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DV
Diversity Lottery |
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Each
year, the United States Department of State (DOS) holds a
lottery to distribute US permanent resident status (green
cards) to 55,000 citizens from qualifying countries, including
Thailand. The American DOS holds the green card lottery to
randomly select 110,000 applicants and accepts 55,000 into
the DV Diversity Visa program. Thai and other foreign citizens
who are chosen in the USA green card lottery are authorized
to live and work permanently in the United States of America
with their spouse and any unmarried children under 21 years
of age. The purpose of the lottery is to maintain the diversity
of immigrants into the USA. |
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How
can I be eligible for the DV - Green Card lottery? |
You
must be a citizen of a qualifying country. Thailand is a normally
a qualifying country while Vietnam is usually not. The United
States Department of State determines which countries qualify
based on the number of immigrants from that country in the
previous year. You must also have a high school education
or two years of recent work experience in a career that required
at least 2 years of training. You may also be eligible if
your parents were born in a country that qualifies.
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How
are the "winners" selected? |
The
United States DOS uses a computer to randomly select 110,000
names from the applicants for green cards through the DV lottery
program. Applications are first divided among six geographic
regions throughout the world (Africa, Asia, Europe, North
America, Oceans, and South America). Each of these regions
is divided into high and low admission categories. The United
States selects equally from each geographic zone, but a greater
portion of the selections comes from low admission countries.
However, no single country can be awarded more than 7% of
the distributed green cards for immigration to the United
States. |
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Can
both my spouse and myself apply separately? |
Yes. While only one application may be submitted for the US
green card lottery per person, both a husband and wife may
apply separately. Since those chosen for permanent immigrant
status in the USA may bring their spouse and children, it
is advantageous to fill out applications for the DV lottery
for both individuals in a marriage. |
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