American GreenCard-Lottery - A great chance for all Africans

Except for nine excluded countries (none of them African), people of all nations may take part in this lottery. In fact, this lottery is one of the greatest contributors of African immigration to the USA. From 1820 to 1990, more than 50 million people immigrated to the United States. However, only 1.2 % of these immigrants were of African descent. That finally changed with the Immigration Act of 1990. Ever since the GreenCard lottery started in 1996, every year about one third of all winners were of African origin! That means that year after year about 20,000 Africans win their ticket to the USA.

The United States is immensely popular among young Africans. They can expect a relatively good life once they are (legally) in. Unemployment is very bw (below 5%) and, of course, there is a very large African-American population.

The green card lottery opens a door which is hard to ignore. For many it has been a great chance and for some it has been the oncein-a-lifetime opportunity. What could have become of Freddy Kofi Adu back in Ghana if his mother had not won in the Green Card lottery when he was just aged 8? Freddy Adu is now 16, lives in the United States and has just signed a $1 million sponsorship deal with Nike. He is one of the world‘s most talented young soccer players.

While not everyone who wins the GreenCard will become a millionaire, many arc taking a chance and have actually been lucky. Take Elnnabigha Elmaleeh Elias from Sudan for example. The medical student, who came to Germany in 1997 to study at the University of Münster, would like to move to his acquaintances in Texas after his internship year.

Or the attractive young lady from Nigeria, Onyinye EgwuatuEiern. In October 2004, she heard of the services of “The American Drearn“, one of the world‘s leading agencies in GreenCard and US visa matters. She took her chance by sending a letter frorn her hometown of Woji, near the city of Port Harcourt, all the way to Berlin, Germany. In mid-June, she received a letter back. In it, the first phrase already said it all: “Congratulations. you have won!“ “YOU PEOPLE ARE GOOD AND REPUTABLE,“ was her reply to The American Dream.

The next steps for her will be a scheduled immigration interview at the US embassy in Lagos, where she will have to answer a few questions and have her documents checked. After the successful interview, she may take off to America to join her relatives in Athens, Georgia – and her own American Dream may soon corne true...!

Mr. Stephen Akwetey has received a similar letter from Germany – in Ghana. He played the lottery twice – and won in the second year. He is portrayed above with his application picture, the one photo that needed to be included with his second GreenCard application. lt may have just been his lucky picture.

Others arc just now preparing for the new lottery. Applications will still be accepted until December 2005 and people who have unfortunately not won this year arc preparing for the next round. Ms Osamuede Uyi briefly gave an interview at the office of The American Dream in Berlin, while she was filling the lottery forms for the second year in a row. The former teacher from Nigeria has had a hard life in Germany, raising a child as a single mother while depending on social welfare. “Once 1 am in America“ she assures, “1 will be ahle to work again in my own profession. Over there, 1 will be ahle to teach the kids in English. In Germany it is just too hard to cope with the language barriers.“ While being optimistic, she is also realistic: “1 know that only 1 out of 20 people can actually win. But that is still a good chanc&“ Felix Dappah

INFORMATION

Further information and application forms for the new bottery can be found on the Internet at www.americandream.de

Application forms may also be requested by telephone on
030 - 511 05 11(0049-30-5110511 from outside Germany) or by mau from:

THE AMERICAN DREAM
Mehringdamm 62
10961 Berlin
Germany