Green Card Lottery

[COLONEL_SMITH]

Sorry for another post about moving to the USA but I have a couple of questions about the Green card lottery.
I know I cannot apply being a UK citizen but my wife can. If she actually won would I be able to both live and work in the USA on the basis of being married to her?

[designforlife]

Nope, my wife is American and I would still need my own visa should we move over there, being married to her doesn't grant me a free pass.

[Matt Harper]

designforlife said:

Nope, my wife is American and I would still need my own visa should we move over there, being married to her doesn't grant me a free pass.

Huh? Your wife is a US citizen? You don't see a pretty much effortless route to residency in the US?

[Matt Harper]

COLONEL_SMITH said:

Sorry for another post about moving to the USA but I have a couple of questions about the Green card lottery.
I know I cannot apply being a UK citizen but my wife can. If she actually won would I be able to both live and work in the USA on the basis of being married to her?

I think you will discover (if you choose to research the subject) that as the lawful spouse of a DV lottery 'winner', you would be eligible as a derivative family member - assuming you meet all of the other qualification criteria.

[designforlife]

Sorry I misread the original thread.

[EK993]

designforlife said:

Nope, my wife is American and I would still need my own visa should we move over there, being married to her doesn't grant me a free pass.

Yes it does

[designforlife]

What I meant was, you aren't just automatically entitled, you still need to pay the $1500 odd for an IR1 and go through the visa process etc, and can still be denied based on criminal background etc.

[COLONEL_SMITH]

Matt Harper said:

I think you will discover (if you choose to research the subject) that as the lawful spouse of a DV lottery 'winner', you would be eligible as a derivative family member - assuming you meet all of the other qualification criteria.

Thanks..I will be doing a lot more research if she decides to apply. This was just the first hurdle of what will probably be many but at least in principle I am allowed to go and work.
Trying to find out information is a bit like when the ESTA was introduced, lots of websites claiming to assist you for a small fee when you could apply on the US gov website for free.

[Matt Harper]

I understand your frustration - there is SO much misinformation and conflicting information on this subject.

Unfortunately, reliance on the Diversity Visa lottery is something of a long-shot - and is also a program that our current President wants to abolish, so factor that into your hopes and plans.

I am not a legal professional, but I have quite extensive experience (as do several others, who help with these types of questions). I won't sugar-coat any responses, but if you have specific questions about immigration to the US, I'm happy to help, if I can.

[COLONEL_SMITH]

Matt Harper said:

I understand your frustration - there is SO much misinformation and conflicting information on this subject.

Unfortunately, reliance on the Diversity Visa lottery is something of a long-shot - and is also a program that our current President wants to abolish, so factor that into your hopes and plans.

I am not a legal professional, but I have quite extensive experience (as do several others, who help with these types of questions). I won't sugar-coat any responses, but if you have specific questions about immigration to the US, I'm happy to help, if I can.

Thanks for the offer of help, I am sure I will have lots more questions if we continue with trying to move.
We are fully aware the lottery is a long shot but at the moment it’s probably the only way we could do it. We work for a company that has a us office but the jobs we do are not required over there nor are they really specialised enough for other companies to sponsor us.

[The Moose]

If your spouse is eligible for the diversity visa lottery and wins, you get your green card also (assuming the application wasn’t screwed up, you were listed etc).

Not only that, but you can apply due to her eligibility.

Where was your wife born/what gives her eligibility to apply?

[COLONEL_SMITH]

The Moose said:

If your spouse is eligible for the diversity visa lottery and wins, you get your green card also (assuming the application wasn’t screwed up, you were listed etc).

Not only that, but you can apply due to her eligibility.

Where was your wife born/what gives her eligibility to apply?

She is Lithuanian, not sure how accurate the data is but only 184 Lithuanians have won a green card through the lottery.

[The Moose]

COLONEL_SMITH said:

The Moose said:

If your spouse is eligible for the diversity visa lottery and wins, you get your green card also (assuming the application wasn’t screwed up, you were listed etc).

Not only that, but you can apply due to her eligibility.

Where was your wife born/what gives her eligibility to apply?

She is Lithuanian, not sure how accurate the data is but only 184 Lithuanians have won a green card through the lottery.

That being the case, you and she are both eligible - if you would like to move here, then it’s a no brainer to enter the lottery. You should both submit an entry. It’s free to enter.

My brother in law won the lottery a few years ago now.

There are a certain number of GCs allocated to (I think it’s) 6 regions of the world. Europe is one, for example.

If you have an alternate route, I would suggest pursuing that as the Diversity Visa chances are very slim, especially in Europe.

[COLONEL_SMITH]

The Moose said:

That being the case, you and she are both eligible - if you would like to move here, then it’s a no brainer to enter the lottery. You should both submit an entry. It’s free to enter.

My brother in law won the lottery a few years ago now.

There are a certain number of GCs allocated to (I think it’s) 6 regions of the world. Europe is one, for example.

If you have an alternate route, I would suggest pursuing that as the Diversity Visa chances are very slim, especially in Europe.

I think the Diversity Visa is our only option. We both work for the same company that does have some offices in the USA but currently they are not doing the type of work we do here over there so our skills are not required.
If you know of any other legal ways please do let me know.
My other option is doing winning the actual lottery and buying the green card. It was half a million dollars last time I looked but not even sure you can do that now.

[Matt Harper]

COLONEL_SMITH said:

My other option is doing winning the actual lottery and buying the green card. It was half a million dollars last time I looked but not even sure you can do that now.

That option (EB5 Investment) is still available - though using the word "investment" may be something of a misnomer, as statistically, you have a less than 25% chance of getting any of that money back. Minimum investment is $500k - but that does buy permanent residence for you and your immediate family.

I know of two couples in the area I live in who have utilized an E2 Treaty Investor visa to set up in business here. One of them bought an existing Subway sandwich franchise (for less than $100k) and another who established a pool-care business with an investment of around $70k. The Subway guys are not doing so well, but the pool people are killing it.

E2 does have some punitive restrictions, but may be an option, depending on how determined you are to make the move...

[croyde]

Always wondered why us citizens from the good 'ol UK can't apply for the Green Card Lottery?

[The Moose]

Yes, you have to assume an EB5 "investment" is gone and any money you get back is a bonus. Some guys who specialize in it will tell you that they have never had a client not get at least their initial stake back...but at the time I was speaking with them, I'm not so sure. Out of interest, where did the < 25% stat come from?

There are a few more options varying in time and complexity depending on your skills etc. You could find someone in the US who employs people to employ you and sponsor you for a green card. You coul

While I think you should apply for the Diversity Visa (as it's a no cost option), know that the the chances of your winning are extremely slim - look at the numbers of entrants vs winners for your region (I presume Europe) and you'll see what I mean! If you find a website that tries to charge you for the entry, know you can do it yourself for free. It is not hard!

[The Moose]

croyde said:

Always wondered why us citizens from the good 'ol UK can't apply for the Green Card Lottery?

The Diversity Visa is only open to people born in countries that send less that 50,000 (IIRC) to the US in the previous year.

[Matt Harper]

The Moose said:

Out of interest, where did the < 25% stat come from?

I think I read it in a US Securities and Exchange Commission document about investor bulletins and alerts. It was a while ago...

[The Moose]

Matt Harper said:

The Moose said:

Out of interest, where did the < 25% stat come from?

I think I read it in a US Securities and Exchange Commission document about investor bulletins and alerts. It was a while ago...

Interesting. I remember a lot of the investment "opportunities" looked horrendous, however some were clearly better than others. I guess the reality is that most people who do it are buying a Green Card for their entire family for $500,000 + fees (which were not insignificant either!) and just write the cost off.