While living "the American dream" is promised to no resident of the United States of America, and each person's definition of success may vary wildly in response to their needs and desires, there are certain re-occurring elements that apply to the prototypical visual imagery. In their wildest fantasies, people, through some form of entrepreneurial spirit or good luck, are able to obtain vast sums of money and live a cushy life in a palatial estate.
One manner in which someone could theoretically garner the resources to live in the fabled house of their dreams is through random lottery drawings that are held nightly in state-run lottery programs. For that soul who defies the odds and has all their numbers align exactly, the jackpot is, at its most basic, a ticket to a better life in America.
Though the Diversity Visa lottery chooses more than one "jackpot" winner – 50,000 of them, to be exact – and the qualifications for entry are decidedly more involved than a dollar a ticket, the method in which this brand of visa help becomes available is based on the same principle. Winners are chosen using a random selection process from a pool of people who successfully complete the online visa application; there is no longer a print form of the application available for entry.
Regarding the requirements, there are standards besides accurate completion on the online visa application which could disqualify a good chunk of applicants. For one, only certain classes of laborers are eligible to participate in this bid for visa help. We will not go into the types here, but suffice to say the U.S. Department of State does go into details about who it will let in in this regard.
In addition, online visa applicants from countries with high degrees of immigration to the U.S. might also be rendered ineligible to compete for a slot in the lottery; based on rates of immigration related to the contest, the identities of these countries tends to be in flux. In this regard, visa help is analogous to financial aid, as people who might not have all the resources for higher education in their own country would be better equipped for a better opportunity through the lottery.
Speaking of financial aid and cost cutting, one way the Diversity Visa is definite visa help to those in need of it is that it is free for all applicants to apply. Imaginably, there are costs saved and efficiency is improved by the recent advent of an online visa application. Of course, fees may still apply later when it comes to the physical creation of the visa, but it is somewhat reassuring for applicants that there is no initial fee to overcome in trying their luck at an opportunity that might really change their lives.
Also, another way in which the lottery can be considered a form of visa help is through the quickened pace at which the selection process occurs. While granted the random selection aspect does expedite the process, once more, the ease of transmission of the online visa application is paramount. Whereas some green cards take years to secure, a lottery winner may have conditional permanent residence in less than a year.
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