When someone emigrates to the United States there are basically two traditional ways to do it. The first way is that they are taking a job in the U.S. and the employer sponsors them. The second way is that a family member already lives in the U.S. and they sponsor the next family member to come over. An alternative to the traditional way is for someone to apply for the Green Card Lottery.
When someone emigrates via the Green Card Lottery, there is a process that all green cards go through and the process takes some patience because it can take several years. There are basically three steps to go through:
Step #1: The Green Card Application
An individual who wants to immigrate to the United States must first go online and fill out an application at the Department of State. This is the way that an individual would emigrate if they are using the Green Card Lottery. If not this way, they will have to go through an individual who is already a citizen of the United States.
Step #2: A Scan is Done to See if there Is a Number Available
Before an individual can actually pursue their application a number has to be assigned to them and to the application by the Immigration Department. Sometimes it can take a long time if numbers are not readily available. As their number comes up, it is sent to he U.S. Department of State (DOS) and their application can proceed.
Step #3: Justification of the Immigrant VISA
Once they have their number and DOS starts processing the application they may be required to add more information to their application. SattaThe individual will either be applying for “permanent” status or they will be requesting a regular immigrant VISA. This means they will have to go to the U.S. Consulate in their area to verify their information.
It is important to note that USCIS will do a background check for criminal activity and this is a stage where a VISA would be declined for whatever reason. An individual may be granted a living space within the U.S. which would mean that they would have to stay in the U.S. until the entire green card processing is finished.
Without the Green Card Lottery, green card processing can take many years because of the intense checking that is done on each individual. Again, the individual applying must be patient.
The Green Card Lottery Is a Better Option
The reason the Green Card Lottery is a better option is because you do not have as long a waiting period before you get a permanent VISA. You will also be told exactly how long it will take to approve applications and it is a more straight forward process. When you come from one of the countries that are under represented in the United States, you have the best chance of getting into the country without the waiting period.
Although the Green Card Lottery is random many people are taking their chances because of the ease in the process. The good thing is that the length of time it takes from the time of application to the time that you receive the VISA is a matter of months instead of years.
When you have to go through green card processing in a traditional way it can be very discouraging because it takes so long. The Green Card Lottery on the other hand should be an option that anyone coming to the United States to live should consider.