Immigrants who have moved to the United States recently may find a helpful and supportive community of people in one of the many religious institutions available in the United States.

Religion in the United States

From a technical standpoint, Christians are the most populous religion in the United States, but there are so many different variations of Christianity that it is somewhat difficult to group them all together.

There are also large groups of nearly every other religion on earth as well. Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Baha’i, and many other religions have firm footholds throughout the United States.

Recently it has been discovered that one of the fastest growing religious affiliations in the country is “no religion”, meaning that they do not subscribe to one religion or another. This is perfectly legal and protected in the United States.

Religious Communities

If you already adhere to a religion when you enter the United States it is very likely that there is an institution nearby where you can go and worship. Many institutions also offer other events associated with the community.

Regular parties, or get-togethers, meet-and-greets and other social occasions occur alongside the usual devotional activities.

Traditionally, the church was the center of towns in the United States. They were the center of the town’s culture, social life and spiritual development. This isn’t a particularly uncommon concept in other religions. An excellent example of this in another religion is the role of the Mosque in Islamic countries.

However, in recent years, the concept of the church as being the center of town has become somewhat antiquated. Though this may be true, it does not detract from the fact that religion is an excellent place to find community in the United States.

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Below, we will discuss the two most frequent answers to the ‘Applicant Letters’ question:

Mailing an Application

Some people take this to mean that the Diversity Visa program accepts paper-forms of the registration application, but this is not possible with this program.

Previously, the Department of State (DoS), which runs the Green Card Lottery, accepted mailed in applications for its lottery program, but they no longer do this.

All applications for registration in the Green Card Lottery must be filed online. This means that all accompanying information must be digital so that it can be processed properly. Photographs in particular must be digital in form and conform to the standards set forth by the DoS.

The Confirmation Number

At the end of the registration process, you will be presented with a screen which has what is called a confirmation number. This number is a collection of letters and numbers and is absolutely necessary later in the application process.

The confirmation number must be entered exactly into the Department of States’ status check website in order to know whether or not you have won the library.

We suggest that you do two things:

• Either write down or print the form and all of the information to keep in your records. Be sure to include the confirmation number with these forms.
• Also, save an electronic version of the application and confirmation number for future reference. You can use print-screen functions on your computer to preserve these files. It may be a good idea to preserve these computer documents in a back-up system.

If you have additional questions about the process, be sure to check out the other topics on our blog or write your question directly into the comment box below.

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This period of time which typically runs from early October to early November is called the registration period and is, in effect, the entry period of the DV Lottery.

Generally, the State Department, which runs the lottery, does not announce the exact date of the start or finish of the Green Card Lottery until a few months before the registration period begins. Because of this, it is a good idea to pay regular attention to updates and news alerts pertaining to the Green Card Lottery.

The registration period is very important for those who wish to enter into the lottery because otherwise they will not be able to enter into the selection lot.

Late registration is not allowed by the Department of State, but certain services (like this one) allow you to register any time of the year. The actual registration will not be accepted by the Department of State until the registration period opens in October, but the application can be stored until that time.

All applications must be filed online as paper registration for the Green Card Lottery is no longer accepted by the United States government.

The Green Card Lottery is a fantastic way for immigrants to petition the United States government for immigration, particularly if they have no other basis for application.

People who are unable to immigrate to America based on employment or family can use the Green Card Lottery to apply for immigration.

Applicants are selected using a machine which randomizes selectees, however the system is also weighted to exclude people who hail from countries which already have high levels of immigrants coming to the United States.

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The Meaning of Independence Day

On July 4, 1776, the fledgling republic of the United States declared its independence from Great Britain for a variety of reasons and since then the country has been wholly independent.

At the time, independence from the monarchy was considered to be quite a risky experiment. Not since ancient Greece had a society been run by democracy, but the founders of the United States believed it to be the most important thing they could do.

To this day, the Fourth of July conjures feelings of patriotism, liberty and rugged independence in the spirits of its citizens and residents.

The Star Spangled Banner

There are many different traditional, patriotic songs sung on the Fourth of July, but the most important is perhaps the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States.

The song was written during the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key, who was particularly inspired by the explosions occurring above Baltimore during an attack by the British. The result of the war was that the British were repelled from taking over the United States and American liberty was sustained.

Activities

Many people have picnics, barbecues or parades on Independence Day and many people have the day off. It’s likely that anywhere you turn there will be celebrations on the Fourth of July.

Fireworks

It may be inspired from the Star Spangled Banner lyrics (“The rockets’ red flare/ the bombs bursting in air”) or it could be that everybody likes fireworks, but the fact remains that fireworks are an integral part of Fourth of July celebrations.

Sometimes organizations will put together fireworks shows for the general public, but private homes will sometimes have their own fireworks shows for friends and family.

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Registrants who wish to know if they should be expecting a visa package or if they need to re-apply next year can check the status of their application online at the State Department’s website.

All you need to check if you have won the Diversity Visa Lottery is the full name of the applicant (as it appears on the application) and the confirmation number that was generated and presented to the registrant upon completion of the application.

But how many people actually won this much sought after contest?

The simple answer is that about 100,000 people “won” the Diversity Visa Lottery, however this number is somewhat misleading.

100,000 people were selected in the registration and are allowed to then proceed to applying for their visas. Only about half of these people will receive a green card and the right to live and work in the United States.

The reason why so many are selected during registration and only 50,000 are issued green cards in the end is because many registrants are found to be inadmissible during the visa application process. The visa application process for DV-2012 takes place in the latter part of 2013.

The number of winners also differs between countries and continents. Since the goal of the program is to increase diversity in the United States immigration system, some countries and continents are cut off from the Green Card Lottery selection.

The actual number of immigrants issued green cards every year through the Diversity Visa Lottery varies quite a bit, but it normally falls in between 48,000 and 53,000 visas issued.

The post How Many Winners in DV Lottery? appeared first on Green Card Lottery Blog.

E-DV (The Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery Entrant Status Check Website)

Registrants looking to check the status of their application can sign on to the State Department’s Diversity Visa website. In order to successfully check one’s status one will need to be able to confirm

• The confirmation number they received upon registration for the 2014 Green Card Lottery, and
• The full name associated with the applicant’s registration form.

Registrants who did not win the 2014 Green Card Lottery are encouraged to apply for the next one, DV-2015. Because of the popularity in Congress of Immigration Reform, it may be very possible that the next Green Card Lottery will be the last one, so be prepared for registration in the fall!

DV-2014 Results

There will be approximately 100,000 applicants who will be selected as winners for the Green Card Lottery registration. These lucky individuals will be selected from regions all over the world.

The State Department should release the statistics of where these winners are from very soon.

Unfortunately, not all of the 100,000 winners will be issued a green card. After an applicant has won, they will have to proceed through an immigrant visa process which often filters out ineligible candidates for immigration.

Take precaution against being filtered out by filing correctly and accurately in all necessary forms!

What Next for Winners?

Winners of the Green Card Lottery registration will have to wait for a few months before they receive their immigration visa paperwork from the Kentucky Consular Center.

Winners are discouraged from contacting the Department of State for more information as the KCC is the organization responsible for immigration after the winners have been selected.

The post E-DV Lottery Winners Announced appeared first on Green Card Lottery Blog.

Geographically, it stretches from the East Coast to Texas and Oklahoma, its northern border is the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic States; its southern border is the Gulf of Mexico and Northern Florida.

Many foreign visitors, and particularly immigrants, find the so-called Southern Accent to be one of the friendliest and pleasant sounding of American Accents. This may be partially rooted in the tradition of “Southern Hospitality”.

The South is full of such traditions that recall a simpler time, a time of long and pleasant afternoons where often the only entertainment to be had was another person’s (who that person was could easily have been anyone) company and conversation.

Because of the South’s history of being a primarily agricultural region of the country and proponent of the usage of slave labor up until the civil war in the 1860s, the region is often erroneously labeled backward or racist.

The United States has progressed a great deal in the two hundred years the country has existed, and today is mostly uniform in terms of economic and social development.

A great deal of cultural value has risen from the South during the history of the country. The majority of American music is directly descendent from distinctly southern art forms. An excellent example of this is jazz or blues eventually leading to the development of rock and roll and rhythm and blues music.

Some of the greatest writers of the United States came out of the South where they were able to parlay their sense of identity and place into fabulously engrossing tales that reflected the reality of the place they lived.

The South is also renowned for its very mild and rather warm climate. Only mountainous regions of the South ever really experience snow and the states that line the gulf experience nearly tropical conditions.

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This not only impacts residents and citizens already settled in the United States, but potential immigrants who are looking to become permanent residents in the future.

The very nature of Green Cards can be significantly different after any new legislation is passed.

There are three general objectives currently being pursued by Congress:

1. A focus on immigrants who can add to the economy and contribute to the continued success of the United States.
   Often times this manifests itself as the term STEM, which refers to a focus on immigrants with education in one of four general fields: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Even detractors of immigration reform have a difficult time arguing against intelligent people entering the United States.
2. There are approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States and if there is to be immigration reform, it must address this issue.
   Solutions to this aspect of immigration law in the United States have ranged from all out deportation to amnesty. However, it seems most likely that undocumented immigrants will be charged a fine in exchange for a pathway to legal permanent residency.
3. The elimination of the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, otherwise known as the Green Card Lottery.
   The point of the legislation and reform of the immigration system in the United States at the moment seems to be to switch to a purely merit based immigration system. The Diversity Visa is not merit based at all and if legislation is passed in 2013 it will likely be the last year for the Green Card Lottery.

It is currently unclear whether or not this will be the last year for the Green Card Lottery. There is still a great deal of work to be applied to the legislation before it will come before the President. Though this is a time of some uncertainty it is also a period of great opportunity.

Regardless of how the legislation will pan out, one thing will be certain: there will be a Diversity Visa 2015 and the registration period will take place later in 2013. By signing up with USAGreenCardLottery.org you can register for the lottery at any time.

The post Last Year for Green Card Lottery? appeared first on Green Card Lottery Blog.

Many people spend a couple of weeks attending a fair in their area for entertainment and recreation and you can too after you become settled in the United States.

State fairs originated as a way for farmers to be able to compare techniques and to show off their agricultural accomplishments during the year and therefore state fairs most often occur in agriculturally important areas. This mostly includes the Midwest and the South, but it can also stretch into other states like New York.

State fairs offer a great variety of entertainments that you can peruse after paying a certain amount as an entrance fee.

• Exhibitions. Agriculturalists and industrialists of the state display the latest and greatest in their fields for you education and entertainment.
• Music. Concerts of all varieties from bluegrass, to country to rock and roll are frequently performed to the delight of fair-goers.
• Food. State fair fare is traditionally a collection of unique (but not necessarily healthy for you) foodstuffs such as deep-fried Twinkies, salt-water taffy and corndogs.
• Carnival rides. Amusement rides can be found throughout state fairgrounds where for a few tickets you can take a thrilling ride through the summer breeze.
• Rodeos. See the daring of modern day cowboys as they pit themselves against untamed livestock. It is a bit of the thrill from when the Midwest was considered the frontier.

State fairs truly are spectacular events and they can end up being the impetus of a fantastic and memorable experience. In many ways, these events are a microcosm of America’s historical culture.

America is about new and exciting experiences, so get out there and explore American tradition to get a grip on the character of your new home.

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When registering for the Green Card Lottery (as the Diversity Visa Program is often called) immigrants must claim a certain country as their country of origin. People from the countries on the list will not be eligible for the lottery.

The country-of-origin requirement is one of only two qualifications that must be met in order to register. The other is an education requirement that states that applicants must either have a high school diploma or two years of experience in a profession that took two years of training.

The list varies only slightly from year to year and is based upon the immigration numbers of the previous five years. More information about acceptable countries will be released on May 1, 2013.

The countries that were designated as ineligible for DV-2014 (the Green Card Lottery whose application period occurred in 2012) by continent are:

• Asia: Bangladesh, China (Not including offshore possessions of the People’s Republic of China), India, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam.
• Europe: the United Kingdom (Not including North Ireland).
• North America: Canada and Mexico.
• South America: Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica and Peru.

There are some exceptions to the country-of-origin requirement that allow immigrants to claim an eligible country. Potential immigrants can claim the country-of-origin of their spouse or one of their parents.

Below are some examples based on the DV-2014 countries:

• Henri was born and raised in Haiti and is therefore not eligible to apply for the Green Card Lottery under Haiti. However, Henri’s mother is from France and he can apply with France being his designated country of origin.
• Rosa is from Chile and since it is not on the list of ineligible countries she can apply for the lottery using Chile as her country of origin.
• George is from Wales; in fact his family can trace back their roots in Wales for several generations. Because of this he cannot apply for the lottery because he is from the United Kingdom. However, his wife, Darla, is from South Africa and they can both apply for the lottery using South Africa as their country of origin.

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