New green card lottery rule has created problems for participants

In 2019, the USA introduced a new rule for submitting documents for participation in the green card lottery. Each applicant must indicate the number, series and validity of their passport. Such an innovation has perplexed many residents of the countries of the former USSR, since the cost of a document is often not affordable for the middle class. Writes about this Radio Ozodi.

Фото: Depositphotos

The innovation to participate in the annual American Green Card lottery puzzled many Tajiks. The US Embassy in Dushanbe reported that since 2019 of the year applicants must indicate their passport number and its validity in the application form.

To obtain a passport, you need to pay about 1 thousand somoni ($ 103), and you will have to wait two weeks for the document. Most residents wishing to participate in the lottery admitted that the innovation was a surprise to them and some obstacle to participation in the Green Card.

In Russia, the cost of a biometric passport issued for 10 years is 5000 rubles ($ 78), the production time for such a passport can take from 30 to 90 days. Therefore, if a person who wants to participate in the lottery did not know about the innovation and does not have a passport, then he has no chance to submit an application, since they will not have time to make a document before the deadline for accepting applications for participation.

On the subject: Green Card Lottery: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

In Ukraine, the cost of a biometric passport issued for 10 years will depend on the production time - if the applicant is not in a hurry and has time to wait, then the passport will be ready within 20 working days (with weekends - about a month), it will cost 682 UAH (about $28), for production up to 3-7 working days you will have to pay 1034 UAH. ($42). Such production times are very beneficial for those wishing to participate in the green card draw, since even if you do not know the new rule, you can have time to produce the necessary document and submit your application on time.

Belarus has a single-passport system - an internal passport of a citizen of Belarus allows you to travel abroad. The document is not biometric. The start of issuing biometric and individual international passports, that is, the transition to a two-passport system in the country, is planned for January 2020 (the preliminary cost of an international passport is set at $80, and the production time is 1 calendar month).

In 2019, a student from Tajikistan, Subkhon Bekov, wanted to try his luck and try to get a residence permit in the United States, but one of the companies that helps fill out forms for those wishing to go to America asked him to provide his passport number. “I don’t have the money to urgently get a foreign passport. Therefore, this condition is impossible for me now,” he said.

Firms providing paid services for filling out questionnaires admitted that this year the number of applicants has significantly decreased and there is no such excitement as in the past.

On the subject: How to apply for US citizenship and a green card online

Saidshoh Burizoda, an employee of one of these firms, said that in previous years they filled out up to 70 questionnaires daily. “This year the number of applications is relatively less. Previously, people came to the capital even from remote areas to fill out a form. Probably, many Tajik citizens do not have foreign passports,” the interlocutor believes.

Other interlocutors believe that today many Tajiks have learned to fill out questionnaires on their own, and relatives and relatives who live abroad help them in this.

The United States annually holds a lottery to ensure national diversity, playing about 50 thousand green cards for those who want to live and work in America. Most Tajik applicants are young people, although those who have already moved to the United States admit that living in a dream country is not so easy.

Dushanbe resident Said has been participating in the green card lottery for several years in a row, but to no avail. “But I haven’t given up hope and will try my luck this year too. If luck smiles on me, I’ll go, but if not, I’ll persistently try next year. Living and studying in the USA is my dream,” he says.

Every year, about 700 Tajiks become lucky winners of the green card lottery. According to the Rethinkinstitute in Washington, which assessed data up to 2015, there are 6 Tajik immigrants living in the United States.

On the subject: Another obstacle: who and why cannot get a green card according to the new rules

According to official estimates, over the past five years, about 3 thousand Tajiks have entered the United States through a green card. Hundreds of other Tajik citizens went to this country on various educational programs or job offers.

Experts say that the main reason for the outflow of some Tajiks rests on the social factor, citizens go abroad in search of a better life. However, authorities reject the brain drain process and talk about seasonal migration.

Recall that the 2020 green card lottery started on October 2, and applications will be accepted until November 5. Read all you need to know about participation here.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Scientists: immigration can adversely affect the health of several generations

'The legal ban on immigration': how one Trump decree will greatly reduce legal immigration

16 Green Card Lottery Myths

US will not give visas to immigrants who are not able to pay for medical care

How the US Department of State checks applications and photos of participants of the Green Card Lottery

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.