department. The FTC and the State Department have issued warnings regarding the risk of fraud by such intermediaries here.

The chances of winning the annual lottery vary by geographic region. For people born in Europe, the chance of selection is about one in sixty. The chances of success are the same for everyone born in Europe – but because no country can claim more than 7% of all immigrant visas, some countries with a large number of applicants have slightly lower chances.

Usually, about 100 Greeks win a green card through the lottery each year. This number may seem small compared to the number of winners from other countries, but this is because the number of participants from Greece is low, with about 3,500 entries from Greece each year (See here).

As mentioned, the application takes place every year in October-November, and the lottery results are announced in May-June of the following year. Winners can immigrate during the period between October 1 and September 30 after the announcement of results. Each year, only 50,000 people can immigrate through the lottery, although more than 50,000 are selected (and each winner may immigrate with their spouse and unmarried children under 21). Therefore, some alternates may not be able to complete the immigration process. Finally, winning the lottery alone is not sufficient to immigrate to America – there are many other requirements to immigrate to the U.S. (e.g., not having convictions for certain crimes, proving that one will not become a public charge, etc.).