In the last few decades, we have had many people coming to the U.S. through the diversity visa. Sure, it is lesser known compared to other visas for immigration. However, it is no secret that it has been used by many till date to get the coveted U.S. green card.
The system is completely lottery-based, so you don’t know who is entering the country. In 2015, nine million people applied for the diversity immigration visa and only 50,000 were given the visa. The visa is a non-American’s only chance to enter the US and live the big American dream.
How Does the Diversity Visa Immigration Program Work?
The visa is also known as green card lottery. If a person wins this lottery, he gets a permanent residency to live in the US. To apply for this lottery, you need to be 18, completed high school education, and have two years of work experience.
However, not all nation citizens are eligible to apply for the visa. Some of the countries that can’t apply for this visa are Bangladesh, Canada, China, Pakistan, Peru, Mexico, and Vietnam. They can enter the US with a different visa but not this one. Even people with an Indian citizenship can use this program to enter the country. H-1B visa, for instance, is the most popular among Indians.
Donald Trump is debating to make it a merit-based system. The undeserving enter the US while the deserving ones are left out. Only the highly-skilled and most deserving should be awarded with the visa.
How Do You Get the Green Card Visa?
If you get a diversity visa, you can get the green card visa soon too. Obtaining United States permanent resident position, or a ‘green card’, is not easy but it is possible through different grounds one of them being employment immigrant visas. This might be an attractive choice for employees who plan to live in the US indefinitely. However, depending on the number of applications and the position applied for, there can be delays.
The employment-based green card may be obtained in 4 primary ways. These are:
- Job offer
- Self-petition
- Investment
- Special categories of jobs.
Due to the recent legislation, green card application timing has changed. The changes were set in place in October 2015. Under the new legislation, early filling for green cards is available which allow pre-processing of your application.
Early application of green cards has relieved some workers of the need of obtaining frequent extensions to both L-1 and H-1B visas.
Visa processing and Immigration Using Agents for Diversity Visa
For companies just venturing the US market, getting a business visa needed for foreign workers can be complex and time-consuming. There are many requirements and forms to verify. This can delay the employees’ entry to the United States for work purposes.
There are different companies that have come up for that purpose. These companies assure a perfect handing of the visa process by local experts who understand the specific rules and standards in details.
The company can also act a sponsor or employer for both Form 1-9 and visas. This saves the company the expense and time of Do It Yourself (DIY) approach.
If you are trying for a diversity visa though, do remember it’s all on luck.