Lived Experiences of Diversity Visa Lottery Immigrants in the United States.

When a certain country or a region within a country cannot meet the economic needs of its people, particularly in terms of employment and income, people may emigrate in search of sustainability. At the same time, if better opportunities for employment and income in other countries or regions exist, then these opportunities attract people looking to increase their individual potential for financial and emotional security (Bookman, 2002). In addition to the need for a better life, other reasons that force people to migrate are wars and political, religious, ethnic and gender persecutions. Natural calamities such as droughts, floods, famines etc. are also causes for migration. All these situations could entail a local, or internal, or an international migration. Added to these causes is the globalization of world markets, the ease of movement facilitated by modern transportation and communication, and the global skills and talents that allow individuals to work gainfully in places than in their own countries (Fussell, 2010, Maharaji, 2010). The U.S. is often considered a place of opportunities: people immigrate to the U.S. both legally and illegally. Ogletree (2000) states that people use four major ways to immigrate to the U.S. legally: (a) by being family-sponsored; (b) through employment; (c) as refugees; and (d) the diversity visa. There are two methods of family-sponsored immigration. First, when parents are living in the U.S. legally, they can invite their unmarried offspring to join them. Second, a daughter or a son living in the U.S. legally can invite their parents to immigrate to the U.S. In employment-based immigration, one secures a job in the U.S. and then immigrates with his/her family or as an individual. Another category of immigration is refugee immigration in which people leave their country of origin due to some hardship. Some of these immigrants seek asylum after entering the country legally for a limited time, which is the case in family-sponsored or employment-based immigrants. Others enter the country by crossing the border clandestinely and then ask for asylum. In addition to family-sponsored, employment-based, and refugee immigration, people can immigrate through a program identified as the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery. Through this program, immigrants enter the country after winning a lottery position. The U.S. Department of State explains the program as: The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available 50,000 DV annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. (U.S. Department of State, 1997) As such, winning the lottery does not bring any money to the recipient; rather, the award serves as a means to enter the U.S. legally as a winner of a visa. Those entering this lottery must fulfill the requirement of high school completion or work experience requiring at least two years training (U.S. Department of State, 1997). Since DV Lottery immigrants leave their home countries legally and voluntarily and wish to enter the U.S. legally, it is logical to assume that the lottery immigrants are lured into the country by the prospects of better opportunities and better chances of economic freedom, leading to a more secure future rather than being pushed through any other form of persecution. No one would wait while being persecuted for a lottery with a very slim chance to win. Thus, the intention to immigrate through the DV Lottery is mainly initiated through other reasons than persecution. The majority of the DV Lottery immigrants are similar to what Bookman (2002) referred to as volunteers who are "motivated by expected economic benefits namely a better job including higher wages, improved working conditions, greater status, more possibility for advancement, increased job satisfaction and so forth" (p. …