Green Card Lottery (DV - visa)
The Green Card Lottery is a program through the Diversity Lottery that gives out 50,000 immigrant visas every year. The visas are distributed between six geographic regions with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration, and with no visas going to nationals of countries sending more than 50000 immigrants to the USA over the period of the past five years. Both the person and that person's family will be authorized to legally live and work in the United States. During last 10 years Ukraine has received the maximal number of Green Cards comparing to other countries over the world. Countries with highest numbers of selected entrants for DV-2011 were Ukraine (6000 families), Russia (2464 families), Uzbekistan (5091 families); countries with highest numbers of selected entrants for DV-2012 were Ukraine (5799 families), Russia (2353 families), Uzbekistan (4800 families); countries with highest numbers of selected entrants for DV-2013 were Ukraine (6424 families), Russia (2846 families), Poland (2038 families), Uzbekistan (5101 families);
To be eligible for the Green Card Lottery you need to be meet two requirements. The first one is that you or your spouse needs to be a national of a country eligible to participate in the Green Card Lottery program. The eligible countries are listed on the website each year. Even if you were not born in one of the qualifying countries for that year, there is a chance to still be eligible. This is if your spouse or both of your parents are natives of one of the qualifying countries. You then become eligible.
The second requirement is you must have received a high school diploma or one of the required equivalent, or have two years work experience within the last five years where two years of training were required.
Married couples are eligible to both submit an application, which doubles their chances of winning, since your family qualifies with you if you are selected.
Though the Green Card Lottery does not have a minimum age requirement it is mainly designated towards people 18 years and up since a high school diploma or specific work experience is required.
To apply for the Green Card Lottery you must apply online through the State Department's website for the lottery. They are no longer accepting mail in application.
The time period for the lottery is set at a specified time through the State Department. As long as you apply using the online system, which is now the only way to apply, you are ensured that your application will be submitted on time. So if your dream is to live and work in the United States it is now possible. One in every 70 applications wins the Green Card Lottery. That is a pretty big success rate.