WHAT IS THE NUMERICAL LIMIT FOR THE DIVERSITY LOTTERY?
By law, the U.S. diversity immigration program makes available a maximum of 55,000 permanent residence visas each year to eligible persons. However, the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulates that beginning as early as DV-99, and for as long as necessary, 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NACARA program. The actual reduction of the limit to 50,000 began with DV-2000 and remains in effect. • WHAT ARE THE REGIONAL DIVERSITY VISA (DV) LIMITS? The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determines the DV regional limits for each year according to a formula specified in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Once the USCIS has completed the calculations, the regional visa limits will be announced. • MAY PERSONS WHO ARE IN THE U.S. APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM? Yes, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in another country, and the entry ma
