It's prone to technical error, under fire from critics in Congress, and not overly generous to the Irish.
Still, for most Irish with the ambition to live legally in America, the State Department-administered Diversity Visa Program is the only game in town.
And visa hopefuls can try their luck again this week as applications for the 2013 program are being accepted by the State Department.
The online registration period for the 2013 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2013) began on Tuesday, October 4, at noon, eastern daylight time and will conclude on Saturday, November 5, at noon, according to the department's website.
Meanwhile, "entrants" in the Diversity Visa 2012 program may check the status of their entries through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website now through June 30, 2012, the website further states.
The State Department is again this year warning visa hopefuls against fraud and indeed "of a notable increase in fraudulent emails and letters sent to Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants."
The warning added: The scammers behind these fraudulent emails and letters are posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from DV applicants."
It urges applicants to review the proper procedures for the DV program on the website "so that you know what to expect, when to expect it, and from whom.
"Fraudulent websites are posing as official U.S. government sites. Some companies posing as the U.S. government have sought money in order to 'complete' DV entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form.
In addition to the state website, Irish immigration centers around the U.S. offer free advice on the diversity program. The diversity program offers 55,000 visas annually (5,000 reserved for El Salvador) to countries that send less than a specified number of legal immigrants to the U.S. annually. Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are on the eligibility list.
