The US Department of State is set to send out letters to 3,760 Kenyans notifying them that they have won a chance to migrate to the US after being picked in the Diversity Visa 2024 (Green Card) lottery.
Data released last month by the State Department shows that 22,185,619 individuals submitted entries during the DV-2024 registration period that ran from October 5, 2022, to November 8, 2022.
A total of 143,000 applicants from various countries in the world have been registered and notified to apply for an immigrant visa at the various US embassies. But only 55,000 visas are available for this period despite the number of those notified.
Some who win the lottery fail to eventually get permanent resident visas for various reasons, such as being ineligible based on education requirements, mistakes in their application forms, and suspicion of fraud/deception.
Others who may have met all the requirements fail to receive permanent residency simply because the 55,000 quota has been met.
Also read: Hundreds of Green Card Kenya winners blocked from US
Kenyans who won the lottery will be required to complete an application for permanent residency, undergo a mandatory interview at the US consulate, and be granted permanent residency by September 30, 2024.
Kenya has one of the highest number of winners in the world.
For an applicant to be issued with an immigrant visa, they must have a high school education or the equivalent or have proof of having worked for two years in an occupation that needs two years’ training or experience in the last five years.
The green card, also called a permanent resident card, is an identification document affirming a foreigner’s residency status in the US.
It is proof that the holder is a lawful permanent resident and has been officially granted immigration benefits, including permission to live and work in the US.
The document shows that the person is a legal permanent resident of the US.
A cardholder is accorded all protection and rights under the US law, has the right to live and work in the US, even though not a US citizen, and pays US taxes.
