The government of the United States holds a green card lottery every year. This is also known as the Diversity Visa Program, under which a green card is awarded to 50,000 people. Green cards, which are also known as permanent resident cards, are issued by the federal government and allow immigrants to legally live, study and work in the US.
The Immigration Act was established 18 years ago, back in 1996, with the initial aim being to increase the diversity of the immigrants in the United States. People from all over the world are able to come to the US as a result of this act, provided that they have followed the right legal procedures.
People who win the lottery sometimes already live in the United States under a non-immigrant visa or some other form of legal status that allows them to remain in the country for a reason other than immigration. The Diversity Visa Program lottery is free to enter and individuals can register via the website of the USA Green Card Lottery.
Registration for the annual green card lottery usually commences in October and continues until early November. Individual names are then randomly selected from nations that currently have low immigration levels to the United States. US Citizenship and Immigration Services says that those who win the lottery must live outside of the US and should visit their country’s consulate if they wish to immigrate to the US.