Australia & The Green Card Lottery

Fifty thousand green card lottery visas are distributed every year to applicants from 6 regions.
If you are from Australia you are able to get a chance to enter the US via Australia‘s
Diversity Visa Lottery Program quota. The first question that might
come to mind when you think of applying for the green card lottery is
"Am I eligible for the green card lottery program as an Australian?".
After verifying the qualifying norms, if you meet the requirements for the program
you should definitely give it a shot and apply for the program, because the US green card lottery is by far
the easiest and most cost effective way of obtaining permanent residency status for the USA.








The Diversity Visa Lottery selection is random. The number of applicants from Australia versus
the number of visas granted for Australians might differ. While the chance for winning the green card
lottery might be not be statistically high, there are on average 1,000 Australians who win the green card lottery every year.

There are work experience related requirements, education related requirements, place of birth related requirements
and other norms you might have to meet in order to be eligible for the program. Any person whose country of birth
is Australia is eligible to apply for the green card lottery program
(Diversity Visa program), as long as they meet the work / education criteria.

You might have to show some proof that you are a citizen of Australia or a citizen from one
of the qualifying countries as a proof of your nativity to be eligible for the continental quota allotted for your region.

You were born in Australia or in one of the eligible countries.
You might be eligible if your spouse is an Australian or a citizen from
one of the qualifying countries to be eligible by virtue of nativity.
Even if you do not qualify for the country of birth requisites by the above two conditions,
you might be able to apply for the green card lottery if either one of
your parents were born in Australia or in one of the qualifying countries, you might be able
to apply for the program by virtue of nativity of your parent‘s birth.
Since the immigration rates from Australia to the US are considered relatively low in comparison with
other countries, it seems guaranteed that Australian citizens shall remain eligible to take part in the
yearly green card program. (countries that send over 50,000
immigrants per year to the US, are automatically excluded from the yearly lottery as the whole aim of it is to
increase diversity – hence its name – the diversity visa program).

Therefore, if you are interested to apply and try your luck, you should definitely do so, but make sure
that you follow the strict guidelines set by the US department of state for the application process.
It is unfortunate that a high proportion of applicants from all over the world are disqualified as a result
of improper submission of their applications, which can be easily prevented by familiarizing yourself
with the guidelines for the application and the supporting passport photograph.

If you are applying by virtue of occupation, the occupation should be sufficiently at the level permitted
for the green card lottery. Over qualified or under qualified skill levels and experience might not help as well.

Even if you are an Australian, if you do not meet the required eligibility norms for
the application you should not apply. It would be a waste of time applying when you are not eligible,
as the rules are very clear and if you do not meet any of the requirements, you are automatically disqualified.

There are professional companies who can advise you if you have the eligibility to apply for the US green
card lottery for your qualification with respect to the eligibility conditions. It is better you get in touch
with them to ensure you are doing the application process right. They have been doing it for years and
they know whether it is practically right for you to apply. If you are not eligible to apply for the lottery,
their immigration specialists can recommend alternative methods for obtaining a green card based on your personal circumstances.