Every year, the US government gives 50,000 people what may be the ultimate gift it can bestow upon someone - a green card to become a permanent resident in the country.
Annually, people from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States can apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery, also known as the green card lottery.
To qualify, applicants have to be natives from countries that have not sent over more than 50,000 immigrants in the past five years.
For this year's draw - which will allow winners to begin life as a US citizen in 2024 - those born in mainland China and Hong Kong are excluded. But those from Macau and Taiwan are eligible.
Applicants must have either completed secondary education or worked in one of certain designated occupations for at least two years in the past five years.
There are some exceptions, however. If the applicant was born in an excluded country but neither of their parents was a resident of their place of birth when they were born, or if they have a spouse from a qualifying country, they still have a shot at getting the green card through the lottery.
However, the government will only accept one application from each person every year, else they risk disqualification.
The DV lottery was first established in 1996 to diversify the American population - registration is expected to begin in October, if it is the same as in recent years.
The registration window normally lasts for about a month to the first several days of November, so prospective applicants should keep an eye out for those dates.
