In the early 1950s, such a permit was transformed into a separate visa form, which was not placed in the foreigner's passport, but was issued as a separate card of green color, which is where the name green card actually came from. Currently, the green card is not green at all, but white, and an application for it can be submitted exclusively via the Internet and only on websites authorized by the State Department.
It is issued only to persons born in certain countries - usually those from which the flow of immigrants to the United States has recently been low (which is why Russia is not present on the State Department's list). An applicant who fills out a simple form on the website receives a number that is entered into a computer database. The computer, using a random selection method, selects the numbers of 50,000 applicants who will receive this card. After such a procedure, the program closes until the next year.
It is precisely the chaotic selection that congressmen complain about, who rightly argue that probability theory could give a green card to a terrorist. Meanwhile, the Green Card lottery has always been a symbol of the United States as a country of immigrants. It provided equal opportunities for study, work and residence both to citizens and to lottery winners, who have the right to bring their family to the United States. The fundamental difference is only that the card holder does not have the right to vote and must always carry an identity document.
The possible abolition of the Green Card lottery is one of the links in the tightening of control over foreigners entering the United States, which is being carried out by Congress and the government. Thus, recently the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revised the list of countries whose citizens have the right to enter the United States without a visa (for no more than 90 days). Now only Canadians have this right unconditionally, while other countries undergo certification annually.
As of today, in addition to Canadians, citizens of 25 countries can enter the United States without a visa: Andorra, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Austria, France, Belgium, Germany, Brunei, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (including the Bermuda Islands). As for Italy and Portugal, which were also listed, their candidacies are still being considered.