Apply for the Diversity Visa (DV) Program, which allows applicants who are randomly chosen from eligible countries to qualify for permanent residency in the United States. (See the Resources section at the end of this article for the homepage of the DV program, and for other eligibility criteria if you don't qualify for the DV program).
File an application with USCIS for permanent residency. Applying for permanent residency is the first step toward obtaining an immigrant visa if you live outside of the United States. All approved applications for permanent residency are forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) where they remain until an immigrant visa becomes available to the overseas applicant.
Receive approval for your application for permanent residency from USCIS and wait for an immigrant visa to be made available to you at NVC. Under U.S. immigration law, an immigrant visa may not be immediately available to you even if your case has been approved by USCIS. Immediate relatives and minor children of U.S. citizens are immediately granted priority in the allocation of immigrant visas. As a result, depending on your individual circumstances, you may have to wait for at least two to three years before an immigrant visa can become available to you.
