The US Diversity Visa Program gives Green Cards to 55,000 people across the world to live permanently in the United States. The program opens registration, receives entries from people who are interested, runs a draw to randomly select winners, and then processes their applications for visas based on their eligibilities.
The program frowns on double or multiple registrations. As such married couples have been asking if husband and wife can register separately for the US DV program.
The straight answer is YES, legally married couples, can register separately for the DV program as husband and wife.
How to register DV program separately as Husband and Wife
Registering separately doesn’t mean that individual registrations would not have the other as derivative, dependant, or beneficiary. Any way that you choose to call it.
When the wife registers, she adds the husband in her application. The wife should tick MARRIED and then provide the husband’s details on the following page of the application.
The husband will also do the same, register tick MARRIED, and include the wife’s details in the application. If you have children, you will include the children in both applications.
This type of registration is not considered as double registration since each of the couples registered once as a principal applicant.
In the situation that a spouse is not eligible because of their nationality or educational qualification, they cannot be a principal applicant, but can only register as a derivative under the qualifying spouse. For example; If the wife does not meet the educational requirement but the husband does, the wife cannot register as a principal applicant, however, the husband can register and include her as the wife.
Derivatives are not required to meet any requirements. Only the principal applicant is required to meet entry requirements.
Still have some travel questions? Ask in our Travel WhatsApp Group.
