The Green Card lottery program, officially known as the diversity immigrant visa program, is a system that allows people from across the world to submit an application to immigrate to the United States. It is a program that is entirely built on chance. Accordingly, the green card lottery may not be your best option for obtaining permanent residency in the United States. To determine your best option for obtaining a green card call a local immigration attorney for a consultation.
1) Keep a calendar of important dates. Keeping track of all the important dates you need to know for your application will allow you to set correct deadlines for when you can legally move to the United States. For instance, you need to register for the program (at least) 1 year in advance of the date that you are planning to move to the United States. For instance, the entry registration period for a 2016 application was between October 1, 2014 and November 3, 2014. It pays to be prepared!
2) You need to have high school education or at least 2 years’ experience in an occupation that requires two years of training/2 years of experience. Ensure that you have the correct documentation for your education.
3) There are birth requirements for the lottery program. The good news is that most citizens are eligible for the program, but a few countries are excluded from the list. Check here for a list of countries that are NOT eligible: http://workpermit.com/us/green_card_lottery/birth.htm
4) You can always reapply for the program if you’re not selected the first time around. There is much adage to the saying” “Third time’s the charm!”
5) You receive your results (if selected) by mail rather than email – 6-8 months after your application.
6) Even if you are selected in the lottery, you may be placed on the waiting list. While the DV program accepts 50,000 immigrants into the country each year, the DV selects more than 50,000 applicants due to the fact that initial applicants may not meet other requirements of the application.
7) Same-sex spouses of U.S citizens and lawful permanent residents are now eligible for the same immigration benefits as opposite sex spouses.
8) You can submit your application from anywhere in the world. This means that if you are in the USA or abroad, you can submit your application from within the United States.
9) A husband and wife/ husband and husband/ or a wife and wife can submit a separate entry each for the application. Only 1 entry per person is allowed.
10) There is no minimum age for the Green card lottery. All that is required is a high-school education or 2 years of work experience listed above.
To learn more about the diversity immigrant visa program contact a local immigration attorney or visit sacramentoimmigrationattorney.us for more information on Sacramento immigration attorney Agxibel Barajas. If you want to immigrate to the United States the green card lottery may not be your only option.