lottery
ludo lamy
ludo.lamy@internetMCI.com
Tue, 04 Aug 1998 23:31:45 -0500
The US Department of State is again having a lottery for permanent
residence visas to be distributed to qualified applicants. The
following information is quite comprehensive and may be useful if
you know someone interested in obtaining a "green card.
This should answer all of your questions on
that subject.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
___________________________________________________________ For
Immediate Release
August 3, 1998
STATEMENT BY JAMES P. RUBIN, SPOKESMAN DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA
PROGRAM (DV-2000)
Section 203(c) of the Immigration Act of 1990 makes available
55,000* permanent (immigrant) resident visas each year by random
selection through a diversity visa lottery (DV-2000). The DV-2000
registration mail-in period will be held from noon on Thursday,
October 1, 1998 through noon on Saturday, October 31, 1998.
How are the visas being apportioned?
The visas will be apportioned among six geographic regions. A
greater number of visas will go to those regions that have lower
immigration rates. There is a limit of 3,500 visas to natives of
any one foreign state.
Information about the visa allotments for each region is
unavailable at the present time.
Who is not eligible?
Persons born in "high admission" countries are, in most instances,
not eligible for the program. "High admission" countries are
defined as those from which the United States has received more
than 50,000 immigrants during the last five years in the immediate
relative, family and employment preference categories. Each year,
the Immigration and Naturalization Service adds the family and
employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five years,
to identify the countries which must be excluded from the annual
diversity lottery. Since there is a separate determination made
prior to each lottery entry period, the list of countries that do
not qualify is subject to change each year.
*The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NCARA) passed by
Congress in November 1997 stipulates that 5,000 of the 55,000
annually allocated diversity visas will be made available for use
under the NCARA program.
For 2000, "high admission" countries are: China (mainland and
Taiwan), India, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Poland,
United Kingdom and dependent territories, Canada, Mexico, Haiti,
Jamaica, El Salvador, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. Persons
born in Hong Kong SAR and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply
for the DV-2000 lottery.
What are the requirements?
An entrant must be a native of a qualifying country. He or she must
also have either a high school education or its equivalent, or
within the past five years have two years of work experience in an
occupation that requires at least two years of training or
experience.
There is no initial application fee or special application form to
enter. The entry must be typed or clearly printed in the English
alphabet on a sheet of plain paper and must include the applicant's
full name; date and place of birth for both the applicant and for
the spouse or any minor children who might also wish to immigrate;
the applicant's mailing address and, if possible, a telephone
number; the applicant's native country if it differs from the
country of birth; a recent (preferably less than 6 months old)
photograph (1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches) of the principal
applicant with the applicant's name printed across the back of the
photograph. (The photograph should be taped to the application with
clear tape, not attached by staples or paper clips which can jam
the mail processing equipment.) The applicant must also sign the
entry using his or her normal signature, regardless of whether the
entry is prepared and submitted by the applicant or someone else.
(Only the principal applicant, not the spouse and children, needs
to submit a signature and photograph.) This information must be
sent by regular mail or air mail to one of six postal addresses in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Applicants must use the correct postal
zip code designated for their native region (see addresses below).
Entries must be mailed in a standard letter or business-size
envelope with the applicant's native country, full name, and
complete mailing address typed or clearly printed in the English
alphabet in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope. Postcards
are not acceptable.
Only one entry for each applicant may be submitted during the
registration period. Entries sent by express or priority mail, fax,
hand, messenger, or any means requiring receipts or special
handling will not be processed. Duplicate or multiple entries will
disqualify individuals from registration for this program. Entries
received before or after the specified registration dates
regardless of when they are postmarked and entries sent to an
address other than one of those indicated below are void. All
qualified mail received during the registration period will be
individually numbered and entries will be selected at random by
computer regardless of time of receipt during the mail-in period.
Where should entries be sent?
The mailing address for all entries is the same, except for the Zip
Code. That address is:
DV-2000 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, N.H. Zip Code (see below) U.S.A.
The Zip Codes are as follows: Asia: 00210; South America/Central
America/Caribbean: 00211; Europe: 00212; Africa: 00213; Oceania:
00214; and North America: 00215.
Why are you holding the registration for the DV lottery in October?
The National Visa Center typically receives between 6 to 7 million
qualified entries during the registration mail-in period. The
massive amount of entries creates an enormous amount of work in
processing and selecting successful registrants. Holding the
registration period in the fall ensures successful registrants are
notified in a timely manner. This gives both them and our Embassies
and Consulates overseas a full fiscal year in which to process the
necessary immigrant visas.
Is it necessary to use an outside attorney or consultant?
The decision to hire an attorney or consultant is entirely up to
the applicant. Procedures for entering the Diversity Lottery can be
completed without assistance following simple instructions.
However, if applicants prefer to use outside assistance, that is
their choice. There are many legitimate attorneys and immigration
consultants assisting applicants for reasonable fees, or in some
cases for free. Unfortunately, there are other persons who are
charging exorbitant rates and making unrealistic claims. The
selection of winners is made at random and no outside service can
improve an applicant's chances of being chosen or guarantee an
entry will win. Any service that claims it can improve an
applicant's odds would be promising something it cannot deliver.
Persons who think they have been cheated by a U.S. company or
consultant in connection with the Diversity Visa Lottery may wish
to contact their local consumer affairs office or the National
Fraud Information Center at 1-800-876-7060 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. (Eastern Time), Monday through Friday or (202) 835-0159;
Internet address: http://www/fraud.org. (These numbers are only to
report fraud and not to obtain information about application
procedures for the DV lottery.) The U.S. Department of State has no
authority to investigate complaints against businesses.
How will winners be notified?
Only successful registrants will be notified by mail at the address
listed on their entry. The notifications will be sent to the
winners between April and July 1999, along with instructions on how
to apply for an immigrant visa, including a requirement for a
special DV $75 case-processing fee payable at the time of interview
by only those individuals whose applications are selected and
processed for DV-2000 visas. Applicants must meet all eligibility
requirements under U.S. law to be issued a visa.
Being selected as a winner in the DV Lottery does not automatically
guarantee being issued a visa because the number of applicants
selected is greater than the number of immigrant visas available.
Those selected will therefore need to act on their immigrant visa
applications quickly. Once the total 50,000 visas have been issued,
the DV Program for fiscal year 2000 will end. In any event, all
DV-2000 visas must, by law, be issued by September 30, 2000.
Where can one receive instructions to enter the lottery? Interested
persons may call 202/331-7199, which describes various means to
access further details on entering the DV-2000 program. Information
is available 24 hours a day in the U.S. by calling the Department
of State's Visa Lottery Information Center at 1-900-884-8840 at a
flat rate of $5.10 per call. Callers will first hear some basic
information about the lottery and then will be requested to provide
their name and address so that printed instructions can be mailed
to them. Applicants overseas may also contact the nearest U.S.
embassy or consulate for instructions on the DV lottery. DV
information is also available on the internet and via the Consular
Affairs autofax number. The CA webpage address is
http://travel.state.gov. The autofax number is (202)647-3000.
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