What is a mysterious “green card”, what opportunities it opens and how to get it? We already answered all this questions for you!
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Green Card allows its holder to live and work in the United States for an unlimited time. There are several ways to get it, and they all vary in complexity and time consumption. One of the most interesting ways is through the lottery held between millions of foreigners. In this article, we will tell you the most important things about the Green Card and how tens of thousands of people win it in the lottery every year.
The owner of a Green Card is considered a permanent resident of the United States — they have the right to work, study and use a limited set of services from the government. In addition, all cardholders can receive a driver's license, own property in the country, get discounts on tuition and borrow loans on preferential terms. After five years of living in the country, a permanent resident can apply for US citizenship, and after ten — for retirement benefits.
Despite the fact that the cardholder lives in the country without time limits, the list of their social benefits is limited. They remain a citizen of their home country, cannot take part in referendums, elections, or work in government services. In addition, there are restrictions on entry for relatives, while family members of a US citizen receive a visa under simplified conditions.
It is more difficult to obtain citizenship than a Green Card — a candidate takes an exam on knowledge of history and culture, proves their high moral qualities, and takes an oath. The Immigration Service conducts an interview and tests candidates for basic English reading, writing, and speaking skills. But the efforts are worth it — the citizen gets the right to vote, travel without a visa to most countries of the world, and apply for employment in federal agencies. Moreover, students have access to all state scholarships and can leave the country without fear of being deported upon returning.
| Document | Traveling in the USA | Time of validity | Medical assistance | Obtaining citizenship | The right to vote | Work permit | Average tuition fees[2] |
| Visa | Free | Limited | - | - | - | Limited | 43,721 USD |
| Green card | Free | Unlimited | After 5 years | After 5 years | Limited | Yes | 20,471 USD |
| Citizenship | Free | Unlimited | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | 20,471 USD |
You can get a Green Card in different ways. Below are the main ones.
Split the payment into two years – enroll and start learning while staying on budget
US government allocates 55,000 Green Cards annually to diversify the nation's ethnic composition. The Diversification Lottery is meant for the residents of countries with low rates of immigration to America. The US Department of State deliberately distributes a different number of free Green Cards between countries. For example, the maximum possible number of winners from Latvia is 64, and from Russia — 2290. Each application has an equal chance of winning — the computer selects the lucky ones at random. Winning does not oblige you to do anything, but it lets you apply for an immigrant visa, and then for a Green Card after entering the United States.
To participate in the lottery, you must fulfill several simple conditions:
In 2021, residents of Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Great Britain (including Kingdom Islands), Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica, and Colombia are not allowed to participate[3].
But there are also exceptions. For example, a candidate from a country that is not included in the competition can still participate if their spouse is from a permitted country.
An application for participation is free. But it is pointless to start the immigration process without sufficient financial resources. The winners pay visa fees and otherwise prepare the documents — only these procedures cost about 1,000 USD per person. Also, a candidate for a Green Card needs to prove the financial solvency to fly to and live in the country.
| Phase | Application period | Processing | Costs |
| Lottery | October-November | 7 months | Free |
| Immigrant visa | After winning the lottery | From 1 day | 776 USD |
| Green Card | After entering the USA | Up to 120 days | 220 USD |
Every year, about five million people participate in the lottery, and only 55 thousand win. This means that the chance of winning is approximately 1.1%. But it is worth remembering that the department issues a different number of cards to countries. Therefore, residents of one state have a slightly greater chance than others.
| Country | Participants | Quota | Chance to win |
| Australia | 18382 | 748 | 4.07% |
| Egypt | 354184 | 4501 | 1.27% |
| Latvia | 2899 | 64 | 1.64% |
| Sierra Leone | 807065 | 2065 | 0.26% |
| Russia | 161107 | 2290 | 1.42% |
| France | 39808 | 467 | 1.17% |
| Japan | 28098 | 204 | 0.73% |
If you have an official spouse or unmarried children under the age of 21, you can increase your chances of winning the lottery by registering them in it as well. They automatically receive a Green Card along with the winner.
Applications from a married couple are considered separately, so the probability of getting on the list of winners is doubled. If you lose, and your spouse wins, then you can still immigrate to the States together. But if an adult child wins the lottery, they cannot take their parents along.
You can enter the lottery an unlimited number of times. Although the amount of attempts does not affect the likelihood of winning the lottery the next year, everyone has a chance to try their luck again.
Immediately after coming to power, Joe Biden carried out reforms to increase the number of Green Cards — annually, 35% more migrants will come to the country. This also applies to the lottery, which was not halted even during the pandemic. According to the president's plans, instead of the usual 55 thousand, the government will distribute 80 thousand Green Cards.
Below we attach tips on how not to become a victim of scammers:
Source: The American Dream
Other possible violations:
In this section, we will describe the basic steps: from submitting an application to obtaining a Green Card.
Taking part in the lottery is simple: complete a free online registration on the only official website. You have 60 minutes to fill out the form. If the system refuses to accept the application, try downloading it again. When registration is complete, the candidate is formally notified of participation. You cannot apply again, or you will be disqualified.
Participants apply in the fall of each year. The process of determining the winners takes from seven months, and receiving the card — up to several years. The results are published on the same site. Until October 15, 2021, you can apply for DV-2023. This means that if you register this year and win, you will receive permanent resident status in 2023.
So, you won the lottery. What to do after winning?
Your income must be at least 13,750 USD/year. You can confirm the availability of finances using:
All applicants for a Green Card must provide the following documents:
The interview is the last step in the immigration visa process. You bring all documents, including an invitation to interview and proof of payment of all required fees. The family members listed on your application must be present for the interview. They can complete this stage separately if they plan to fly to the United States later than you.
We strongly discourage coming late — it is better to arrive 15-20 minutes in advance. Also, check the list of items you shouldn't take with you. It includes mobile phones, cameras, travel bags, food, and a few other things. The consul conducts a conversation with all candidates and at the end makes a decision on issuing a visa. Get ready to spend two to three hours at the embassy. Answer questions clearly and exclude unnecessary details. They may relate to your arrangement and adaptation in the United States: your future place of residence, work, study, and plans for the future. Sometimes an additional administrative review of the application is required (usually takes up to 60 days). The consul will inform you if you need to add missing documents to the application.
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