Chasing the Green Card Dream Through the DV Lottery Program
Last year alone, there were over 15 million people entered for the Green Card Lottery, the biggest registration ever in the history of the DV lottery program.
Every year, more than one million people become American citizens, almost equaling the number of illegal immigrants coming to the US annually. It is roughly estimated that there are more than 30 million illegal immigrants in the US. Per the immigration survey done by Public Agenda in 2009, US immigrants believe that US is the land of opportunity despite the global economic crisis.
Apart from this, per the survey, 88% of immigrants say the US is better than their birth country to earn a good living and 71% would make the US, their permanent home.
The United States means hope for a better future; an opportunity to pursue one's dream in complete freedom. Even though the US is till recovering from one of the worst recessions in history, immigrants continue to come to the US, triggered by this hope.
While there are different US immigration paths, one of the most sort out ways is the Diversity Visa (DV) program. There are simple but strict eligibility requirements to participate in this program. Winning the Green Card lottery does not automatically result in getting a Green Card. The DV lottery only grants 50,000 Green Cards each year though they select 100,000 people. The reason is that only 20% complete the process correctly.
Common Mistakes by DV Lottery Applicants:
DV lottery winners have to fill and submit governmental forms and go through a medical exam. They will be required to attend an interview with a US consulate. Subsequently, they have to pass a security background check and finally they will receive a visa immigration number.
However, 80% of people fail to complete the process correctly as they tend to misunderstand the governmental form instructions. They commit errors in their application. Misspelled names, inconsistent responses and discrepancies in forms can cause major delays. Another reason is, sending forms and documents to the wrong address
There are many applicants who are not able to provide the education or work experience documents and there are some who do not furnish police reports. Failure to include proper fees OR not able to financially support one's self or family are other reasons. There are some who miss the scheduled Green Card interview.
An interesting point to note about the green card lottery is that millions are automatically disqualified from the program to begin with and when people win, most fail to complete the process. The first step in the DV lottery requires completing an application correctly. The applicant's photos should meet the specifications mentioned by the US State Department. The application has to be in E-DV entry form and submitted before the end of the registration period. There are many who just do not get the process right. All applicants should know the ropes before actually jumping into the program.
