| Frequently Asked Questions |
|
| |
|
The Green Card Lottery |
 What
is a Green Card?
What
is the Green Card Lottery Program?
Who
can participate in the lottery?
What
about my spouse and children?
Is
there a minimum of age to apply?
What
are the requirements for the education or work experience?
Why
do natives of certain countries not qualify for the green card
lottery?
What
can I do if I was born in a country that is not qualified?
How
many applicants will be selected?
How
many entries can I submit?
Can
I do something to increase my chances to win?
How
many visas are distributed to each country?
I
live in the U.S. - Can I participate?
May
a husband and a wife each submit a separate form?
If
I win, do I have to travel with my family?
How
do I know if I won?
Are
there any fees to enter the lottery? |
| |
|
The Application |
What
information is required to fill in the application?
What
family members must I include on my entry?
Is
the photograph required for each family member?
Are
there any specific formatting requirements for the entry,
envelope, photos etc?
|
| |
|
The USAGreenCardCenter Service |
What
is the USAGreenCardCenter service?
Does
using USAGreenCardCenter improve my chances of winning?
How
much time does it take to complete the process?
How
much does your service cost?
Are
there any additional fees?
|
|
| The Green Card Lottery |
| What is a Green Card?
|
The Green Card is an immigrant visa to the United
States. It allows you to legally live, work and study
permanently in the United States and to enter and leave the
country freely. Green card holders also receive health,
education, and other rights, and they can sponsor relatives for
Green Cards.
|
| What is the Green Card
Lottery program? |
The Green Card Lottery program is formally known
as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Program and is
administered by the US Department of State. The program makes
available permanent residence visas (Green Cards) to persons
meeting certain eligibility requirements. Winners of the lottery
are chosen in a random drawing conducted by the US State
Department.
|
| Who can participate in the
lottery? |
The applicant must be a native of a country whose
natives qualify and must meet either the education or training
requirement of the program. to check if you qualify.
|
 |
| What about my spouse and
children? |
If you won, your spouses and unmarried children
under age 21 may also apply for visas to accompany you.
|
| Is there a minimum of age
to apply? |
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 18 years old.
|
| What are the requirements
for the education or work experience? |
You 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. Occupations that require at
least two years of experience are determined from a list
published by the Department of Labor.
|
|
|
| Why do natives of certain
countries not qualify for the green card lottery? |
Diversity visas are intended to provide an
immigration opportunity for persons from countries other than
the countries which send large numbers of immigrants to the U.S.
The law states that no diversity visas shall be provided for
"high admission" countries. These countries are those from which
a total of 50,000 persons in the Family-Sponsored and
Employment-Based visa categories immigrated to the United States
during the previous five years.
|
| What can I do if I was born
in a country that is not qualified? |
You can claim nativity through spouse or parent
(subject to certain limitations). The
registration wizard
will walk you through these options.
|
| How many applicants will be
selected? |
There are 50,000 visas available but more than
that number of individuals will be selected. Because it is
likely that some of the first 50,000 persons who are selected
will not pursue their cases to visa issuance, selecting a larger
number of entries should ensure use of all numbers, but it also
risks some selected persons being left out. Therefore it is very
important that if you do win, you proceed to process your visa
immediately. Random selection by the Kentucky Consular Center
computer does not automatically guarantee that you will receive
a visa.
|
|
|
| How many entries can I
submit? |
Only ONE entry form may be submitted by or for
each applicant. ALL entries by an applicant will be disqualified
if more than ONE entry for the applicant is received, regardless
of who submitted the entry. However, married couples may each
submit an application, doubling their chances to win. The
registration wizard
will automatically suggest this to you.
|
| Can I do something to
increase my chances to win? |
No, all qualified entries are randomly selected
by computer and have an equal chance to win. What you can do is
make sure that your application is not disqualified. Each year
millions of applications are disqualified for failure to follow
the submission requirements. The online
registration wizard
will create the application for you and help you avoid this.
|
| How many visas are
distributed to each country? |
Visas are distributed among six geographic
regions with a greater number of visas going to regions with
lower rates of immigration, and no visas going to countries
sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past five
years. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the
available Diversity Visas in any one year.
|
|
|
| I live in the U.S. - Can I
participate? |
Yes, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in
another country, and the entry may be mailed from the U.S. or
from abroad.
|
| May a husband and a wife
each submit a separate form? |
Yes, a husband and a wife may each submit one
entry. If either were selected, the other would be entitled to
derivative status.
Note: Husbands and wives may not
sign for each other. Each applicant must sign his or her own
entry.
|
| If I win, do I have to
travel with my family? |
No. The fact that you have listed family members
on your entry does not mean that they later must travel with
you. They may choose to remain behind. However, if you include
an eligible dependent on your visa application forms whom you
failed to include on your original entry, your case will be
disqualified.
|
|
|
| How do I know if I won?
|
Those selected will be notified by mail between
May and July each year and will be provided further
instructions, including information on fees connected with
immigration to the U.S. Persons not selected will NOT receive
any notification.
|
| Are there any fees to enter
the lottery? |
There are no fees to enter the lottery. If you
choose to use the USAGreenCardCenter online registration
service, there is a processing fee based on the number of
entries you select – in order to increase your chances, the
registration wizard
will automatically suggest that you submit a separate
application for your wife if you are married; you will also be
given the option to renew your application automatically. Every
year, the State Department issues new requirements and
instructions. If you select the renewal option, your information
will be reviewed automatically each year and a new application
will be created for you based on the then current instructions.
|
|
The Application
|
| What information is
required to fill in the application? |
You are required to provide the name, date and
place of birth of yourself, your spouse (wife or husband) and
your children (unmarried under 21 years of age); your full
mailing address; recent photographs of yourself, your spouse and
children and to sign the form. The online
registration wizard
will walk you through all of the information you need.
|
|
|
| What family
members must I include on my entry? |
You must list your spouse, that is husband or
wife, and all unmarried children under 21 years of age, with the
exception of a child who is already a U.S. citizen or a Legal
Permanent Resident. 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. For
customary marriages, the important date is the date of the
original marriage ceremony, not the date on which the marriage
is registered. 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, unless a child is already a U.S. citizen or
Legal Permanent Resident. List all children even if they no
longer reside with you. The online
registration wizard
will walk you through all these requirements.
|
| Is the photograph required
for each family member? |
Yes. You have to include a photograph of
yourself, your spouse (wife or husband) and each child listed on
your application (the online registration wizard will instruct
you on which children you need to list.
|
| Are there any specific
formatting requirements for the entry, envelop, photos etc?
|
Yes there are – the online
registration wizard
and instructions will guide you through these requirements.
|
|
|
|
The USAGreenCardCenter Service
|
| What is the
USAGreenCardCenter service? |
The USAGreenCardCenter service was set up to
provide information about the Diversity Visa Lottery Program and
assist individuals with preparation of their application forms.
Each year, millions of applications are disqualified because
they fail to meet the strict submission requirements. The online
registration wizard
walks you through the eligibility requirements making sure you
provide all of the information required, makes suggestions on
how to increase your chances based on the information you
provide, and creates a customized application form based on your
entries and the instructions provided.
|
|
|
| Does using the online
USAGreenCardCenter service improve my chances of winning?
|
Yes and no. Using the services of
USAGreenCardCenter can not improve your chances of being
selected from all qualifying entries. However, using the online
registration service can significantly
increase the chances that your application will not be
disqualified and will become a qualifying entry in the first
place. Each year, millions of applications are disqualified
because they fail to meet the requirements and do not
participate in the lottery. The USAGreenCardCenter service walks
you through every step of the application process, checking for
errors and omissions and making sure that you comply with the
submission requirements. You may also register for automatic
resubmission for the upcoming years – each year, new submission
instructions are posted by the US Government. If you select this
option, the service will automatically check and create your
application in compliance with the new instructions and notify
you when they're ready to be printed.
|
| How much time does it take
to complete the online registration process? |
The entire registration process should take about
5 minutes.
|
| How much does the online
service cost? |
The processing fee is based on the number of
entries you sign up for - in order to increase your chances if
you are married we suggest you should submit separate
applications for yourself and your wife (the
registration wizard
will automatically suggest this and other options). You may also
register for automatic resubmission for the upcoming years –
each year, new submission instructions are posted by the US
Government. If you select this option, the service will
automatically check and create your application in compliance
with the new instructions and notify you when they're ready to
be sent.
|
| Are there any additional
fees?
|
No. Except for processing fee for the use of the
registration wizard,
there are no additional fees.
|
|
|
USA Green Card Center
Washington DC U.S.A.
