Why do natives of certain countries not qualify for the green card lottery?
Diversity visas are intended to provide an immigration opportunity for persons from countries other than the countries which send large numbers of immigrants to the U.S. The law states that no diversity visas shall be provided for “high admission” countries. These countries are those from which a total of 50,000 persons in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based visa categories immigrated to the United States during the previous five years.
The Green Card Lottery is intended to provide an immigration opportunity for persons from countries other than the countries that send large numbers of immigrants to the United States. The law states that no green cards shall be provided for natives of “high-admission” countries. The law defines this to mean countries from which a total of 55,000 persons in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based visa categories immigrated to the United States during the previous five years. Each year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services adds the family and employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five years to identify the countries whose natives will be ineligible for the annual green card lottery. Because there is a separate determination made before each annual green card lottery entry period, the list of countries whose natives are not eligible may change from one year to the next.
