The Green Card Lottery is one of the easiest ways to immigrate to the United States. It also can be very flexible for your needs.
Everyone has family and when you move to the United States you may want to have them with you.
Only certain types of family members are allowed to come with you to the U.S. though, and even if you choose not to bring them right away, they must still be listed on your registration application.
Typically, only spouses or dependent children of the principal applicant (you!) are allowed to immigrate to the U.S. on a Green Card Lottery visa.
This isn’t to say that other relatives can’t come to the United States to live with you. Instead it means that you will have to apply to be their sponsor after you have become established as a permanent resident in country.
Dependent Children
It is important to note the definition of a dependent child for the purposes of immigration.
A dependent child is one who is under the age of 21 and unmarried. This child can be your direct descendent or your spouse’s from another marriage. Adopted children can also fall under this category.
Spouses
A recent Supreme Court decision in the United States declared that for the purposes of immigration the definition of marriage has been expanded.
Any marriages that were conducted legally in the jurisdiction in which they took place are considered acceptable for immigration.
That means that all official marriages are recognized, even same-sex marriages.
The children of same-sex marriages will also be treated the same as any other marriage.
This is a significant change to immigration policy in the United States and applies to all aspects of immigration.
Green Card Lottery registrants can now claim a same-sex spouse for a previous lottery or for a future one.