A record number of Russians have applied for a green card

The number of Russians wishing to emigrate to the United States reached a historic record in 2015, writes Bloomberg, citing data from the State Department. In the current year, the US Foreign Ministry accepted 265 086 applications from Russia to receive green cards entitling them to permanent residence in the United States, with a quota of four thousand such documents allocated to Russia.

According to statistics from the State Department, Bloomberg notes that last year 245 638 Russians received workers and student visas, which entitle them to temporary stay in the United States, which is two times more than ten years ago. In addition, last year a permit for permanent residence in the United States for family and other reasons was issued to 3622 citizens of Russia, including 56 people received visas in exchange for investments in the size of 500 thousand dollars.

According to Bloomberg, last year a residence permit in the EU countries and Switzerland was granted to approximately 75,3 to thousands of Russians, which is 25% more compared to 2010 year. Most often, the citizens of Russia chose to live in the UK, Germany and Spain, the agency said. In addition, 30%, according to Bloomberg, has increased over the past five years, the number of applications for Israeli citizenship.

Marina Fuchsman, a New York immigration lawyer who left for the United States in the Soviet Union, told Bloomberg that wealthy Russians are increasingly looking at the US as a safe place to “attach their money, and possibly their life mates and children ". Less wealthy Russians, she said, just want to earn more money by submitting applications for participation in visa programs for professionals.

“Kremlin policy puts the educated class before a choice: either to line up under the banner of fighting the West, or to leave,” said Moscow political scientist Alexander Morozov, who recently moved to Germany, in September to Bloomberg. The agency noted that in the conditions of international isolation, the fall of the economy and the tightening of regulation in various areas from Russia, the brain drain intensified. In particular, it was said that scientists and specialists in the field of high technologies, banking and law are leaving, and the Skolkovo Technopark has become, according to its former development director Maxim Kiselev, an “incubator for immigrants”.

Previously "Forum" писал about the results of a recent survey by the Levada Center, which showed that 18% of Russians are ready to leave abroad, which is 4% more than in the 2014 year. At the same time, a record number of respondents expressed a negative attitude towards the United States and Western values: 71% negatively assessed the US role in the world and 45% negatively assessed the Western way of life against 30% in 2008. Six years ago, Western values ​​approved 46% of respondents and a third of respondents were against it.

You still have a chance to apply for a green card. Documents are accepted until November 3 2016. "Forum" previously gave detailed instructionshow to fill out a form to participate in the lottery. We also answered frequently asked questions about the Green Card-2017 lottery and led examples of real people. Here is list of formal proceduresthat you need to go through before receiving a green card, as well as tips on how to pass them quickly and painlessly.

If you fail to win the green card lottery, do not despair, you will still have 9 of 10 about honest ways to stay in the USA.