The most difficult way to get a Green Card, or permanent residency, is to obtain a Diversity Visa, otherwise known as the Green Card Lottery. Each year, the U.S. gives out 55,000 green cards to applicants who reside in low admission countries – those that have had fewer than 50,000 people who have immigrated to the U.S. in the last five years.

Anyone who lives in one of the eligible countries can apply for the Green Card lottery, even if the person is living in the United States, legally or illegally. Applicants need only provide an address where he or she can be notified, even if it is a U.S. address and you are an illegal immigrant (you do not have to provide your home address, just an address where you can be notified).

Moreover, winners of the Green Card lottery can also bring in their immediate family members as permanent residents, so long as you live with the spouse or child at the time you win the lottery.

To win the Green Card lottery, in addition to being a native of one of the eligible countries, you must also have a high school education or its equivalent and have at least two years of training or experience.

Green Card History

This US Green Card lottery application program was established in the 1996 Immigration Act in order to give US immigration opportunities to natives from countries other than the main source-countries of immigration to the USA. This official US government Green Card lottery application program aims to diversify the American population by creating immigration opportunity for under-represented ethnic groups. Thus, obtaining a US Green Card through the US Green Card lottery application program is a very exciting new reality for many. We have personally verified actual cases of immigrants who have been successful in their Green Card lottery application. If you are not a US citizen, this is your chance to take advantage of this opportunity offered by the US government's official Green Card lottery application program.

Green card Lottery Basics

The official name of the green card lottery program is the Diversity Visa Program (DV). The U.S. State Department provides over two hundred different types of visas for people to work and live in America legally. However, the DV program is the most unique one out there. Many of the visas the U.S Department issues contain strict set of qualifications. With the DV program, all that is needed is some basic education requirements and a bit of good luck. Millions of people apply each year, but only 50,000 received a Green Card through the DV program.