How to apply for a US Green Card in Kenya

The process of applying for a Green Card is a lengthy and rigorous one. Kenyans who wish to go live and work in the United States should follow the following guidelines in order to be successful.

Estimated Cost

Sh9,612 or Sh22,096

Perform Time

Unspecified

Tools needed

Computer or internet enabled phone

Passport and National Identity Card

Steps

To be considered eligible, an applicant must have been born from a qualifying country and have a high school education or its equivalent or five years’ work experience in one of the selected qualifications.

According to the official green card website,

“You must have a minimum of a high school diploma reflecting the completion of a full course of study (vocation schools or equivalency degrees are not acceptable) or be a skilled worker in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to qualify (visit to see if your occupation qualifies) for a Diversity Visa.”

Applicants should register online through the US State department website during the thirty day open registration, for free.

Amount paid for medical expenses and Visa fees is non-refundable. An applicant must ensure that they always cross check the authenticity of any transaction they conduct to avoid incurring heavy expenses.

You will have to pay 77 Euros which is Sh9,612 in Kenya for one Green card lottery or 177 Euros (Sh22,096) for two Green Card lotteries.

How to follow up on the Green Card progress

You first of all need to check your status using a unique confirmation number on the Entrant status Check (ESC) website ww.dvlottery.state.gov.

Selected entrants are encouraged to complete the online DS-260 application immediately to schedule an interview appointment at the appropriate U.S Embassy or Consulate.

The official US diversity visa website travel.state.gov states that, “If you receive notification through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website that you have been selected for further processing in the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, you must successfully complete the steps on the following pages before a consular interview can be scheduled to determine if you will receive a Visa.”

Applicants are instructed to complete the steps as soon as possible.

However, the US travel state website issues a disclaimer saying, “It is important to remember that selection does not guarantee you will receive a visa. In order to receive a DV to immigrate to the United States, selectees must still meet all eligibility requirements under U.S. law.”