What are the benefits of winning the green card lottery?
One can obtain a legal permanent resident status through the DV lottery program which is held every year. As a cardholder, you can enter, work and live permanently in the US There are different ways to get a green card.
Diversity Lottery:
You can get a green card through the DV lottery program. The DV (Diversity Visa) lottery program, held every year, provides 50,000 green cards to randomly selected applicants. To apply for the DV lottery program, applicants must meet simple but strict eligibility requirements. Since not all countries are eligible, the first eligibility criteria is that you must be from a qualifying country. The country of eligibility will generally be the same as your country of birth and is not related to where you live. Another eligibility criterion is that the applicant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent.
You may be wondering why certain countries are not eligible to participate in the DV free lottery program. Countries from which a large number of immigrants move to the US are not eligible. If more than 50,000 people in the family and employment-based visa categories immigrated to the US in the last five years from a single country, this country will not qualify for the current year’s DV lottery.
Why get a green card?
As a cardholder, you have the right to apply for government-sponsored financial aid for education. You can pay less tuition for college and university, also known as “in-state” tuition or “resident” tuition. The savings in most cases are 3 to 4 times lower than what foreigners pay. You are allowed to work at any company located in the US territory, regardless of job function, hours/week, etc. except for some companies that only hire US citizens. There is no need to employ sponsorship either. Some jobs require a security clearance that can only be obtained by green card holders and US citizens. Therefore, a green card provides more job opportunities.
It also means that you have permission to start your own business and create your own corporation. You will receive Social Security benefits when you retire, if you worked for 10 years (40 quarters to be precise) before you retired. You can sponsor your spouse and unmarried minor children under the age of 21 for permanent status. If you got a green card for your family, it will remain valid even if you lose your job or die.
With a work permit, the primary visa holder’s spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 can remain in the US as dependents. Even if you have a work permit, your children must obtain student visas to study and work visas to work. But, once they get a green card, they are allowed to stay in the US even after they turn 21 and even if they get married.