What is the "Green Card Lottery"?
The USA Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, also known as "Green Card Lottery", is an
immigration program run by the U.S. Department of State which makes permanent resident visas available to
50 000 applicants chosen by a computer-generated random drawing. Established by the Immigration
Act of 1990, this program gives people from countries with low U.S. immigration a chance to
immigrate to the United States, even if they don't have close relatives or a job offer in the U.S.
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What are the benefits of holding a Green Card?
A Green Card gives the holder the legal right to Live, Work, Own a Business and Study in the
United States of America permanently. It gives the right to enter and leave the country freely.
You may work in the many public and private sector jobs that are available. Greencard
holders also receive health, education and other benefits offered only to permanent residents.
They can also sponsor relatives for a Green Card. The Green Card DOES NOT affect present citizenship.
A holder of a card may later apply for a United States citizenship and passport, if desired.
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May I Qualify if I am not from an eligible country?
If a person was NOT born in an eligible country but his/her spouse was born in an eligible country,
such person can claim the spouse's country of birth rather than his/her own. Also, if a person was not born in
an eligible country, but neither of his/her parents was born there or resided there at the time of birth,
such person may be able to claim one of the parents' country of birth.
For example, if you were born in CANADA which is an ineligible country, but your father was
born in Germany and your mother was born in France, you can claim Germany or France as your native
country for the purpose of this application.
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What are the requirements for education or work experience?
The law and regulations require that every
applicant must have at least:
- a high school education or its equivalent
OR
- within the past five years, have two years of work experience in an occupation
requiring at least two years training or experience.
A "high school
education or equivalent" is defined as successful completion of a
twelve-year course of elementary and secondary education in the United States
or successful completion in another country of a formal course of elementary
and secondary education comparable to a high school education in the United
States.
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Is there a minimum age for applicants to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery program?
There is no minimum age to apply for the program, but the requirement of a high school
education or work experience for each principal applicant at the time of application will
effectively disqualify most persons who are under age 18.
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Is each applicant limited to only one entry during each registration period?
Yes, the law allows only one entry by
or for each person during each registration period;
SUBMISSION OF
MORE THAN ONE APPLICATION WILL DISQUALIFY THE PERSON FROM REGISTRATION.
However, a husband and a wife may each submit one application for registration.
If either is selected, the other would be entitled to derivative status.
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May a husband and a wife each submit a separate entry?
Yes, a husband and a wife may each submit one entry.
This would DOUBLE the chances of WINNING!
If either is selected, the other would be entitled to derivative status.
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What family members must I include on my entry for Green Card Lottery?
On your entry you must list your spouse,
that is husband or wife, and all unmarried children under 21 years of age.
You must list your spouse even if you are currently separated from him/her.
However, if you are legally divorced, you do not need to list your former
spouse. You must list ALL your children who are unmarried and under the age of 21 years,
whether they are your natural children, your spouse’s children by a previous
marriage, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of
your country. List all children even if they no longer reside with you.
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Are signatures and photographs required for each family member, or only for the principal applicant?
Signatures are NOT required on the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form.
Recent and individual digital photos of the applicant, his/her spouse and all children are required.
Family or group photos are not accepted.
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When do I register for the Green Card Lottery?
We accept applications all year. However, applications for the diversity visa
program (Green Card Lottery) are only accepted by the U.S. Department during a brief 60 day period usually at
the end of the year.
To ensure that your entry is properly completed and submitted on time we recommend that
you send us your application as early as possible.
Sending your entry promptly will give us enough time to contact you in case
there is an error in your application, or more information is needed.
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Do I have to apply through your law firm?
No, but we strongly recommend that you do. In every Lottery, millions of entries have been rejected because
applications did not meet specifications or were incomplete. The smallest mistake may disqualify your entry.
The purpose of our office is to help you in meeting all the government guidelines and requirements necessary for
the Green Card Lottery.
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May persons who are in the U.S. apply for the program?
Yes, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in another country, and the entry may be
submitted from the U.S. or from abroad.
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How will winners be selected?
At the U.S. Department, all entries received from each region will
be individually numbered.
After the end of the registration period, a computer will randomly select entries
from among all the entries received for each geographic region. Within each region,
the first letter randomly selected will be the first case registered, the second
letter selected the second registration, etc.
It makes no difference whether an entry is received early or
late in the registration period; all entries received during the registration period
will have an equal chance of being selected within each region.
When an entry has been selected, the applicant will be sent a notification letter,
which will provide visa application instructions. Those who are selected
will be instructed to appear for visa interviews at a U.S. consular
office.
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Will applicants who are not selected be notified?
No. Applicants who are not selected will NOT receive a response to their entry.
Only those who are selected will be informed.
All notification letters are sent within nine months of the end of the
application period to the address indicated on the entry. Anyone who does not
receive a letter will know that his/her application was NOT selected.
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May a person already registered for an immigrant visa in another category still apply for the DV Lottery Program?
Yes, there are no restrictions to enter the Green Card Lottery.
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