Green Card Lottery
The Green Card Lottery is a lottery where the prize is a coveted “green card” visa which gives the holder the right to live and work in the United States of America. But in my opinion, all lotteries give players the chance to live and work abroad, because in many cases the only thing stopping us from setting up home in another country is money.
The fact is that it’s usually a lot easier to get an immigration application approved if you have a big fat bank account than it is if you don’t. Consider the USA, for example. It is notoriously difficult to get a permanent visa to live in that country (which is why the Green Card Lottery came to be in the first place) but if you have a few million in the bank things get a lot easier. You can consider setting up a business in the states, or investing in an existing one, and apply for a business or investment visa.
For many other countries, the simple fact that you are wealthy – and will therefore be contributing to the local economy rather than draining its resources – will be enough to get a visa application approved as long as you have no criminal record. In other words, and despite the fact that no official body would ever say so out loud, it is often possible to “buy” your way into a desired country for residential and/or business purposes.
The Green Card Lottery itself is not open to citizens of all countries, so for those who have no chance of winning a green card, an alternative worth considering is playing a regular lottery game. Although buying regular lottery tickets will cost you a little cash, and the odds of you winning a jackpot are – when all is said and done – extremely tiny, if you do win then the world could well be your oyster.
If emigrating is not something you are interested in, don’t forget that having a heavy bank account would also enable you to travel for recreational purposes. Cruises, expeditions and extended vacations could all give you something to look forward to each year, but are not things that demand you give up your current home location.
Should you want to live in the USA and you are able to enter the Green Card Lottery, it makes sense to do so. But if you want to live in any other country, or simply explore the world without ever having to worry about cash, regular lotteries offer the potential of an altogether different – but equally valuable – kind of green.
Article Last Updated: 26/06/2008 11:15:31
