Taking part in the green card lottery could be one of the solutions to your desire to immigrate to the USA. Every year, the USA distributes 55,000 free visas to foreign nationals through a lottery. Let’s take a look at how this procedure works.

The green card lottery, a chance to live in the United States

The green card lottery is an official U.S. government program, approved by Congress, which authorizes citizens from all over the world to live and work in the USA without a visa, by means of a random computer lottery. Entry requirements are simple. You must be a native of a country on the list of countries authorized by the U.S. Congress, hold a high school diploma, or have two years’ experience within the five years preceding your participation in the lottery, in a job that requires at least two years’ training.

Applying for a USA green card is simple. To try your luck, all you have to do is apply on the official website of the Department of Homeland Security, via a registration form.

Every successful green card applicant can apply for an American green card without seeing a sponsor. If the application is accepted, the lucky applicant is officially granted permanent resident status. This is an extremely useful status, as it allows expatriates to live in the United States of America, while enjoying the same rights as American citizens, or almost. As such, immigrants eligible for the green card will be officially authorized to find work on American territory.

A lottery for the whole family

The green card is not assigned individually. In fact, registration is extended to the spouse, children of the couple and children from other unions, whether living in the household or not. In other words, the Green Card is issued to the applicant’s entire family. This means that married couples, with or without minor children, do not need to apply for each family member. However, photographs of each applicant must be attached to the online application.

Please note that the U.S. government will not send you an email or letter informing you of its selection. If this happens to you, be aware that it’s a scam and should be avoided. The draw takes place at the beginning of May, at which point you should check for yourself the status reserved for you.

Application for a residence permit rejected: what to do?

If, after registering for the online green card lottery, the US authorities inform you that your US green card application has not been selected, this simply means that you have not been drawn. This does not mean that you are not authorized to live in the USA permanently. You can still apply for a visa at the US embassy. The length of validity of a visa varies, but some allow you to reside on American soil for several years, with work authorization.

Finally, the last option is to apply for an ESTA form, via online registration on the official U.S. government website or a private site. However, the scope of use of the ESTA document is much more limited. This authorization for travel to the United States only applies to tourist or business trips of less than 90 days.