Over 11 Million played the U.S. Green Card Lottery this year. But the program may be nixed if the US Senate overhauls federal immigration policy.
The number of people who applied for the annual U.S. visa lottery this year, is up 11 percent from last year even as the program appears to be on the verge of ending.
“We must continue our tradition of welcoming people from around the world to the United States,” Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, a Democrat from Brooklyn, told the Journal.
“I will work to expand the program, which has been critical for many people from Africa, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe who would not otherwise have the opportunity to come here.”
Less than 0.5 percent of applicants will receive the opportunity to become permanent residents through the popular program, which has provided green cards to lottery winners since 1990.
But the lottery, which accounts for roughly 5 percent of legal immigration according to the Wall Street Journal, may be eliminated if the US Senate passes an overhaul of immigration policy this year.
On the one hand critics argue that the lottery can be a security risk, and it could provide residency to low-skilled immigrants, and is particularly unfair to foreigners with family connections to the U.S.
On the other hand, its champions say the system is particularly beneficial for communities with fewer connections to the United States.
With the Republicans taking control of the US Senate this year, the prospect of this lottery program continuing after the immigration overhaul is dire.
