I have been hearing for years now all sorts of strange rumors about why the DV lottery exists. Why does America even run the Green Card lottery anyway?

People say it will be cancelled any day now. People say it is a spy program. People say it is some big con to steal money from people overseas. Rubbish, rubbish and rubbish!

So why does the program exist? Well America is a land of immigrants. Around 1 million immigrants are legally accepted into the country each year. Mainly, those immigrants are family based immigrants, people wishing to join their families in the USA. However, that tends to mean immigration comes from a few countries. There is also extensive employment based immigration based on people that can help build America to continue its position in the world economy.

America celebrates diversity. It is a true melting pot. Tolerant and encouraging of various races, religious groups, protecting the rights of minority groups and being anti discrimination based on gender, race, or sexual orientation. Frankly if that doesn’t sound “right” to you, you probably should not come.

So – over 20 years ago, the government introduced a program to promote diversity of immigration. The idea is to exclude countries that already send a lot of immigrants (Nigeria just went through the barrier in DV2015), and open the doors to motivated and capable people from all around the world. The program isn’t perfect and it is after all , a lottery. But it is a program that gives people a chance to come to a country that is so aspirational that they have to control the influx of immigration through a complex set of laws and enforcement.

For some, this is the ONLY way they could come to the USA. If you won a place in the DV lottery, consider yourself very fortunate. Over 15 million people each year dream of getting the opportunity you have in your hands. Don’t waste it!

 

Watch this video to show how one American politician defends the program and stresses how successful DV lottery winners are as a group.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ6r74wciAI

Green Card lottery