17 Green Card Lottery Myths

Фото: Depositphotos

There are a lot of misconceptions about the lottery, which for many has opened the way to the United States. Due to incorrect information, people often lose their chance of winning. Edition "Voice of America" prepared a selection of facts that will help to make the right steps in the direction of obtaining a US visa.

1. The lottery is called "Green Card"

People are often misled by various sites where you can allegedly apply for participation in the Green Card Lottery (green card). While independently searching the web for the opportunity to register, you will also most likely enter the popular term “green card” into search engines, and this will not give you the desired result. But the real name is Diversity Visa Lottery (DV Lottery), which translates to the Immigrant Visa Lottery or Diversity Lottery, and the only place on the Internet where you can submit an official application is the US government website https://www.dvlottery.state.gov /.

2. The “green card” is played in the lottery

As a lottery winner, you become an applicant for a US Diversity Immigrant Visa. If after completing the necessary steps (the most important thing is the interview at the consulate) you receive this visa, then only after arriving in the United States will you receive a permanent resident certificate, which is popularly called a “green card”.

3. If you are a winner, you are guaranteed to get a visa in the USA

Obtaining a visa is preceded by the collection and execution of the necessary documents, as well as the interview with the American consul. If it is found that the registration rules were violated, the application may be disqualified. Also, unsatisfactory moments that occurred during the interview may prevent you from obtaining a visa.

In addition, 50 000 visas are allocated per year for a visa program for immigrants, and the number of selected applications is always higher. It is assumed that not all of the first 50 000 selected applicants will receive visas or apply for visas, so the winners are chosen “with a margin” to issue all the allocated visas. At the same time, this means that there will not be enough visas for all applicants whose applications will be selected immediately after the raffle.

4. You can send an application for participation by mail

Applications are accepted exclusively through the government website. https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ by filling out an online application form.

5. You can register at any time.

There is a specially designated period during which the electronic registration system is open to users - from the beginning of October to the beginning of November (the exact dates can be found on the official website, as well as the website ForumDaily, as they change every year).

6. You must pay for participation in the lottery

Participation in the lottery is absolutely free. Costs will appear later if you get a lucky ticket, and you decide to continue the process, that is, to apply for a visa. Then you will need to pay the consular fee and some other accompanying services.

7. Winners are selected according to certain criteria.

Winning entries are selected by computer at random according to the lottery principle. However, the visas themselves are distributed among the six geographical areas, and no country can claim more than 7% of the total annual number of visas for immigrants. In addition, there are certain requirements for those who wish to participate in the lottery, such as the minimum level of education. If you do not meet the requirements, your application will be disqualified.

8. This year Ukraine is not allowed to participate in the lottery

Such rumors spread almost every year, but Ukrainians still have a chance to leave for the United States on a diversification visa. Some countries are prohibited from participating in the lottery if more than 5 50 people emigrated to the United States in the previous 000 years in the United States, but Ukraine is not on this list yet.

Фото: Depositphotos

9. Anyone living in Ukraine can apply for participation.

The principal criterion for participation in the lottery is not the place of residence or citizenship, but the place of birth. If you were not born in Ukraine, you need to check whether your country of birth is allowed to participate in the lottery. If it turns out that no, there are two other possibilities:

• indicate in the appropriate field the country of birth of your husband / wife, if they come from countries that are allowed to participate in the lottery (a prerequisite in case of winning is that you and your spouse must receive visas and leave for the United States at the same time);
• choose the country in which one of your parents was born, if none of your parents was born in the country that you were and did not live there permanently at the time of your birth.

10. Ukrainians who are already in the United States are not eligible to participate in the program.

The applicant may be located in the United States or in another country, and this will not prevent him from sending an application. Crucial will be the place of birth. Lottery participants who are already in the United States can, if they win, change their current status to permanent resident status in the US Immigration and Citizenship Service, if this does not contradict section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

11. A person can submit only one application for participation, and everyone has equal chances

Not certainly in that way. Immigration law does allow only one application for each period, and applicants on behalf of whom more than one application is sent are disqualified. However, in some cases, a person gets a double or even triple chance of winning.

For example, if you are married, each spouse can file a separate application (as long as both meet the eligibility requirements). In each application you provide the details of your partner, and if either of you wins, both of you will be eligible for a visa. The situation is similar with children - they can (and should) be represented in the application of each parent.

An interesting situation with children who are approaching their 21-th birthday. If they are not yet married, they can be served with both parents. If, in addition, they currently already meet the requirements of an education or training program, they can also submit individual applications. Thus, their chance of winning is tripled.

12. It is better to entrust the case filling the application "professionals"

Very often, referring to special agencies, firms or individual consultants on this issue, you are hurting yourself. The main hazards that such a step carries are the following:

• errors in the application, which will lead to disqualification;
• the possibility of using your data in subsequent years. If the agency decides to file an application on your behalf later, and you do not know about it, you risk being disqualified for filing more than one application. In addition, if the company does this without your knowledge, then its representatives will submit outdated information. If during the year you managed to marry, divorce or have a child, and these changes were not reflected in the questionnaire, then the chances of getting a visa are close to zero;
• After all, firms often keep a participant’s secret number confirmation after registration, without which you can’t find out about your victory or start the process of obtaining a visa. Thus, agencies make clients dependent on themselves and force them to play by their own rules (demanding financial rewards that were not previously discussed).

The US Department of State calls on all participants not to allow anyone to interfere in the diversification visa lottery process.

13. The person may not indicate in the application the spouse / spouse with whom he intends to part, or children who do not intend to emigrate with her to the USA

You must provide spouse details if you are officially married at the time you fill out the application. If you do not live under the same roof, this must be officially confirmed by the court.

Also, you must include in the application form all your unmarried children under the age of 21, both relatives and adopted children, regardless of whether they live with you. For violation of these points you face disqualification.

The fact that you listed your family members on your application does not mean that they will all have to go to the US with you. However, if you enter the list of persons in your dependency, the names of those not mentioned in the application, your case will be canceled during the interview, and you and your family members whom you indicated in the application will not be issued will be

14. If a person has already applied for a different category of US immigration visas, then they are not eligible to participate in the lottery.

No, you still have the right to register.

15. Winners are chosen only once a year.

Sometimes the US Embassy holds an extra draw.

16. Winning Announcement Received by Post or Email

You will be informed about your victory, as well as the fact that you did not win this time, in only one way - on the same government website https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ , if you go there at the appropriate time (usually from May 1, six months after registration) and enter personal data (first name, last name, year of birth and confirmation number received when filling out the application in the fall). The State Department does not inform you personally about the lottery results—you will have to find out on your own.

Keeping the confirmation number is critical, as the electronic status check system will not only be the only means of informing you about winning the lottery, but also the only source of instructions regarding further actions and reports about your interview for an immigration visa.

17. If a person wins the lottery, he is provided with housing and employment in the US

No, you will not receive any material or service assistance. On the contrary, if you are the winner of the lottery, then before you get a visa, you will have to provide proof that you will not become a state dependent in the United States.

The original article was published on the website of the Ukrainian service “Voice of America"And reprinted with permission of the author.

If you want to be the author of the column, send your stories to [email protected]

From the editorial board ForumDailyThe 18 is a myth. You can use the photo presented in last year's application.

Not. Questionnaires with previously used photos will not be considered. You must provide a photo taken within the last six months.

However, remember that in addition to the “Green Card” lottery, there are at least nine other ways stay in the USA for permanent residence.

In each case, you need to go through to get a green card. medical check and interview. In addition, everyone who came to the United States should make a few basic documents: arrange bank cards, social security number and US ID.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Green Card Draw Results: Tips and Rules

Lottery "Green Card" in questions and answers

Stories of people who have experienced several emigration

10 regarding honest ways to stay in the USA (1, 2 mode - lottery, political asylum)

Abandoning the American Dream: the story of those who returned to their homeland

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