Six common misconceptions about the green card lottery

4 October registration opened to participate in the lottery Green Card. Applications will be accepted until November 7th Eastern Time. Although the program has been around for many years, very few people have taken the time to learn more about it and still believe popular misconceptions, writes JetSanza... What are these erroneous opinions?

Myth 1. Apartment, work and air ticket are provided by the US government

Fact: The US government does not promise housing or jobs to the winners. The winner of the lottery can only receive the right to permanent legal residence in the country (green card). Winners are expected to provide the address where they would like to receive their US green cards. This is a clear sign that the US authorities expect that the winners will deal with the issue of their residence before undergoing a visa interview. Work waits for no one either. And you will have to buy your own ticket.

Myth 2. Registration in the lottery from the United States increases the chances of winning

Fact: registering in the United States does not increase the likelihood of choosing your profile. If you send your information to someone in the US so that that person can register the data for you, they will have to go through the same process as you from another country. Submission of the application takes place online, the winners are not selected by location - they are randomly determined by the computer.

On the subject: How the green card appeared in the USA, and what the authorities did to protect the document from counterfeiting

Myth 3. Some people are experts at registering for the lottery

Fact: Winners are selected randomly. Nobody can influence this. You have the right to turn to others only for help with photographs. It is recommended that you complete the registration process yourself to ensure that all information provided is correct.

Myth 4. After winning, you will need to pay money

Fact: You do not need to pay money to participate in the lottery or after winning, other than paying the visa fee and medical examination. People pay a lot mainly because they have involved third parties in the registration process. Third parties, who usually register participants, charge huge amounts of money from winners before disclosing their registration details for the next round.

Myth 5. Winning allows you to take your family with you to the USA

Fact: you can only take with you those family members you indicated in the application form at the initial stage of registration. You have the right to take your spouse or children with you if you get married or have children after the registration period. If you have a spouse or children, but you did not indicate them when registering, you will be disqualified. Family should be understood as the spouse and children under 21 years of age, excluding extended family.

On the subject: 5 reasons why a permanent resident of the United States may lose a green card

Myth 6. After winning, you can enter into a fictitious marriage with someone who wants to move to the USA

Fact: It's illegal and you can get caught during an interview or in the US even after getting a green card. As a result, your permanent resident status will be canceled. This is a crime that will jeopardize your chances of re-entering the United States in the future.