Reply #28: Is there a way to come over here?

[SergeyDovlatov]

* student visa (must go back home unless you find work and switch to H1-B)
* marriage
* exceptional abilities (artist / sports / science)
* family unification (US citizens sponsoring their parents, siblings, children for US citizenship)
* coming on visitor visa (going illegal after 6 month waiting for amnesty)
* coming on visitor visa and filing for political asylum
* visa lottery (DIV) (about 50,000 every year)
* H-1B (must have employer sponsorship, limited to 65,000 a year)

In other words, a person that does not have relatives in the US, not getting married to US citizen, and not a famous artist / scientist / sportsman, the only legal way for him to come to US with the hope to become a US citizen is either through DIV visa lottery or H-1B via lottery.

Chances to win DIV are very small about 1 in 200.
Chances of getting H-1B sponsorship are slim too, but better if you have a good resume and job searching skills and even then you are competing for limited number of visas.