Participating in the U.S. Green Card lottery program and winning is considered the simplest way of getting permanent residence in the U.S.
Normally, people apply for permanent resident status through employer sponsorship or family sponsorship. However, there are other ways to apply for permanent residency in the US. One of the more unique ways is by taking part in the Green Card lottery program.
How Does Green Card Lottery Work?
Officially known as the Diversity Visa (DV) program, the Green Card lottery allows candidates who meet certain eligibility requirements to enter a random draw for Green Cards. Each year, 55,000 Green Cards become available through this program. If you are eligible to participate, you can enter via the official DV program website, where you can also find out if you are eligible for the DV lottery.
The aim of the DV lottery program is to make Green Cards available to residents of countries which are underrepresented in the U.S. Each year, the DV program website lists the countries eligible for the program. The list of eligible countries is generally announced about a month or so before the actual program. Since the program wants to make US immigration more diverse, you have a better chance if your country does not see many immigrants moving to the U.S.
Only one entry per person is allowed. There is no way to increase your chances of winning the lottery. The draws are completely random and only those who are eligible to compete have a chance of winning a U.S. Green Card. In addition to being a citizen of an eligible country, applicants need to have a high school education or work experience of two years in a skilled job.
If you do not win a Green Card through the DV program, you can try again another year, as long as your country is still on the list of eligible countries. You can also try to secure a Green Card through family sponsorship, employer sponsorship, or other means.
USAGreencardlottery.org helps you confirm your eligibility to participate in the program and also helps you prepare your entry. Upon successfully completing your application, the website will submit your entry on the official DV Lottery website during the submission period. You won’t need to worry about a slow internet, too much traffic to the official site or any such problem that could keep you from being able to submit your entry successfully.
