India, Dec. 20 -- The US Diversity Visa (DV) program, often referred to as the "green card lottery", has returned to attention after the shooting incidents linked to Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, who entered the United States through the program.

President Donald Trump has decided to suspend the lottery. It brings in the question of how the visa works, who qualifies for it, and the level of vetting involved.

The Diversity Visa program is administered by the US Department of State and was created by Congress to broaden immigration from countries that historically send fewer migrants to the United States.

Under the program, up to 55,000 immigrant visas are made available every year to applicants from eligible countries throu...