DV Lottery - Green card lottery History.
The official name of the program known is Diversity Visa Program but people use to say as Green Card Lottery also, this Visa by lottery is available nearly hundred and seventy-six other countries. There are more than two hundred visa types issued by the State Department, and this is the oldest. The majority of immigrant visas are given to people who possess strictly prescribed qualifications along with relatives already in the U.S., special skills, or great wealth, but for winning the Green Card Lottery, other than good lucky, must have a high school education or two years work experience in one of three hundred and fifty-three career which can be seen in the labor dept's online web. Only 50,000 such visas are issued each year in, the Diversity Visa Lottery. More than 5.5 million people submitted entries in the registration process held during the last quarter of 2005. In future, it is uncertain as in December, Senates passed a border enforcement and immigration bill that included an amendment to abolish the Green Card Lottery. The Senate will consider that bill this year.
This lottery began as in the name of diversity, for a way to bring more white people to America. The earlier immigration laws, from the late1880's, favored Northern Europeans. In 1965, at the height of the civil rights struggle, Congress changed the laws to favor relatives of American citizens or permanent residents, whoever liked, and Asians, Africans, and Latin Americans came in record numbers, while European immigration lowered. This alarmed many members of Congress, who argued for legislation to change and get Irish, Germans, Italians, Poles, and others without immediate family members in the United States. As a result, in the 1990's, were a series of short lived diversity-visa programs to bring more European immigrants, especially English speakers from there, to the United States. 1992 to 1994, 40% of diversity visas were set from one country that is Ireland. Irish exception was expired, and in 1995, Congress decided the lottery must cover all worlds other than the countries that have much number in the immigrant pool. The list includes Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, China (not including Hong Kong), Russia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland), Poland, and Canada. Winners of the lottery,(and family if married) qualify for immediate permanent resident cards which is called also green cards, which allow them to live and work in the United States as long as they wish and to obtain citizenship. Some countries, like Ethiopia and Egypt, had more than six thousand winners last year while Andorra, Liechtenstein, the Pacific island nation of Niue, and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories each had one, Cocas Islands had two, Suriname had three, and the Seychelles had four.
Every 118 to one have the chance of winning the lottery and full filling their dream of American rich life, As having a luxury car and walking the same streets of their favorite stars.
The bad thing there for the lucky winners is that, they don't know how to find jobs or can't speak English suffered a lot. Some wanted to head back to their countries. A very bad situation that can't be corrected is if they don't have a relative or a friend in the USA. Some time they end up with bad people.
In earlier years, it didn't cost much money for the people to apply for the green card lottery as it was in paper and they can fill it with a little English knowledge and send it by Postal mail. Then came the powder sending mail problems and the US state department decided to accept application forms only through their website. And people who know how to use computer and internet can send it.
So some people start to earn money as submitting applications for the people. Some time the people who know the computer and the internet too apply through this people of afraid that may make any fault and loose the visa lottery. Of course i have seen some strange middle names because they typed "N/A', Not known", so the name reads as George Michel N/A, or George Michel Not known.
So we can't blame them also.
Between 50 -100 officials working in the Williamsburg, Kentucky consular section, they don't normally speak with media people. If you are a winner you may contact them. That's all from them. The rest all goes to DOS.
Still the Diversity program is much talked topic in the senate. On one side, some think this is the best route for the terrorist to enter in to USA as easy as 1, 2, 3. Only you apply, win get in. But others say it's tough and don't forget we to came as immigrants.
Today normally the winners receive their winning letter along with forms in a white color envelop, normally sent from out of America with the stamp of Dos. This actually contains a Barcode for easy computer reading, when the form is return to USA. Also it will contain an addressed sticker of the postal address. From May to July anyone can expect this winning letter. If you don't get it don't worry there is lottery next year.
But all the winners are discouraged by their neighbors and relatives of their survival in USA, It depends if their language is not English they are too much afraid. But for survival, true workman ship never let you down.
If you have any question post it to bbsnetting@yahoo.com
