If you’ve been hoping to be granted American citizenship for a while now, then you’ve probably heard of the Green Card Lottery. In case you don’t know what that is, the Green Card Lottery falls under the Diversity Visa Program, and it gives around fifty thousand people a year the chance at permanent US citizenship. Generally, the ones that are entered in the lottery come from countries with low US immigration rates. Here’s what you need to know if you are planning to enter the green card lottery.

Find out if you’re eligible

Naturally, if your country has high US immigration rates, you most likely won’t qualify for the Green Card Lottery. However, the situation can be a bit more nuanced than that. Therefore, you need to closely assess the rules that regulate the process. For example, even if you weren’t born in an eligible country, maybe your spouse or a parent was. This will also qualify you for the lottery. But the rules can get more complicated than that, and you might require a bit of assistance with it. Go here for further information and help about ESTA Authorization.

Be aware that scams exist

Unfortunately, there are many malicious people that try to profit from some people’s biggest hope at fulfilling their American dream. For example, beware of e-mails asking you for money in order to enter the lottery. The Department of State would never send out such e-mails. On top of that, applying for the Green Card Lottery is free of any charge. On top of that, never leave the filling out of the application up to a random consultant, because most consultants on the matter are con artists. Be careful with every step in the process, and don’t fall prey to cheap scams.

Gather all the information you need

You need to have all your personal information ready and on hand before you apply for the Green Card Lottery. The form needs to be completed in a maximum of 60 minutes, or else the page refreshes and you have to start over. What is more, you cannot download it on your personal devices for later completion. Therefore, all of these need to be pulled out right in front of you so you have easy access:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• City of birth
• Gender
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• Highest education level you graduated from up to date
• Current marital status, complete with information on your spouse if you have one (name, date of birth, gender, city and country of birth)
• Information on children, again if you have any that are living, unmarried and under 21 years old