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The US Diversity Immigrant Visa Program opened last week, and if you’re interested, you have less than a month to apply.

The program will give 55,000 foreign nationals and their families from around the world a chance to legally immigrate to the United States, green card in hand.  Of course, as many as 20 million people applied last time, so don’t get your hopes too high.  

But, the application is free and - as the name implies - it’s a lottery, and number can play;  once you have a passport and a high school diploma, you’re eligible.  We found out more today from the Embassy’s Consular Officer when we spoke to him at the Biltmore:..

Sean Boshard - Consular Officer US Embassy in Belmopan
"We want to get the word out. We want people applying for the diversity visa program, so the more people that do apply.. the odds increase for people selected. People are randomly selected that apply for the program. There are basic requirements for the program they need to have a high school education, they need to have a valid passport. Who is selected... does not matter your income does not matter your social status, those things are not important, the only thing that's important is if people apply, then they can be randomly selected to participate in the program."

Jules Vasquez
"President Trump has made some specific claims about the immigrant diversity visa program, in so far as he has said that it is nonsensical, does not make sense that you should qualify to be a US resident based on a lottery. When many of us heard that, we thought the program would not continue, however, it is continuing. How do we reconcile the dissonance between what we heard there and what we're seeing now?"

Sean Boshard
"I can tell you a few things, I can tell you first the visa is statutorily defined by congress, it's currently open. We have 50 thousand slots open for the diversity visa program and I would recommend the applicants apply right now, as soon as possible because the program does close November 5th, 2019."

Jules Vasquez
"Last week we heard news that Mr. Trump had signed a proclamation which I'm told is soon to come into effect, which says that persons who are applying for immigrant status in the US, must have some type of health insurance. Do applicants need to have health insurance?"

Sean Boshard
"I can't speak directly to that now, I can refer you to the White House webpage for a memo that they released about. Immigrant visa applicants have to apply for an immigrant visa by filling out a form, meeting certain requirements, diversity visa applicants will have to do the same in order to do so. That's the information we have on that."

Jules Vasquez
"Okay, so it's a known, unknown?"

Sean Boshard
"Currently, yes."

A few important notes: unlike a visa application, the online application for the visa lottery is free - so don’t let anyone charge you for it.  The online application can be found at travel.state.gov.  The entry period runs until Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. 

The programs open to Belizeans but, this year, not to Guatemalans or Salvadorans.