Immigrant Visas

The immigrant visa process for Maltese citizens is handled by the U.S. Consulate General in Naples, Italy.

Individuals with an interest in immigrating to the United States can now apply for the U.S. Department of State’s Diversity Visa lottery by accessing the electronic Diversity Visa entry form at www.dvlottery.state.gov.  Entries will be accepted until 6:00pm (Central European Time) on November 30, 2009.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is an annual program administered by the U.S. Department of State.  Under the program, up to 55,000 Diversity Visas are allocated each year for persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States, including Malta.  The program is open to citizens of all European countries, with the exception of Poland and the United Kingdom, and all countries in Africa and the Middle East.  Countries that have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past five years are not eligible to participate in the program.

The program makes visas available to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements, including a high school education or two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform.  A computer-generated, random lottery determines who is selected to continue in the visa application process.  The selected individuals will be notified by mail between May and July 2010.

The Diversity Visa lottery uses an electronic registration system designed to make the application process efficient and secure.  No fee is charged for the electronic lottery entry, and applicants should be aware that the U.S. government does not use or endorse any outside consultants or private services to facilitate Diversity Visa entries.  Detailed information about entry requirements is available from the website www.dvlottery.state.gov.