All you need to know to enter a USA green card lottery

To let about 50,000 people a chance to get a permanent resident visa to USA, the U.S. Department of State runs an annual lottery called the “Green Card Lottery” or The Diversity Visa Program.

Each year the application period for the lottery is only about a month. It is important to fill out your forms correctly since you can be disqualified otherwise and there is only a little opportunity to correct the mistakes made when you submit the documents.

Determine the eligibility:

This Green Card Lottery is for those who want to become a permanent resident to the U.S. and not for the one who want to say temporarily in the U.S. Consider if you can qualify for another form of immigrant visa. To know about these options, you can check out the State Department website. Check if you are from an eligible country to claim this lottery. If not, you cannot claim. Also, you need to meet the education requirement or work experience requirement to claim. Check out if any factors make you inadmissible.

Assemble & Submit Documentation:

Always beware of scams. Do not fall prey to scams involving application process. The years referred to for the ticket might be confusing. Don’t be confused by dates. Take a few minutes and try to understand what they mean. Make sure that you gather all the necessary information you need to fill out the application before you start to fill out. You have only 60 minutes to complete the form and submit. You also need to provide photos of everyone listed in the application. Validate the photos to check whether they meet the program’s requirements. You have to submit the application through the lotto website and not by mail. Once you have submitted the application online, you will receive a confirmation number which you need to check on the lotto results.

Notification of results:

You will not be sent a selection notice if you are selected. You should be patient even if results are not available for months and always check the status online with your confirmation number. If you are not selected, check again at a later date since there may be another drawing.

Obtain a visa:

If you are selected, before the end of the applicable U.S. fiscal year, you need to apply and obtain you visa. You can also check out the Entrant Status Check instructions. Consider adjusting you status if you livve in U.S. already.