How to Acquire an American Citizenship?

Are you searching for ways to acquire an American Citizenship?

The diversity Visa Lottery is a great tool that you can try out.

What is the Diversity Visa Lottery Program?

Each year, 50,000 immigrant U.S visas are available through a lottery to people who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The U.S.A department of states publishes each year which countries are allowed to participate in the lottery.

In principle, countries that had sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. over the period of the past five years will not be allowed to participate in the visa lottery. But they may be allowed to participate in the next year. Russia for example was not in the list of eligible countries for DV-2009 lottery, but for DV-2010 lottery Russia has returned to the list. So make sure you check each year if your country is eligible to participate.

If you receive a visa through the Diversity Visa Lottery Program you will be authorized to live and work permanently in the United States, and to acquire an American citizenship. You will also be allowed to bring your spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 to the United States.

Isn't this a great option?

Yes, it is a lottery and there are many applicants but it doesn't hurt to try.

Moreover the U.S State Department selects more than 50,000 applications because there is a possibility that some of the first 50,000 persons who are selected will not qualify for visas, or won't continue with the visa issuance procedure.

However, once 50,000 visas are issued or the fiscal year ends, the lottery is closed. Therefore, selected applicants who wish to receive visas and a chance to obtain american citizenship must be prepared to act promptly.

Applicants who are selected will be notified by snail mail (and not by e-mail) at the addresses listed on their applications and be informed of their place on the list.

There are fixed dates for submitting your applications for the lottery. Failing to submit in those dates means that you can not participate in the visa lottery program of that specific year. Dates of submissions can be found on the website of the U.S Department of State.

In general you must be from a qualified country and meet an education or training requirement, in order to participate in the visa lottery and to get the chance to obtain an american citizenship.

• You or your spouse must be a native of a country that is eligible to participate in the Diversity Visa Lottery. You may also be eligible to apply if your parent was born in a country that is eligible to participate. Again, it is important to check each year if your country is on the list of eligible countries to participate in the United Stated visa lottery
• You must also hold a high school diploma or the equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education, or you must have two years of work experience within the last five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. A list of qualifying diversity visa occupations can be found on the US Department of Labor O*Net Online Database.
• You may apply for the U.S. visa lottery while you are in the U.S. or in another country. The application may be submitted from the U.S. or from abroad.
• A husband and a wife may each submit an application if each meets the eligibility requirements. If either is selected, the other would be entitled to derivative status.
• You can still apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program and we a chance to obtain an american visa, even if you are already registered for an immigrant visa in another category.

First, make sure to follow all directions exactly. Many applications are rejected each year for failure to follow the directions.

• Submit your application at the correct dates. You are encouraged not to wait until the last week to submit your application because heavy demand may result in delays on the State Department website.
• You may prepare and submit your own application, or have someone submit the application for you. Failure to complete the form in its entirety will disqualify your submission.
• A successful submission will result in the display of a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number. You may print this confirmation screen for your records.
• You may not submit more than once. All submissions by an applicant will be disqualified if more than one submission for the applicant is received

There is no fee for entering the diversity visa lottery. If you win, you must pay a fee for an immigrant visa and a separate diversity visa case processing fee.

You may apply for the lottery yourself, but if you are feeling uncertain, and are not sure you can fill out the application correctly, you may also choose to have a private service assist you. These firms will generally charge a commission for this service. An attorney can also do this for you but lawyer's fees are much higher.

You can check the status of your application on the U.S Department of State website and find out if your submission was or was not selected. Other than that you will be notified by snail mail (not by email), but only if you won the lottery. U.S. embassies and consulates will not be able to provide a list of successful applicants.

Winners will be sent instructions and information on fees. Interviews schedule for those who were selected will be sent by the Kentucky Consular Center four to six weeks before the scheduled interviews with U.S. consular officers.

Winners who have been selected at a certain year must apply for visa issuance, and for a chance to obtain american citizenship, only during that fiscal year. There is no carry-over of visa issuance into the next year.

But, if you are not selected this year, you can tryout to obtain an american citizenship through the Diversity Visa Lottery next year.

Important – Fraud Warning

The U.S Federal Trade Commission and the U.S department of state issued a fraud warning stating the following:

Be skeptical of Web sites posing as U.S. government sites. They may have domain names similar to government agencies, official-looking emblems (eagles, flags, or other American images like the Statue of Liberty or the U.S. Capitol), the official seals or logos of — and links to — other government sites, and list Washington, D.C., mailing addresses. If the domain name doesn’t end in “.gov,” it’s not a government site.