US Green Card Lottery

How do I meet the Country of Birth Requirements?

You have to show that you are a "native" of the list of countries eligible to apply under the Green Card Lottery. The good news is that there are very few countries that are not on the list of ineligible countries. You can show that you are a native of a particular country by meeting one of the following requirements:

• You were born in one of the countries on the list of eligible countries
• Your spouse was born in one of the countries on the list of eligible countries.
• You may still be able to apply even if you cannot meet any of the above requirements. If neither of your parents were born in your country of birth nor at the time of your birth were long term residents of your country of birth you can use the place of birth of one of your parents to apply under the Green Card Lottery.

Which Countries are excluded from the US Green Card Lottery?

For this year's DV-2010, natives of the following countries are NOT eligible to apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years: BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PHILIPPINES, PERU, POLAND, RUSSIA, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland which is eligible) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.