Green Card lottery for Argentines?

[sergio]

Someone (Argentine national) asked me if the "Green Card Lottery" still exists. Does anyone have information about this? I think it's officially called a diversity visa or something like that.

 

[dilmah]

Yes, it totally exists. Never ceased to exist even during Trump admiistration.

Someone (Argentine national) asked

Participation is based on country of birth (not nationality).
Select few countries (like China, India) with large influx of immigrants are banned from participation in diversity lottery.
Argentina (as birth country) is good to participate.

 

[gracielle]

Someone (Argentine national) asked me if the "Green Card Lottery" still exists. Does anyone have information about this? I think it's officially called a diversity visa or something like that.

My Argentine dentist (45 years old) signed up for the Green Card Lottery in 2010. This year the USCIS is processing petitions filed in 2006. He can check online processing times and case status.

 

[wineguy999]

My Argentine dentist (45 years old) signed up for the Green Card Lottery in 2010. This year the USCIS is processing petitions filed in 2006. He can check online processing times and case status.

Very odd...I know a lottery winner who signed up in 2008 - he won some years ago (2012?).

 

[dilmah]

signed up for the Green Card Lottery in 2010. This year the USCIS is processing petitions filed in 2006. He can check online processing times and case status.

there must be some significant information omitted or distorted here.

Every green card category (family based, employment based, diversity lottery) as well as every country of birth have their own quotas (and thus queues) at USCIS. Many petitions are processed in 1-2 years.

Most likely this dentist filed employment or family based petition. Not diversity lottery.

 

[gracielle]

there must be some significant information omitted or distorted here.
Every green card category (family based, employment based, diversity lottery) as well as every country of birth have their own quotas (and thus queues) at USCIS. Many petitions are processed in 1-2 years. Most likely this dentist filed employment or family based petition. Not diversity lottery.

Correct....family based petition. I spoke with him this morning. He said his case is being handled by the North Carolina division of the USCIS.
It happens to be the busiest branch in the country. Hence their backlog of cases related to the lottery currently dates back to 2006.

 

[sergio]

So if you apply for the "Green Card" lottery it will likely be several years before you get an answer? Can an Argentine apply any year or only certain years?

 

[dilmah]

So if you apply for the "Green Card" lottery it will likely be several years before you get an answer?

you apply in October-November of 2021.
Then in May-June of 2022 you will get an answer (whether selected or not).
If not selected then you can try your chance next time.

If selected then you need to provide supporting documentation to the US consulate and have an interview.
If successful you can expect to have immigration visa some time in 2023.
notice that NOT all selected people eventually end up with immigration visa.

The multi-year delays mentioned above by gracielle are not applicable to diversity lottery.
Those delays are caused by small quotas for some green card categories and large number of petitions for those categories.

In diversity lottery the biggest problem is that chances to win are slim.

Can an Argentine apply any year or only certain years?

What's important is country of birth, not passport/nationality. If by Argentine you mean someone born in Argentina then yes, Argentine can apply any year.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Green card lottery…we used to have that institution: