So you’ve won the green card lottery, congratulations! Whether you were notified by USAgreencardlottery.org or by checking with the State Department you know you’ve won, but you are wondering what to do now. Last week we posted a blog that describes the general steps leading from you winning the green card lottery to getting your green card and this week we will go into a little more detail for the steps.
Please note that even though you have been selected in the green card lottery you are not immediately guaranteed a green card. You will have to provide the proper documentation and attend your interview appointment to show that you are a proper candidate for permanent residency in the United States.
First thing is first: you will need to find out if you are eligible for a visa through this program. You must either meet certain education requirements or have two years of work experience in a field recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor.
To fulfill the educational requirement you will have to have at least a high school degree or its equivalent. What this means is in order for the government to recognize that you meet the education requirement you must have completed a course of study that resembles the U.S. education system. A United States high school diploma is awarded after completion of primary and secondary education, otherwise known as K-thru-12 or 12 year education. You can also satisfy this requirement by completing something similar to a General Education Development certificate which is a test that verifies that you know everything that a high-school graduate would know.
You don’t necessarily need to have this level of education as long as you have two years of work experience. The trouble with this requirement is that your job has to be acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Labor, but, generally, if your job required two years of training or experience it is acceptable for fulfilling the requirement. To get an idea of what kind of jobs qualify you for a green card check out the DOL’s lists of professions considered either Job Zone Four or Job Zone Five.
Check back to our blog soon for more green card lottery information!