Each lottery winner, determined by random selection, will be able to apply for one of 50,000 visas with the right to permanent residence in the United States, issued annually to people from countries with low immigration to the US. Winners will be notified by mail between April and July 2007. During this period they will receive letters with further instructions.
This year, 41% of all applications came from Africa, 38% from Asia, 19% from Europe, 2% from South and Central America.
The largest number of applications came from Bangladesh - over 1.7 million. In second and third place are Nigeria (684,000) and Ukraine (619,000). Recall that Russia has been excluded from participation in this lottery in recent years.