Many Kenyans are living in abroad but the majority of them are in the United State Of America courtesy of Winning green card.
The application process for a green card is typically time-consuming and rigorous.
Kenyans who wish to live and work in the United States should follow the guidelines outlined below.
What is the meaning of a green card?
Green Card holders, also known as permanent residents, are individuals who have been granted the right to live and work in the United States indefinitely.
![Sample of US green card](https://www.kenyastatenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screenshot_20220623-2233222-300x191.png)
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues a green card as proof of this status.
The Green Cards got their moniker because they were green from 1946 to 1964.
They were recoloured green in 2010, but the nickname “Green Card” stuck even though the cards were now blue, yellow, and pink.
Permanent residents in the United States aged 18 and up are now required to carry their U.S. Green Card at all times, regardless of their name.
Green cards are only valid for ten years, so winners of the Green Card Lottery must renew them after ten years. Green cards can be renewed online.
Those who obtain their green cards through investment or marriage in the United States must renew their cards every two years.
The Green Card Lottery Process
All entries received at the National Visa Center will be separated into one of six geographic regions and individually numbered.
Following the end of the application period, a computer will select cases at random from all the mail received for each geographic region.
Within each region, the first letter is randomly chosen and will be the first case registered. The second letter randomly chosen will be the second registration, and so on.
When a case is registered, the National Visa Center will immediately send the applicant a notification letter with visa application instructions.
How to Apply for a Green Card via the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery
Each year, the Immigrant Visa Diversity Lottery, also known as the DV Lottery, allots up to 50,000 immigrant visas to be distributed through a lottery system.
![Kenyans in USA](https://www.kenyastatenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screenshot_20220623-2238272-300x157.png)
Nationals of countries with low immigration rates can enter a random lottery to win their immigration visa.
Applicants must register online for free at the US State Department website during the thirty-day open registration period.
You must have an internet connection or go to a cyber cafe, a passport-size photo that meets the program’s photo requirements, your birth certificate or ID, and submit your entry electronically on the Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery website.
Please keep in mind that multiple entries and submitting photos that do not meet the requirements will result in the applicant’s automatic disqualification.
DV-2019 applicants have until September 30, 2019, to check the status of their entry on the US State Department website.
Conditions for Eligibility
1. I come from a nation that is not prohibited from taking part in the Green Card Lottery.
2. Demonstrate that you have a high school diploma or its equivalent in the United States. In other words, you need to have finished at least 12 years of formal primary and secondary education.
3. As an alternative, you can demonstrate that you have at least two years of recent work experience in a relevant field. The definition of a “qualified profession” calls for at least two years of training.
4. There is no upper age limit, but applicants must be older than 16 and demonstrate that they have completed at least 12 years of formal primary and secondary education to be eligible.
What categories are there for green cards?
To apply, one must fall into one of the following categories:
- Family-Based Green Cards
- Investment-Based Green Cards
- Refugee/Asylum
- Employment-Based Green Cards
1. Family Greeting Card
Citizens of the United States over the age of 21 can sponsor their spouses, children, parents, brothers and sisters, and siblings.
2. Green Cards Based on Investment
Foreign nationals can obtain a green card for the United States by investing between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in commercial enterprises in the country.
The investment must benefit the US economy, and the nation must have created at least ten full-time jobs for US citizens.
3. Asylum and Refugees
If you are granted asylum or refugee status in the United States, you may be eligible for a green card.
They can apply for adjustment of status and be granted permanent resident status in the United States.
4. Green Card through Work
Foreign nationals who are offered permanent work by a company in the United States may be able to obtain a Green Card to remain in the country.
An employment-based Green Card for entrance into the United States is more likely to be granted to those with better education and skills.
Can you apply for a green card more than once?
According to the law, each year’s visa lottery requires a separate application.
The fact that someone has previously registered for Visa Lotteries does not affect the next Visa Lottery.
Everyone who wants to participate in the next lottery must fill out a new application.
In addition, each applicant is only permitted to submit one application.
A husband and wife, on the other hand, can each submit one Green Card lottery application.
If you win the lottery, your spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 will also be granted green cards.