Inside The Green Card Lottery

What is the Diversity Visa Program? How does it work? Are my family and I eligible? Why are so many people disqualified?

Survey after survey shows people all around the world would like to know more about the Diversity Visa Program, or as it is more commonly known, the Green Card Lottery. It is an exciting, inexpensive and easy way to acquire the right to legally live and work in the United States. On the other hand, there are many requirements ranging from size of the envelope in which the application is sent to the short time frame during which the application should be received by the National Visa Center, the branch of the State Department dealing with the Diversity Visa Program.

Created in 1990 by an act of Congress, the Diversity Visa Program allots 55,000 green cards a year to qualified applicants through random drawing. What is a qualified applicant? Anyone born in one of the so-called “eligible” countries and having a completed secondary education (or the equivalent in work experience) can apply. Most countries in the world are eligible with only a few exceptions. Those who were born in an ineligible country but whose spouses were born in an eligible country may also apply.

Nonetheless the rules of the lottery itself are very strict. Such seemingly trivial details as size of the envelope, format of the application, photograph requirements, etc. are crucial. According to the State Department 2.5 million of all entries were disqualified in the last lottery for even minor errors. Other sources claim the total of disqualified applicants to be around 14 million.

It is then no surprise that most people who are serious about their chances of obtaining a green card use the services of an agency, which deals almost exclusively with the Diversity Visa Program. The largest such agency in the United States is U.S. Lottery Registration. For many years it has won the trust of people from around the world with its excellence and responsible handling of applications. U.S. Lottery Registration has a staff of highly qualified specialists who keep abreast of the latest developments in immigration law and especially the Green Card Lottery. The slightest change in requirements is immediately taken into account.

U.S. Lottery Registration is the only company that not only makes sure every client receives an application with full instructions on how to complete it and a detailed explanation of what the process entails, but also keeps each applicant informed of their status every step of the way. Every application received at U.S. Lottery Registration is individually checked for correctness and an identification number is assigned. A receipt letter including their Membership Card with the identification number is then sent to the applicant. In case anything is missing such as photos, date of birth, etc. the applicant is contacted immediately so that the application can be corrected.

A second letter is sent out after the application has been actually entered in the lottery. The letter contains a confirmation number, which has received a stamp by the postal office and is proof that the application has already been mailed to the National Visa Center.

Upon receipt of a winner’s package U.S. Lottery Registration immediately contacts the lucky person so that they can start the process of receiving the green card itself. U.S. Lottery Registration is the only agency that informs all its candidates of the outcome of their applications, regardless of their outcome. Additionally, the immigration attorneys at US Lottery Registration may be retained to do the actually processing of the winners package.

What actually happens at the National Visa Center? Each envelope received is assigned a number only if it is matches the requirements exactly. The slightest error on the envelope itself automatically disqualifies the applicant and the envelope is rejected even before it is actually opened. Envelopes that arrive either before or after the time frame of the Lottery are also rejected.

The draw itself takes place about three to four months after the closing date of the Lottery. A computer randomly selects the numbers assigned to the envelopes. The envelopes are then opened and the application forms are in turn checked for accuracy. Again, failing to comply with even the smallest requirements is reason for rejection of the application. In the end winners are only those applicants who have followed all steps accurately and precisely.

Since the process is so complicated it is recommended that candidates employ the services of professional agencies. They do not have to worry if they have fully understood the requirements, if their envelope reaches the National Visa Center on time (if at all), especially if they are not in the United States. At U.S. Lottery Registration each application is individually handled and processed.

After the selection process is over, the National Visa Center sends out the winners packages to the successful candidates. If the package gets lost in the mail the National Visa Center will not send out a duplicate and applicants cannot contact the Center as it will not give out information as to who is a winner. It is estimated that many candidates never even learn that they have been selected.

That is another reason for choosing an agency. U.S. Lottery Registration makes a copy of each winner’s package before sending it to the successful applicant. In case it gets lost the staff at U.S. Lottery Registration will resend the package. That way another uncertainty in the process is eliminated.

It is then no wonder that thousands of people from all over the world trust U.S. Lottery Registration to make sure their applications reach their purpose. With the lottery being held only once a year it pays to have all chances on your side!