June 20, 2010 / Green Card / By American Immigration Center
Many
people understand how a regular lottery works: you enter a
drawing and if you are selected at random, you win a prize. Lotteries
allow some lucky winners to win prizes such as cars. Most states have
cash lotteries as well. The US government also offers a US Green Card
Lottery Program, which allows people to win permanent legal residency
in the US.
The
US Green Card Lottery Program is officially known as the
Diversity Visa Lottery Program or the DV Lottery Program. Each year,
this program allows 50, 000 applicants to receive a green card (and
thereby permanent legal residency in the US) as part of a random
lottery selection process. If you apply for the program, you might be
able to secure one of these green cards.
The
1996 Immigration Act created The Immigrant Diversity Visa Lottery
Program in order to create greater diversity in immigration. Many
US immigrants come from a few geographic regions and in many cases
these regions remain the same year after year. The DV Lottery Program
is designed to allow immigrants from other regions to have a chance
to immigrate to the US.
The
50, 000 green cards available as part of the DV Lottery Program
are distributed among six different world geographic areas, with more
green cards going to those areas where little immigration to the US
takes place. Any country that has sent at least 50,000 immigrants to
the US over the past five years is not eligible for the lottery
program. As well, no country may receive more than 7% of the 50, 000
green cards slated for one year. Green cards offered through the
Diversity Visa Lottery Program are awarded through a random computer
draw.
To
qualify for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, you must live in
a qualifying country. You must also meet either a training
requirement or an education requirement. If you have two years of
training or work experience or a high school education you may meet
this requirement in most fields of work. The USCIS website has a
detailed list of eligibility requirements as well as more details
about the program.
If
you win a visa through the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, you
and your children and spouse will be eligible to live and work
permanently in the US. To apply for the program, you must file Form
I-485 when a visa becomes available. You must also apply online for
the DV Lottery Program at the official US Department of State
website. The US Department of State is the organization that oversees
the DV Lottery Program. Applications for the Diversity Visa Lottery
Program are only accepted at specific times of the year – usually
between October and December. You can check the US Department of
State website to learn when the next Lottery Program will take place.
Applying
for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program is free and can be
completed online. In fact, no paper or post office applications are
accepted. To apply, you must complete an online form. If you have
dependants (such as children or a spouse) who will travel with you to
the US in the event that you are awarded a green card, you must also
fill out a supplemental form. In addition, you must attach two
digitized photos of yourself.
Since
so many green card applicants hope to secure a visa through the
Diversity Visa Lottery Program, it is not surprising Green Card
Lottery fraud has become a serious problem.
Many
companies claim to help applicants increase their chances for a DV
Lottery Program green card or claim that they can make the DV Lottery
Program application easier. These companies charge fees for their
“services,” even though there is no way to increase one’s
chances of getting a green card through the DV Lottery Program.
The
program is completely random and green cards are awarded through
a random computer selection, so there is no way to influence the
selection process. Those who are worried about attaining a green card
through the DV Lottery Program should remember that there are many
ways to secure a green card. The USCIS website lists all the ways
that applicants can secure a green card.
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