Once a year the U.S. government holds a lottery that
includes nearly every country on the globe. The lucky
winners are awarded the illustrious Green Card, which allows
them to live and work freely in the U.S. Every year the U.S.
government issues 55,000 entry visas, of which 11,000 go to
Asians. Israeli citizens are allocated approximately 200
visas (this year it was 199) and the competition over them
is very tough.
Last year 20,000 Israeli citizens submitted applications for
the prized visas. Participation in the lottery is free and
any Israeli citizen can fill out a form and send it in. The
chances of winning are much greater than the chances of
winning the national lottery. The odds are 100 to 1, and
when taking into account that one-fourth of the applications
are disqualified before entering the drawing, the odds
become even better. The drawing will not be held until the
end of the summer, but Israeli interest is greater than
ever. According to expert forecasts, this year there will be
a significant increase in the number of applicants, due to
the current security situation and economic conditions.
There has also been a change in the reasons behind the
requests. In previous years most of the applicants were
discharged soldiers, young people and students who had
decided to try their luck in America. This year the
applicants come from every walk of life, and the range of
ages is greater than ever. Even people with families have
submitted visa applications. All of them voice similar
sentiments: dissatisfaction with the present state of the
nation and a desire to leave Israel for an unspecified
period of time.
The following examples were taken from these applications:
"I have been a reservist for many years and have served my
country in many other ways. I did not believe, and I still
do not believe, in emigration from Israel, but under the
current situation I want to get away for a while."
A resident of Hadera and a father of three writes, "My
children are still small, but I am worried about their
future. I want them to have a secure future. For now I
intend to stay in Israel, but the Green Card would be a sort
of safety certificate for me in the event that I decide to
leave."
A Ramat Gan resident keeps it short and to the point, "I
don't have another country, but I don't have any choice
either."
Only 200 happy winners will be selected in the drawing,
while the rest of the applicants will have to continue
suffering all of the maladies of this Middle Eastern nation
and continue hoping that next year's drawing will be more
gracious to them.
