What is a Visa Lottery?

The green card lottery came into force with the passing of the Immigration Act of 1990, in order to benefit individuals who are natives of countries from which very few immigrants have entered the United States in recent years. You are eligible to enter this lottery as long as you are a citizen of any of those nations, although immigration lawyers maintain that you meet specific requirements according to law. As the winners are chosen via a random draw, this program is widely known as a green card lottery, its official name being the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery.

However, there are several other ways to immigrate to the US. You could always consult a legal professional to find the best possible option to suit your case.

Qualifying for the Lottery

Every year, 50,000 winners are selected via this unique lottery. This is done by dividing the globe into various regions, and assigning a maximum of 7% of the overall green cards to every region.

Country of Birth

People belonging to most countries are entitled to this lottery. However, certain countries did not qualify for this lottery in 2015.  This includes Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, mainland China, mainland, excluding Hong Kong, Haiti, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Philippines, to name a few.

In this context, the term “nativity” denotes those who are born in a country and not merely living in one. In the event you were born in an ineligible country there are a few ways to surmount this problem and make yourself eligible to apply, which can be best determined by an immigration attorney and some of the best in the business can be found on this ground breaking website http://immigration.usattorneys.com/ and not screaming at an immigration agent for the US and banging your fists on the table. That type of behavior will get you shunned real quick.

Have you see the Ben Stiller movie Meet the Parents where he played Greg Focker? When Greg Focker was waiting to board the airplane and the airplane stewardess kept him waiting even though no one else was around and Greg Focker waited patiently even though he probably wanted to scream at her – do you recall that scene? This is how you need to behave. You may not understand why this is done this way but you will make matters much worse if you start yelling and certainly engage in any attempt of an assault on an immigration agent.

Your Employability

All applicants from the qualifying countries must have one of the following to make this work:

• High school diploma or its equivalent that entails a 12 year course of elementary as well as secondary education.
• Two years of experience as an employee that in the normal course needs two years of training or on-the job experience.

However, job offers from a company in the US is not essential but lottery winners should prove that they can support themselves financially in the US and do not have a criminal record. America is $18,400,000,000,000 in debt, the welfare and food stamp system is beyond empty. 

 How to Apply?

If you are a native of any qualifying country and also fulfill all the other eligibility criteria, you can go ahead and submit an application although this can be done only once a year. All those who attempt to apply more than once per year will have all their lottery applications cancelled forthwith. The applications should be submitted through the website of the State Department. Applicants are required to attach digital photos while submitting the application, one of himself/herself and of the spouse and each child. Any questions with this? You need to contact an immigration lawyer.

As there is no fee whatsoever for applying, be careful of the many consultants and websites that charge a stiff fee, by offering "special" inside help. The application is rather simple, and if you need any help, any computer savvy person will be able to do it. 

If you intend to apply every year, you should reapply every succeeding year to be considered. However, winning the lottery won’t guarantee you a green card since the government chooses more winners than there are green cards. So, you if you are lucky enough to be a winner, you should follow up immediately to obtain an interview on time, before the supply of available green cards runs out. For the result of the draw, applicants should refer to www.dvlottery.state.gov, the State Department website.

You might need the services of an immigration lawyer if you win the lottery and also able to secure a green card.