How to Apply for Green Card

There are thousands of people every day who apply for green card to work in the United States. Everyone must fill out an application and submit documents to show that they are eligible according to the U.S. Department of State’s criteria. Once a year, a green card lottery is held by the Department to issue 50,000 visas; to people from specific countries all over the world.

To understand how to apply for green card there are several things that you should know. If you want to apply through the green card lottery, it is important to know that they are usually conducting the lottery two years ahead. As an example, next year the lottery will be held for the year 2011.

The green card lottery isn’t like the money lotteries. In a money lottery everyone who purchases a ticket has an equal chance of winning. With the green card lottery only people from certain countries are eligible to participate and they must meet educational and work experience criteria.

Why Register for The Green Card Lottery

It is to your advantage to register for the green card lottery rather than applying to get a green card in the normal way if you are from one of the countries that the U.S. Department of State is allowing in. The basic reason to register is because you will become a permanent resident through the lottery if your name or your family’s name is chosen. In other words, you do not have to go through getting a visitor’s VISA or spending time waiting if you are one of the people fortunate enough to get picked in the lottery.

Who Is Eligible for the Green Card Lottery?

Section 203 Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) specifies each year, who is eligible for the green card lottery. They will specify the countries that are eligible to apply for green card and the work and education requirements. In most cases the eligibility requirements are:

• You or your spouse must be from a country that is on the “eligible” list.
• You have worked at least two years in the last five years in an eligible profession. This profession must have also included two years of training.
• You must apply online before the deadline in order for your application to be accepted.

When you apply for green card you must be from one of the six different regions where the United States has designated. The reason for this is that the U.S. concentrates on regions where there have been less than 50,000 immigrants that have come into the U.S. within any of the last five years.

What Happens After Your Application?

After you apply for green card lottery you will have to wait until after the deadline of applications. Each year they will tell you the date by which you will receive the “Notice of Approval” from the U.S. Department of State. This letter will tell you exactly what to do to take advantage of your “win.” As an example, for the 2008 Green Card Lottery people who were approved will receive their letter of approval between April and July of 2009.

When you apply green card lottery you want to be sure to get your application in as soon as you can because once the 50,000 visas are given out, the program closes. If you are one of the first few applicants and your application is in order, you will stand a better chance of getting a visa.

All applicants for the Green Card Lottery must apply online at the U.S. Department of State because they are the ones who issue the visas.