USA Green card lottery

USA Green card lottery

Is Belonging to a Country That Qualifies for the US Green Card Lottery Program the Only Way to Qualify For It?

Green Card Lottery Application

You have surely heard of the US Green card lottery program unless you have been living under a rock for the last 30 years! You may have heard it talked about but do you really know what it means and what is involved in qualifying for this process? Many foreign nationals cling to the hope that they would win this lottery program and forever change their lives and perhaps even live out the American dream. Unfortunately, many are not aware of what it takes to be able to qualify for this. First of all you must belong to a nation that qualifies for the program. This qualification is based solely on how many immigrants from that country have moved to the United States in the last five years. Also, many are not aware that they may also qualify for the US Green card lottery if their parents are from a country that qualifies. Then again, you qualify if your spouse is from a country that qualifies for the program. So given how many ways you can qualify for the US Green card lottery program, it is no surprise that many foreign nationals lay in wait hoping that their country's name will show up on this list.

While waiting around for this to happen may make sense for some folks, you might be better off applying for citizenship in a country that has made the list and is likely to stay on it for a while. Immigration policies in most countries are much more lax than in the United States, therefore it may not be hard to obtain citizenship that can help you qualify for the US Green card lottery program. Many folks do not consider this as they think it might take much longer than going through the process directly. But keep in mind that even qualified physicians and doctorate holders take several years in order for their green card application to come through. If all you have is a high school education, surely you can afford to wait at least that long!?

In the event that you did qualify for the program and even managed to win it, you have plenty to be happy about. You will not only be allowed admission to the United States but will also be able to work in the US and perhaps even apply for citizenship five years down the road. However it is important to keep your nose clean at the time and not have any felonies under your belt. US immigration officials do not look kindly upon those that will add to the crime statistics in a country which is already ebbing over with crime.

US Green Card Lottery Application

US DV lottery - An Individual’s Criminal Past and the US DV Lottery

US DV lottery

An Individual’s Criminal Past and the US DV Lottery

It is not always easy to qualify for the US DV lottery. Not only must your country meet the eligibility requirements but so should you with respect to your education and employment background. In order for you to qualify you must have at least a high school diploma and must be skilled in at least some way. But the one qualification that is more important than anything else is a clean police record. If you have committed even simple crimes, you would be automatically disqualified from the US DV lottery process.

If you do qualify for the US green card lottery and win it, you would be eligible for all the rights that an American has except the right to vote. You will enjoy all the privileges such as healthcare, Social Security and education among others. For this reason, many foreign nationals hope to gain US green cards. But even the smallest hint of a criminal past will eliminate any chance that you would qualify for the US DV lottery. If your crimes were before you turned 21 or as a juvenile, it may be the practice of your country to expunge records. Some Western countries have adopted this practice in the last 20 years or so. In this instance, an individual with a criminal juvenile past would not have to worry as there would be no records of your past that can be shared with the US government. But if you belong to one of the countries that do not follow the system in that the juvenile record is not expunged, it is more than likely that the police records from your country will be fully available for US immigration officials to look at.

In order for a country to qualify for the US DV lottery, it is important that they share any records they have of the individual who is applying for the lottery. In the event that the country does not want to share an individual's records with the US government, that applicant along with the country eliminate it from the list of DV lottery eligible countries.

Once you have applied, you can keep track of your application through a website which constantly updates you of how far your application has made it. If you qualify, you would be notified through the mail and would be assigned a number which you must retain for the duration of the lottery. If you apply online, you will have an easier time following the guidelines and meeting the deadline as the websites does not allow you to skip any pertinent information in the application process. Also for those that do not conform to the guidelines are not accepted.

US DV Lottery Application

US Green Card Lottery

United States Green Card Lottery Application

What is Involved in Applying for the US Green Card Lottery

Many believe that the US Green card lottery is a quick way to make a truckload of money. But in reality, it has nothing to do with money and is not quick by any means either. Neither does it involve your standing in line to purchase it and scratching numbers like a Powerball lottery. This lottery is also called the diversity Visa lottery and is set up with the express purpose of increasing the cultural diversity of the United States. There are close to 50,000 US Green card lottery visas available annually and the only countries that qualify are those whose immigration rates to the United States are low. Many are unaware that the families of the applicants of the lottery are also eligible to enter the country along with them. Once the winner of the lottery is within the United States, he or she will have all the rights of an American citizen except the ability to vote in an American election and will be able to obtain a job immediately.

The US Green card lottery works very simply and is completely based on random picking of the winning applicant. Unfortunately, there are many websites that carry erroneous information about what it takes to qualify for this lottery. In fact, these websites also claim that they can make an individual eligible if they process the application through them. They charge enormous fees which have absolutely no bearing in truth because in reality the green card lottery is free of cost and should not have to cost anybody a penny. If you are contacted by a company that promises to give you a better shot at winning, turn tail and run. These websites are definitely trying to scam you so it is up to you to gather as much information as you can about them before you sign up. The truth is that there are legitimate websites which can help you decipher the application process if you are not comfortable with the English language. It is also understandable if they charge a fee for this but if they are promising you that they can get you closer to winning than anybody else can, that's pie-in-the-sky; this lottery is completely random and not even a US immigration official has the capacity to change the outcome of it.

What is important is that you qualify based on your education and skill level. In reality, in order to qualify for this, a high school education is sufficient. However what is most stressed on is that the applicant does not have a criminal record. Consider yourself automatically disqualified if you have a criminal history especially if it is felonies that you have committed.