What is the Green Card Lottery?
The Green Card lottery is created by the US government for people from the various countries selected by the Green Card Lottery department. 55,000 visas annually are received by people who have won the Lottery. After that, the winners come to the US and receive permanent residence. Five years later they can get their US citizenship!
How much does it cost to register for this program?
Registration for the program is absolutely free. But many companies charge for helping people to correctly enter the data into the application. Typically, this fee ranges from $10 to $50. Every year I publish a post on my Instagram-account about how to fill out a form properly without any assistance. Thousands of people use my advice and dozens of people win a green card every year and are grateful to me.
Do you personally know of any successful Green Card Lottery applicants?
– Sure! In my 17 years of practical experience, I have helped so many people register on the site on their own and they did receive a green card. Even my close friend Oleg Stopnyak, who lives in New York now, won the green card lottery last year.
How many visas does the Green Card program grant each year?
The US Department of Immigration grants 55,000 Green Card Lottery visas annually.
Which countries of the former USSR apply to the Green Card Lottery?
Every year, a list of countries that can participate in the green card lottery is published on the website of the Department of Immigration. Even when the husband and wife have different nationalities and one of the countries is excluded from the list, they can still participate. If one of the spouses wins the lottery, then the other spouse will automatically become a green card holder.
Does the Green Card Lottery program apply to people residing outside the US only, or can it be applied to individuals who are already in the United States?
If a person is in the United States with the status of legal residence, and his nationality is included in the list of the countries that can participate annually, then this applicant can participate absolutely without any problems. A lot of people who used our advice received green cards. Soon I’m going to visit them and shoot an interview on YouTube about those people who won while in the USA.
Do you have to go through a lawyer, consultant, or a qualified agency in order to apply?
No, it actually can be done by any person. It’s necessary to just figure it out and do everything properly as required by the immigration department. The lottery website itself contains instructions in full on how to do everything perfectly. Well, as I see it, you need a little experience to get everything right.
Can you apply for the program online or do you have to mail in your application?
Absolutely everything is submitted online on the site. You should enter all the data, such as: passport data, place of residence, education, job, as well as photographs that will need to be taken electronically according to the parameters specified in the instructions. Sending the wrong photo is usually the main reason for the application to be disqualified.
Are there any red flags that could disqualify an application?
Yes, there are some. For example, photographs that are not taken correctly, e.g., the size of the head is wrong, the background is too light or too dark or the color are not suitable. People must also take off their national hats or scarves (if any), so that their ears can be seen. You also need to enter the correct data regarding education and place of residence and birth. Usually, people make mistakes giving these details which leads to disqualification.
Can you apply for the Green Card lottery year-round?
No, you can only apply once a year on the official website. Usually that period is at the end of the year, from October to November. Application must be made during that one-month period. The status of your application can be checked during the first days of May. Presently, we are looking forward to checking the status of people who applied last year.
How can you check the status of your application and how soon are the results announced?
Everyone who fills out an application gets a special 16-digit number that should be saved. In May, when the site opens for checking the status of an application, people should enter this number to check their results. After the number has been entered, the system will tell the person if he has won or not. Be sure not to give this number to other persons, as there are a lot of scammers who make money on this.
What are the most common Green card scams people should be aware of?
During the year, e-mails may often be received containing information about a person’s guaranteed green card win and asking for money, usually from $50 to $500. A lot of people have paid such scammers and then they contacted me to help them. Later they may receive another letter about winning and they still need to pay $ 5,000.
As a qualified immigration consultant with 16 years of experience, what advice would you give to increase the chances of success for a Diversity Visa program?
First of all, pay attention to the photo, which must be taken correctly, as well as absolutely all the data which must be entered properly. You must avoid all mistakes. About 35% of people do not receive approval for an interview because the information they entered is not correct!
Are there any credible agencies or professionals you could recommend to help with the forms?
I recommend learning all the rules on how to fill out the application properly. Figure it out yourself. If you don’t want to waste your time, then contact me and I will tell you how to do everything right. For example, every year I post on how to arrange everything properly. A lot of people make comments under the post, and I answer them. So, anyone can wait for my post and then, if there are questions, they can comment and get a free answer and do everything yourself.
