The 'D.V' Lottery or the Canadian Point System: Costs and Benefits

Abstract

The diversity visa (D.V) lottery popularly known as the D.V lottery is a U.S relatively new immigration policy that was shrouded with a lot of controversy at its inception in 1995. The main stated objective of this policy is to increase diversity in the U.S. However, from the policy inception, immigration specialists seriously doubted the claimed objective. They strongly believe that the congressional sponsors of the visa lottery adopted the diversity mantra as a cover for a program that was actually designed to satisfy other objectives. In particular earlier short lived versions of the diversity-visa programs were designed to bring more European immigrants, especially English-speakers, to the United States. In December 2005 the United States House of representatives voted 273-148 to add an amendment to the border enforcement bill H.R. 4437, abolishing the DV lottery. Opponents of the lottery said it was susceptible to fraud and was a way for terrorists to enter the country. For now, the abolishment of the DV lottery is still in question as in May 2006, the Senate adopted 56-42 an amendment, to restrict two-thirds of the diversity visas to immigrants with advanced science degrees. In this paper, we review in details the D.V immigration policy program considering qualitatively yet objectively arguments for and against the program and potential costs and benefits to the US. We then highlight in details the pros and cons of a commonly suggested alternative to this program, the point system.