How does the lottery work?
You will submit a lottery application by yourself or with chosen roommates. The computer will randomly generate a list of ‘winners’. The first person in a group to enter the lottery will be named “group leader”. Each group leader will represent an entry. If the leader is randomly selected, everyone in the group “wins”.
Entries are submitted to the appropriate government filing offices during a brief window period lasting approximately one month. All entries are individually numbered. Entries that do not meet the requirements, are not prepared correctly, or are not delivered during the one-month window period are discarded and not included in the lottery. The US State Department then selects approximately 100,000 names at random and notifications are mailed to the winners. The first 50,000 people who register and qualify will receive several forms to fill out and will have a brief interview at the nearest US embassy or consulate before receiving their Green Cards. Additional family members listed on winners’ entry forms will also receive Green Cards. Winners residing in the United States may be able to receive their Green Cards without leaving the United States.
Lottery participants are issued a sequentially numbered two part ticket as they pass a single distribution point. The participant retains one part of the ticket and the other part is retained by the person conducting the lottery. Once all of the participants are issued their ticket and placed in single file according to the numbers issued, a single ticket is drawn from the numbers retained by the lottery operator which will designate the first person able to purchase tickets. As an example, if 200 people were to participate in the lottery and the corresponding numbers issued were #1 #200 and #84 was the number drawn, whoever had ticket # 84 would be the first person eligible to purchase tickets. Participants would then be moved to the exterior ticket office windows with the person with holding ticket # 84 becoming the first person able to purchase tickets. Participants would then be lined up in accordance to their respective ticket number (# 84 first, # 85 second, # 86 third, etc. unti
The Ironman lottery is comprised of two parts, U.S. and International. U.S. APPLICANTS There will be 150 lottery slots available to the U.S. applicants. ONLY U.S. CITIZENS WILL BE ENTERED. 100 names will be drawn from the Passport Club. 50 names will be drawn from the U.S applicants and any unselected Passport Club members. Lottery selections will be available on April 15, 2010 at 12:00pm EST on Ironman.com. INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES There are 50 lottery slots available to International applicants. CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT BE ENTERED. 25 names will be drawn from the Passport Club. 25 names will be drawn from the International Applicants and any unselected Passport Club members. Lottery selections will be available on April 15, 2010 at 12:00pm EST on Ironman.com.
