How to get a green card without a lottery. Green card: what is it, why is it needed and how to get it

HOW TO WIN THE LOTTERY US CITIZENSHIP? For many people from different parts of the world, getting an American Green Card is a cherished dream. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of different countries annually become the owners of this document, which allows them to join the American society. Green Card - in fact, it is a residence permit in the United States of America. The Green Card provides a lot of benefits: it allows you to permanently reside and work in the United States, open and run your own business, freely leave and enter the country, apply for family reunification and obtain American citizenship after five years of legal residence. At the same time, you need to clearly understand that the Green Card is not yet a passport, and therefore has certain limitations. First, you will not be able to take part in elections of any level. For most immigrants, this is not a big tragedy, but other restrictions will be worse. Visa-free entry to many countries where Americans have free access is not possible with a Green Card. Most of the year will have to live in the US. The Green Card does not provide any tax breaks. You will immediately have to fully experience all the "charms" of the American taxation system. High taxes make it possible to maintain high social security in the country. Therefore, their non-payment, concealment and similar machinations are put on the same level as criminal offenses. As soon as you are convicted of a scam, the Green Card will be taken away and deported from the country, but only after you have served your term in a local prison. However, US immigration law strictly limits the process of issuing Green Cards. Therefore, the procedure for immigration to the United States is not simple, but there are much more legal ways that you can go here than in most other highly developed countries. Green Card Lottery One of the most popular ways to get lucky is to participate in the annual lottery. This program is approved by the US Congress, and therefore is absolutely legal. Every year, a computer randomly selects 50,000 applicants in different countries. During the lottery itself, such conditions as knowledge of the language, profession, age are not important - everyone has the same chance of winning. But there is a certain problem with the quota. If over the past 5 years more than 50,000 immigrants have entered the United States from a country, then this state skips the draw. Unfortunately, Russia was also included in the list of such countries in 2009. However, do not give up hopelessly. You can register to participate in the lottery as the country where your spouse or spouse was born, moreover, even your parents. It's perfectly legal. This information, probably, returned hope to many. You do not need to pay to participate in the lottery. Today, you can apply online to a website run by the US Department of State. True, some private structures charge a fee for assistance in paperwork. However, if such a company begins to repeat that they can help you win for an additional fee, do not contact them - they want to scam you. The application will need to provide standard data: full name, gender, place and date of birth, family information, address and send photos of all family members (necessarily the most recent). If something is missing, the application will simply not be approved by the online program. And until you enter the correct information, you will not be able to send it. By the way, the application is currently possible only through the website. US immigration authorities are tired of rejecting incorrectly completed paper documents. According to statistics, every third application was rejected for this reason. The whole process of filling out the application will take about ten minutes, which cannot be said about the time after which you will receive a Green Card if you win. This procedure can take up to 1-1.5 years. The good news is that husband and wife can apply separately, which certainly increases the chances of success. Persons under the age of 18 can participate in the lottery. If you find yourself among the 50 thousand lucky ones, then you will be officially notified about this and then you will have to collect and submit to the embassy all the required documents and certificates in paper form. Visitor visa If obtaining a Green Card through the lottery is not your way, there are other options for obtaining it. To begin with, it is recommended to visit the United States in other legal ways that can be the starting point for changing the status of a residence permit. You can start with a guest visa (type B1 or B2). It is clear that this is not a Green Card, and such a visa does not give the right to get a job, but with the right further behavior, you can strengthen your status. If you do not have relatives in America who could invite you, then some private companies can do this. For a fairly moderate fee, they will prepare an invitation and help with paperwork and advise the candidate before the interview at the US Embassy, ​​which will definitely have to pass. Immigration authorities treat citizens over 50 with much more confidence. At the same time, you should provide documents on the existing movable and immovable property, other evidence of your family and social ties with the state in which you currently reside. All this serves as proof that you had no original intentions to sneak into the United States and settle there. It is highly discouraged to dissuade the immigration service at this stage. A visitor visa is issued for a period of 1 year with the possibility of multiple entry and exit. After the expiration of this period, it is already possible to apply for immigration. And if you have not violated any rules, you will receive preferences when considering this application. Business visa All of the above applies to business visas for business trips. The difference is that such a visa can be issued for up to 2 years and already with the right to change status at the end of its validity. Here it is also very important to comply with all the conditions that a business permit for entry implies. But there is a second category of business visas - type L1. This is an option for real businessmen who have their own business in the Russian Federation. Those who wish to open a branch of the company in the United States receive a visa category L1 (you can also buy an already existing company). After 1 year of validity of the L1 visa, the authorities look at your economic success and loyalty to the law, and if everything is in order, the visa is extended for another 3 years. Usually, obtaining an L1 visa directly is a laborious task, so quite often businessmen go the other way - first they apply for a B1 visitor visa, and then change their status to L1, which is much easier. Au Pair This is the so-called J1 visa. Au Pair is a special program developed directly by the United States government for young people living in different countries of the world. This program was created so that young people come to the United States and get acquainted with the social and cultural life of the state, the mentality of Americans, etc. Au Pair program participants usually live with American families where they look after children and study at local colleges. The validity of the visa is 1 year. At the same time, the host country pays a weekly stipend and a one-time amount of $ 500 for college education (although the volume of the training course for a program participant does not exceed 90 hours per year). Preferences in this regard are given to young (18-26 years old) girls who have a fairly good command of spoken English, with completed secondary education and with experience in looking after children (letters of recommendation are required). The J1 visa is a serious application for a Green Card in the future, especially if you leave a good impression of yourself with the authorities and US citizens where you lived. Working and traveling The same J1 visa is issued to students of higher educational institutions during the summer holidays. In English interpretation, this program is called "Work and Travel". It also combines a pleasant and useful process. The validity of this visa is from 2 to 4 months, during which young people can work in different jobs, while studying the culture and customs of Americans. Improve knowledge of the English language. The age limit for participants in the Work and Travel program is 18-22 years. The student works and pays living expenses directly to the employer. Working and studying A very interesting option for young people is the F1 visa, under the Work and Study program. Firstly, the age of participants here is extended from 18 to 30 years. Secondly, you may or may not be a student. Thirdly, the F1 visa is issued for 2 years with the possibility of a subsequent extension up to 15 years. The recipient of such permission to stay in the United States will subsequently be able to change his status to almost any existing one - up to obtaining a Green Card and then citizenship of the United States. The choice of vacancies in the presence of such a visa is quite extensive, but, unfortunately, it is mainly limited to professions of low qualifications (service personnel, drivers, builders, etc.). At the same time, you get the right to study in the United States. Of course, to obtain an F1 visa, you will need a lot of certificates and documents, as well as an interview at the American embassy. And the first thing you need to have is an invitation from the Department of Justice, but some companies provide assistance in this regard for a certain fee, as well as advice on collecting documentation. Work visa H1B visa is designed for highly qualified specialists and is issued for 3 years with the right to extend it once for the same time. In general, it turns out that the H1B visa can be valid for 6 years, which is quite enough to change the status and obtain a Green Card. However, in order to become the owner of a work visa, you will need an invitation from an American employer, who, in turn, must first prove to the Department of Labor that he cannot do without you. Your qualifications and education must match the required. By the way, a work visa has a solid weight in itself - with it you can freely travel between your own country and the United States, as well as enter some other states. What's more, your immediate family members are automatically eligible for an entry visa to the United States to live with you. A purely female project Today, among the fair sex, the option of obtaining a fiancee visa (K1) is very popular. The method is not easy, but often for many it is the only way to settle in the United States. To get permission to enter the American fiancé, you first need to lure him to your homeland and fix your meetings and relationships with as many photos as possible, checks for joint accommodation in hotels, and so on. All this is necessary to confirm serious intentions. Correspondence relations on immigration services will not make any impression. If everything is successfully proven at the embassy, ​​and especially if the groom is actively involved in this process from across the ocean, then you will be granted a bride visa. Upon entering the United States, you must secure your relationship by marriage. After that, the wife receives a two-year residence permit. During this period, the authorities will control the viability of the marriage. Moreover, the views of Americans and Russians on the fictitiousness of marriage are somewhat different. If for us the difference in the age of the newlyweds is 40-50 years, it causes a clear suspicion of fictitiousness, but in the USA this is in the order of things. It is important for the United States immigration authorities to determine whether there is any coercion from someone's side, blackmail, threats, or simply financial interest (for example, did you pay a "husband" a tidy sum). Refugee status The United States has signed the Geneva Convention, according to which they are obliged to accept refugees if they are subjected to unreasonable repression in their homeland. In reality, it is very difficult to independently prove that you are a victim of the regime. However, there are lawyers who specialize in such cases. Turning to them, although it costs some round sum, but significantly increases the chances of a successful outcome for you.

The green card is special identity card, which confirms the residence permit of a person who is not a citizen of the United States of America, but has permanent residence there. And also the card provides an opportunity for a person to find a job in the country.

In contact with

Classmates

There is one very interesting way to get an American Green Card for immigration to the state. You can win it with the US Green Card Lottery. A green card is one of the easiest ways to move there permanently. This project is unique in that with the help of the lottery you can win immigration to america and it all happens online. How to get a Green Card? You just need to participate in the lottery. The draw is free and anyone can participate. It is only necessary to fill in the data in the questionnaire, of course, in English, which can be taken on the official website of the United States.

Any other sites are only intermediaries who charge for filling in data on the official site on behalf of the player. And also on the Internet there are a huge number of scammers who only seek to steal money. It is not worth filling out and registering in the same places. Below we will talk about how to recognize fraudulent sites.

Countries that can participate in the lottery

Eat special list of countries who are eligible to participate in the lottery. A country will be excluded from the registration list if 50,000 residents have emigrated to the US in the last five years. The principle of selecting the countries participating in the lottery is that the fewer people from the applicant country moved to America, the more chances the state has to get on this list.

All this is possible in order to implement the immigration act, the essence of which is the diversity of the population of the United States of America. All applicants will be selected from 6 geographical areas. Only 7% of the total number of these special cards will be allocated to one country.

Green Card Benefits

And these are not all the benefits that the Green Card gives. Any holder can also receive government grants. The lucky one is absolutely exempt from export restrictions. But with a Green Card you can not go to the election of political figures. However, you can apply for US citizenship after 5 years of residence in the country. You can live in the US on a card for life and not apply for citizenship. In this case, if it is possible to acquire dual citizenship, then with the help of the Green Card this can be done without renouncing citizenship in the native country.

The Green Card is unlimited and if there is no need to leave the country for a long time, then the status can be maintained for the rest of your life.

Nuances of applying

To become a lottery participant, it is very important to correctly fill in all the necessary registration data. The smallest flaw will lead to the fact that the questionnaire simply will not be considered. Every year, hundreds and even millions of requests are rejected due to the smallest flaws in the registration, such as the spelling of the last name or first name (someone is mistaken in this as well). And also problems can arise with the wrong photo format. It is necessary to provide a photo with a certain number of pixels in terms of the ratio of the size of the face to the background, and even the color of the background itself is clearly specified.

Poor photo processing may result in refusal to consider documents.

When to apply

The official website of the lottery easy to distinguish from fakes by the time the application is accepted. If you went to the official website, then they will be accepted there exactly on time, which starts in September or October and ends in November. On those sites that are unofficial and created in order to collect money from you, questionnaires can be submitted all year round.

To apply, you need to find the site and find out the exact application deadlines, which begin in September. But you need to prepare all the necessary data in advance (someone may forget the information). Sometimes it happens that the site is overloaded due to a large number of applications, and therefore various malfunctions occur. The results can be found May 1 next year. All results are recognized independently on the same site where the data was submitted.

Each person is assigned a unique number. And there will be no email notifications. The site has been tested for years and there is no doubt that these are lotteries, and not fraud and the fulfillment of someone's whim. Absolutely different categories of citizens can win: pensioners, people with secondary education and candidates of any science. This is a completely legal and fair lottery that anyone can win.

Filling out the questionnaire

There are a lot of sites that provide their services to help you fill out questionnaires. They claim that they can contribute to winnings, hinting that they have high connections with this program. But this is a simple scam, the scammers will steal the money and that's it. Some companies do try to resort to fraudulent activities. They can fill out a lot of applications for one person by changing the spelling methods of the last name and first name. One of these applications may win. But at the embassy, ​​during the interview, everything will immediately become clear and the person will be excluded from the list forever.

If knowledge of the English language allows, then you can fill out the questionnaire yourself, without resorting to the help of intermediaries. Need to think it over carefully and write down your data first to make sure they are correct. And it’s also better to have all the information written out on a piece of paper, so that later you can quickly register everything on the site. The application form must include the details of the spouse and all children who are under the age of 21 and are not married or have children, a husband or wife.

It is very important that the house has a good internet that works without interruption. Otherwise, a double application may occur, which will be automatically deleted from the system.

Double chances for two people

In the event that a person is married or married and everything is officially registered, then you can apply from two people, indicating your marriage in the questionnaire. This can double your chances of winning.

Place of Birth

A person can participate in the lottery if:

1. He was born in a country that can participate in the lottery.
2. The husband or wife was born in this country.
3. The person was born in a country that cannot participate in the lottery, but the parents were born in a place that can participate in the lottery.

If a person participates in the lottery, then his wife or husband and children under 21 who are not married can go with him.

Draw results

The numbers consist of 16 numbers and letters. It is forbidden confuse the number of the winner and the number of your case, which is 14 characters long. The application can be checked on the website from May 1 to September 30 of the following year after the application is submitted. When this date passes, the data will no longer be checked. Each winner will be notified of the next steps. In case of victory, they will inform you how much you will need to have with you in order to pay the fee.

The prize cannot be sold in any way, it belongs to only one person. Before arrival, you must pay a special fee for a visa at the US Consulate on the day when the interview is scheduled. If you received a negative answer, then do not be upset, because the application can be apply next year. The advantage is that you can apply as much as you like, but after a year.

Knowledge of English and required documents

If a person does not speak English, then this will not be able to influence the decision, but still, at least basic knowledge, of course, will come in handy in case of a move. This way you will have a faster adaptation. It must be borne in mind that in case of winning the card, no one will provide material assistance, housing and work will not be provided. All this must be achieved by yourself.

If you win, you will need to fill out a special an online form for each member of your family who want to travel with you. After that, you will need to wait for the date of the interview. It is provided from 1 month to 6 weeks in order to prepare for the interview. It is necessary to pass a medical commission in the institution that is indicated. You need to get all the necessary vaccinations. And after a full medical examination, bring the results with you to the interview in a special envelope. You need to collect a complete list of documents.

It is also worth knowing that you will have to pay for a medical examination and additional paperwork, and if necessary, the cost of a visa. The money that will be paid for a visa will not be returned after that even if it is denied. You must appear at the US Consulate exactly on the day appointed for the interview.

The nuances of entering the USA

Need to move in within six months after receiving the card if during this time it is not possible to go on a journey, then the Green Card will be canceled.

The embassy will issue a visa. A person receives a residence permit already in the States themselves. Upon arrival, the Green Card will be sent to the address that was indicated earlier. And only at this moment a person can become a full-fledged resident of the United States. After 5 years of residence in the United States, you can apply to obtain official citizenship.

Adaptation

Very often there are situations that someone has won a card, and he comes to America along with his bad habits. To get a Green Card, you need to spend a certain amount of money and a lot of nerves, and therefore it is best to take some time and learn the laws of a new habitat. In the event that the laws of the country are systematically violated, the Green Card will be canceled.

Visa and required documents for obtaining it

It often happens that getting a visa is not so easy. It is necessary to collect a lot of documents and arrive at the embassy to have an interview. Only after that a visa is issued. A visa application can be submitted once a year in case of the first refusal.

Required documents for obtaining a visa:

As you can see, this is a very advantageous offer that can help anyone to have all the benefits of a US citizen, but at the same time remain a citizen of their state, if dual citizenship is possible. Who does not dream of such opportunities? Everyone can win. So you should believe in your luck and fill out the questionnaire.

What are the ways to get an American Green Card for emigration to this state in 2019. Consider the process of drawing the Green Card Lottery. When and where can you find out and check the results.
There are many ways to move permanently to the US, and one of them is to get a Green Card. The uniqueness of this project is that it can be won in an online lottery. The lottery draw is completely free. You only fill in the data in English in the questionnaire on the official website of the US government.

All other sites are either intermediaries who take a fee and fill in your data on the official site on your behalf, or scammers who steal money.

You can only apply for a Green Card if the country you were born in is included in the card draw for the current year. Countries are excluded from the list if more than 50,000 of their residents immigrated to the US in the last five years. The principle of country selection: the smaller the flow of immigrants from the country, the higher the chances for this state to get into the lottery list.

Everything is being done to implement the Immigration Act, the purpose of which is to diversify the population of the United States along ethnic lines.

Designations on the American green card

Applicant countries are selected from six geographic areas, and no more than 7% of the total number of Green cards can be allocated to one country.

Green Card Privileges

1. You will be free to enter and exit the United States.
2. You can get a job in this country.
3. You can open your own business.
4. You can use the education assistance program administered by the US government.
5. You, as a Green Card holder, will pay three times less tuition fees than foreign citizens.
6. You will have a chance to become a US citizen after 5 years.
7. You will be eligible for retirement benefits if you work for approximately 10 years before you retire.
8. You will be able to legally acquire movable and immovable property, as well as firearms.
9. You can cross the borders of countries without obtaining visas if the United States has agreements with them.

Detailed map of the administrative divisions of the United States

Your benefits are not limited to this list. You will be eligible for government grants and will be exempt from export restrictions. You will not have voting rights, which are possible only for citizens of the country. But as a temporary resident holder, you can apply for US citizenship after 5 years. If desired, you can stay on the status of the card for life without applying for citizenship.

Also, if the country you live in allows dual citizenship, then under United States law you have the right to become an American citizen without renouncing the citizenship of the country in which you were born.

The green card is indefinite, and if you do not break the law and do not leave the country for a long period, you have the right to keep this status forever.

Read also

Application errors

It is important to correctly fill in all the data.

A sample of filling out an online application form for participation in the Green Card Lottery

The slightest inaccuracies will result in your application not being considered. Every year, millions of requests are rejected only because of minor errors in the spelling of surnames and first names. Big problems arise with the wrong photo format in terms of the number of pixels, the ratio of the size of the face to the background, and even the color of the background itself. Illiterate processing of photos in the studio may be a refusal to consider your application.

When to apply

The official website of the government is also easy to distinguish from the unofficial one by the deadlines for accepting applications. At the official one, they are accepted strictly on time, starting from September or October and ending in November. On sites that make money from you, questionnaires are filled out all year round. In September, you need to go to the site and find out the exact deadlines for submitting applications for the current year. Applications must be submitted early. Sometimes, by the end of the reception, the website is overloaded and crashes.

This is how a notification letter looks like that your application has been accepted for participation in the lottery

You will be able to find out the results from May 1 next year. You need to see the result yourself on the same site where you submitted the data, driving in the application number assigned to you (Confirmation Number). Notifications will not be sent to email or postal address.

The fact that this is really a lottery, and not the fulfillment of someone's whim in the selection of candidates, has been verified over the years. Very different categories of citizens win: pensioners, students, citizens with secondary education and candidates of sciences. Nothing can affect the result of winning the lottery.

Filling out the questionnaire without intermediaries

There are many websites offering their services. Many of them say that they can help in obtaining the winnings, hinting that they have connections with this program. This is nothing more than a big money scam. Indeed, some companies resort to fraud.

This is how the page on the lottery website will look like if you won

For example, they fill out several dozen applications for one person, changing the methods of writing his name and surname. And one application wins. But during an interview at the embassy, ​​this deception is immediately revealed, and you are excluded from the lists forever.

If you are a fairly literate person, then fill out the questionnaire yourself, without intermediary firms, especially those unknown to you. You need to think through everything in advance and write down all the data that you will enter in order to have them at hand.

It is obligatory to indicate in the questionnaire the data of the wife and all children under 21 who are not married, as well as the children of the husband / wife, even if you do not live with them. A prerequisite is a good high-speed Internet without interruptions in communication. Otherwise, a double submission of the application may occur, and it will be automatically deleted.

Two people - two chances

If you have a wife (officially registered marriage), then you can apply from two different persons, indicating each other in your application as a wife or husband, respectively. This will double your chances of winning.

Where were you born

Another important detail - you can fill out the questionnaire if:

• you were born in a country participating in the lottery;
• your wife or husband was born in such a country;
• you were born in a country that does not participate in the lottery, but your parents were born in a country that participates in it.

Read also

Passing an interview after winning a Green Card

If you win the lottery, then your wife and unmarried children under 21 can automatically go with you, regardless of the state in which they were born.

Checking the draw results

The application can be checked by its number (Confirmation Number). The 16-letter number is not to be confused with the winner's number or your 14-character Case Number.


You can check your application online from May 1 to September 30 of the following year (called the fiscal year in the United States). After this date, applications will not be reviewed. Winners will be provided with guidance on how to proceed. They will also tell you how much you need to pay.

The winnings are for you only, you cannot sell them. You must pay the visa issuance fee at the US Consulate on the day your interview is scheduled. If the answer is no, do not be upset, you can apply for the next year, the number of submissions is not limited.

Do you need knowledge of English

Lack of language proficiency in itself will not affect the decision, but you will need the language if you move to the country for faster adaptation. Obtaining a Green Card does not imply the issuance of any material assistance, does not provide housing or work.

This is what an American green card looks like

You will have to take care of this yourself. After winning, you need to fill out an online form for each family member who wants to travel with you and get a Green Card. Then you wait for the date of the interview to be set. You will have from a month to 6 weeks to prepare for the interview.

Prior to the interview, you need to pass a medical examination at the designated medical facility, get all the necessary vaccinations and bring a sealed envelope with the results of the medical examination with you to the interview. The medical report may also be additionally sent directly to the embassy without your knowledge.

During this period, you need to collect the entire list of documents, passports for all traveling family members. Be prepared to pay for a medical examination, additional paperwork if necessary, and the cost of a visa.


The money paid for the visa is non-refundable, even if it is denied. On the appointed date, you must appear at the US Consulate for an interview.

A Green Card is an identity card of the United States Permanent Resident Card, which confirms a residence permit and the right to work in the United States.

What does she give?

You can:

• live anywhere in the States;
• work;
• own real estate;
• study in a public school;
• get a local driver's license;
• enter the service in certain branches of the US armed forces;
• receive social security, age and disability benefits, health insurance benefits for the elderly.

Over time, you can:

• apply for citizenship when you are eligible;
• apply for visas for your husband or wife and unmarried children;
• leave and return back under certain conditions.

And what will be required of me for this?

The holder of the green card solemnly undertakes:

• pay income tax;
• register with the army conscription service if he is a man between the ages of 18 and 26;
• maintain your immigration status;
• always carry a document confirming the status of a permanent resident;
• notify the immigration office about the move.

How to get a green card?

• Get married to a US citizen. In order to get a green card through marriage, you need to confirm his good faith with the Citizenship and Immigration Service. It is desirable to provide photos before and after the wedding, joint bank accounts, printed emails, phone call statements, documents that confirm the presence of common property.
• Reunite with family. Obtaining a green card is possible for the closest relatives of a US citizen, which include: spouses; unmarried children under 21; parents; siblings over 21 years of age. The widow of a citizen and the child of a foreign diplomat born in the States may be considered for a green card.
• Come on at the request of a US employer. He must obtain the approval of the Federal Employment Service to hire a foreign worker and apply to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services for the issuance of an H1B work visa. It allows a specialist to become the owner of a green card.
• Get political asylum. To be granted refugee status, you must provide convincing evidence of political, racial or religious persecution. You can apply for asylum during your stay in the United States or at their embassy.
• Win the diversification lottery.

Diversity Lottery? What kind of lottery is this?

The Diversity Lottery is a program that draws up to 55,000 visas annually to immigrants of various nationalities from countries with low levels of immigration to the United States in order to increase the cultural and ethnic diversity of the population. The application process starts in October and lasts for about a month. Check them until May next year. The lottery is abbreviated as DV (Diversity Visa).

How to take part in such a lottery?

To participate in the lottery, it is enough to have a secondary education, not have a criminal record, socially dangerous diseases and cases of violation of immigration laws.

Natives of almost all countries, except for the excluded ones, can participate. Bangladesh, Brazil, UK, Vietnam, Haiti, Dominican Republic, India, Canada, China, Colombia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, El Salvador, Philippines, Ecuador, South Korea, Jamaica were not allowed to participate in DV-2018.

To become a member, you need to fill out a questionnaire on the official website of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, indicating biographical information. The questionnaire requires photographs of all family members (spouses and children under 21), taken strictly according to the rules indicated there, on the site.

What are the chances of winning a green card?

Application numbers are changed and abbreviated automatically. Renumbering is an essential element of a random draw. However, as the winning statistics show, this system reduces the chances of representatives of some countries to win. Therefore, the probability of winning ranges from 0.5 to 1% depending on the region. The winners are determined by the computer by random selection.

Winning a DV does not mean you automatically get a green card. This is followed by an interview, at the stage of which two-thirds of the lottery winners are eliminated. You can apply for participation in the Diversification Lottery annually.

Will this prevent me from getting a US tourist visa?

Participation in the lottery is not an immigration intent, but may appear to an individual visa officer as a desire to remain in the country. Since 2009, in tourist questionnaires there is no longer a question about participation in the lottery, and the embassy itself does not officially consider participation in the DV an obstacle to obtaining a tourist visa.

How do I know what I have won?

Go to the lottery page on the US Department of State website and follow the link to check the results. For participants of the DV-2017 lottery, you can check the results from May 3, 2016 to September 30, 2017.

What to do after winning DV?

Prepare for an interview at the US Embassy. First, on the State Department website, you need to fill out the DS-260 form - an immigrant visa application form. After - print the confirmation page and take it with you to the interview, the date of which will be communicated by e-mail after filling out the questionnaire.

What documents to take for the interview?

Passport, photographs, diploma or other educational documents, employment record, birth certificate, certificate of non-conviction (or judge's decision for those with previous convictions), marriage/divorce certificate, military ID, bank statements, property valuation, employer's letter, guarantor of financial support. A complete list of documents and recommendations is available on the website of the US Embassy in Russia.

Payment of the consular fee - 330 US dollars per person.

What to do after receiving a green card?

Upon successful completion of the interview, you will be given a period of six months to enter the United States. , go in for sports, work - you are in the country of freedom and unlimited opportunities!

Will I still have time to participate in this year's lottery?

Information on the dates for accepting applications for DV-2019 will be published on the website of the US Department of State in the near future.