In What Cases Is a Green Card Lottery Winner Disqualified or Refused?

If you're successfully selected at the first stage, there are certain circumstances that could lead to your candidacy being disqualified, or the consular officer denying you. Let's look at specific cases:

f selected in the program, the applicant and every family member listed on the application must complete the DS-260. If you don't complete the application on time, or if you provide incorrect information that later doesn't match what you say during your interview with the consul, your candidacy will be disqualified. Also note that you won't be able to complete the DS-260 application multiple times, so before confirming, review the information you've entered once more.

It's important for the applicant to submit their high school diploma. If you don't have this document and cannot present it, your candidacy will be automatically disqualified, or the consular officer may deny you at the interview because of this.

If the applicant has a criminal record, they may be denied the immigrant visa. However, it's also important to note under which article the candidate was convicted. Here, the consul retains the discretion to make the decision personally - if you have a conviction under a minor charge, there's a chance the consul may approve your candidacy. However, in the event of a criminal record, most applicants are disqualified.

Also, note that you must submit a police clearance certificate from every country where you lived for more than 3-6 months.

If you incorrectly stated your marital status in the application to participate in the lottery, your application may still be selected at the first stage, but there's a good chance the consular officer will deny you later on. For example, if you live with a partner and are common-law married, but haven't officially signed anything, and you stated in the application that you are married, there's a high probability the consular officer will deny you your Green Card. Being officially married inherently involves registering the marriage at the House of Justice; accordingly, if you don't hold a marriage certificate, it turns out you provided false information in your application. There are exceptions that the consular officer sometimes allows during the interview and grants the visa despite this violation, but this happens very rarely.

If you, or an applicant added to your application, were present in the US illegally, the consular officer may deny your candidacy in the event you win.

If you were in the US and had a child under unofficial insurance (at the state's expense), your candidacy will be disqualified if you win. Following the December 2022 legal changes, this reason for disqualification and denial may no longer apply, or may be overturned on appeal.

All the circumstances listed above can become a reason for a winning candidate's disqualification, or for a consular officer to deny the Green Card, which means exclusion from the subsequent stages after winning the lottery. However, it's also worth noting that a disqualified candidate can participate in the lottery again the following year. Accordingly, being disqualified once does not mean disqualification in future years as well. So, you can participate in the lottery every year.

If you need help with the stages following a Green Card win, complete the registration form (CTA).