The US Department of State announced the start of accepting applications for the annual Green Card Diversification Lottery, which gives winners the right to receive a permanent residence permit in the United States.

For Fiscal Year 2020, 50,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available.

“Applicants must submit entries for the DV-2020 program electronically at dvlottery.state.gov between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Wednesday, October 3, 2018, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Tuesday, November 6, 2018,” the statement said. 

Winners will be determined by random sampling.

"For DV-2020, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years:  Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.  Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible,” the statement added.