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The AFU and Urban Legend Archive Legal green card for free
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The AFU and Urban Legend Archive Legal green card for free
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From: svhwan@cco.caltech.edu (Steve Hwan)
Newsgroups: news.admin.misc,alt.visa.us
Subject: Re: Boycott Laurence Canter AKA Green Card Lawyer (long 5k)
Date: 14 Jun 1994 22:15:43 GMT
In article <vera2CrB72B.Jqo@netcom.com>, David Adams <vera2@netcom.com> wrote:
>I also propose in so far as it is legal the following
>general guidlines for this boycott:
>
>1. Any post by Laurence Canter be followed by a notice of the proposed
> boycott.
>
>2. That periodic postings of at least twice a month be made to the
> appropriate immigration related newsgroups reminding
> readers of those groups that a boycott is ongoing against
> Laurence Canter and his firm(s).
No comments either way about a boycott(this time). However, if you were to post something twice/month to alt.us.visas or other appropriate immigration groups, I would suggest posting the instructions on how to apply for a Green Card *FOR FREE* as issued by the US Department of State Bureau of Consumer Affairs.
-Steve
PS In case you've lost your copy, said document follows...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
VISA BULLETIN
Number 35, Volume VII Washington, D.C.
REGISTRATION FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF THE DIVERSITY OF IMMIGRANT VISA
DV-1 Immigrant Visa "Lottery" program:
Sections 201(a)(3), 201(e), 203(c) and 204(a)(1)(G) of the immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, taken together establish, effective for Fiscal Year 1995 and thereafter, an annual numerical limitation of 55,000 for diversity of immigrants. Natives of countries determined by the Immigration and Naturalization Service according to a mathematical formula specified by the law will be able to compete for these visas. This program is identified by the visa symbol DV-1 and is informally known as the "visa lottery." The law specifies that there must be a separate registration fore each year's DV-1 visas. This information concerns the application period during 1994 for visas to be issued during the Fiscal Year 1995 (from October 1, 1994 through September 30, 1995).
Qualifying Countries Under the DV-1 Program:
The law apportions DV-1 immigrant visa issuance among six geographic regions
The Immigration and Naturalization Service determines the countries whose natives (as that term is explained in question 1 below) may be entitled to DV-1 visas. According to the law, countries are grouped by region. (See detailed regional lists at the end of this Visa Bulletin.) The allotment of visas per region for Fiscal Year 1995 is shown in parentheses below, followed by summary information on eligible countries. (The eligible counties and regional numbers may change each year depending on variations in immigration rates.):
AFRICA: (20,200) All countries.
ASIA: ( 6,837) All countries _EXCEPT_ the following:
China-mainland born and Taiwan born,
INDIA, PHILIPPINES, VIETNAM, and SOUTH
KOREA. (Hong Kong is eligible.)
EUROPE: (24,549) All countries _EXCEPT_ the following:
GREAT BRITAIN (United Kingdom) and its
dependent territories. (Northern Ireland
is eligible.)
NORTH AMERICA: ( 8) The bahamas is the ONLY eligible country
included in the North America region.
CANADA is _NOT_ eligible.
OCEANA: ( 817) All countries.
SOUTH AMERICA,
CENTRAL AMERICA,
and the
CARIBBEAN: ( 2,589) All countries _EXCEPT_ MEXICO, JAMAICA,
EL SALVADOR and DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.
(End of Page One)
How and When to Apply for DV-1 Status:
The application period for registration for the DV-1 visas to be issued during the fiscal year 1995 (i.e. from October 1994 through September 1995) will _begin_ at 12:01 a.m. (Eastern Time) on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1994, and will _end_ at midnight on THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1994. APPLICATIONS MUST BE TYPED OR CLEARLY PRINTED AND MAILED TO THE ONE OF THE SIX FOLLOWING ADDRESSES, DEPENDING UPON THE REGION OF THE APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY:
ASIA: DV-1 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00210
U.S.A.
SOUTH AMERICA, DV-1 Program
CENTRAL AMERICA, National Visa Center
and CARIBBEAN: Portsmouth, NH 00211
U.S.A.
EUROPE: DV-1 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00212
U.S.A.
AFRICA: DV-1 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00213
U.S.A.
OCEANIA: DV-1 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00214
U.S.A.
NORTH AMERICA: DV-1 Program
(Bahamas only) National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00215
U.S.A.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE THE CORRECT POSTAL ZIP CODE FOR EACH REGION. (A list of qualifying countries within each region appears at the end of the Visa Bulletin.)
EXAMPLE
| <------------ 6" to 10" or 15cm to 25cm -------------> |
/----------------------------------------------------------\ ---
|XXXXXXXXXX |------| | |
|XXXXXXXXXX | | | |
| |______| | 3.5-4.5"
| DV-1 Program | or
| National Visa Center | 9cm-11cm
| Portsmouth, NH 00XXX | |
| U.S.A. | | |
| | | |
|___________________________________|______________________| _V_
|
(If, for instance, the applicant's country is Kenya (in Africa), the postal zip code for Africa would be used, that is 00213.)
(End of Page Two)
ONLY ONE APPLICATION MAY BE SUBMITTED BY OR FOR EACH APPLICANT DURING THIS REGISTRATION PERIOD. (SUBMISSION OF MORE THAN ONE APPLICATION WILL DISQUALIFY THE PERSON FROM REGISTRATION.) Applications for registration will be grouped by region and will be selected strictly in a random order from among all those received during the application period. Every application received will have an equal chance of being selected.
Applications must be sent to the address above by regular mail or air mail only, and may be mailed from within the United States or abroad. The information required on the envelope must be typed or clearly printed. Any form of special handling or acknowledgement of receipt, such as registered mail, express mail, or certified mail will NOT be eligible for the visa lottery. Applications received at the DV-1 Program address will NOT be processed for registration. Only ONE application may be included in each envelope.
SIZE OF ENVELOPE:
The Envelope in which each application is mailed must be BETWEEN 6 and 10 inches (15 cm to 25 cm) in LENGTH, and BETWEEN 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 inches (9 cm to 11 cm) in WIDTH. This is necessary to assist in the automatic processing of the mail.
INFORMATION WHICH MUST BE INCLUDED WITH APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION:
THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE OR SPECIAL FORM. THE REQUEST FOR REGISTRATION IN THE LOTTERY MUST FURNISH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON A PLAIN SHEET OF PAPER. ALL ANSWERS MUST BE TYPED OR CLEARLY PRINTED IN THE ENGLISH ALPHABET. NO SIGNATURE IS REQUIRED ON THE APPLICATION.
Each application must be in the following format:
Last Name, First Name and Middle Name
(Underline Last Name/ Surname/Family Name)
Example: _Public_, George Quincy
B. APPLICANT'S DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH
Date of birth: Day, Month, Year
Example: 15, November 1961
Place of birth: City/Town, District/County/Province,
Country
Example: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
C. NAME, DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH OF APPLICANT'S SPOUSE AND CHILDREN, IF ANY
The spouse and child(ren) of an applicant who is registered
for DV-1 status are automatically entitled to the same status.
To obtain a visa on the basis of this derivative status, a
child must be under 21 years of age and unmarried. NOTE: Do
NOT list parents of the applicant as they are not entitled to
derivative status.
D. APPLICANT'S MAILING ADDRESS
The mailing address must be clear and complete, since it will
be to that address that the notification letter for the
persons who are registered will be sent. A telephone number
is optional.
E. APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY IF DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF BIRTH
See the answer to Question 1 below in this Visa Bulletin
regarding the meaning of "native" for the purposes of the DV-1
Program.
(END PAGE THREE)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT DV-1 REGISTRATION:
Native means BOTH someone born within on of the qualifying countries AND someone entitled to be "charged" to such country under the provisions of Section 202(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Applicants for DV-1 registration may be charged to the country of birth of a spouse; a minor dependent child can be charged to the country of birth of a parent; and an applicant born in a country of which neither parent was a native or a resident at the time of his/her birth may be charged to the country of birth of either parent. An applicant who claims the benefit of alternate chargeability must include a statement to the effect on the application for registration, and must show the country of chargeability on the upper left hand corner of the envelope in which the registration is mailed.
2. MAY PERSONS WHO ARE IN THE U.S. APPLY FOR REGISTRATION?
Yes, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in another country, and the application may be mailed in the U.S. or abroad.
3. IS EACH APPLICANT LIMITED TO ONLY ONE APPLICATION DURING THIS
DV-1 REGISTRATION PERIOD?
Yes, the law allows only ONE application BY OR FOR each person during this DV-1 registration period; SUBMISSION OF MORE THAN ONE APPLICATION WILL DISQUALIFY THE PERSON FROM REGISTRATION. NOTE: More than 400,000 applications were DISQUALIFIED during the 1993 and 1994 visa lotteries due to multiple applications. Applicants may be disqualified at time of registration or at the time of the visa interview if more than one entry is detected.
4. MAY A HUSBAND AND A WIFE EACH SUBMIT A SEPARATE APPLICATION?
Yes, if otherwise qualified, a husband and wife may each submit one application for registration; if either is registered, the other would be entitled to derivative status.
5. MUST EACH APPLICANT SUBMIT HIS / HER OWN REQUEST, OR MAY
SOMEONE ACT ON BEHALF OF AN APPLICANT?
Applicants may prepare and submit their own request for registration, or have someone act on their behalf. Regardless of whether an application is submitted by the applicant directly, or is assisted by an attorney, friend, relative etc., ONLY ONE APPLICATION MAY BE SUBMITTED IN THE NAME OF EACH PERSON. Only one notification letter will be sent for each case registered, to the address provided on the application.
6. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATION OR WORK EXPERIENCE?
The law and regulations require that every applicant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or, within the past five years, have two years of work experience. A "high school education or equivalent" is defined as successful completion of a twelve-year course of elementary and secondary education comparable to that of a high school degree in the United States. Qualifying work experience shall be based upon the most recent edition of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles published by the Employment and Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor.
Documentary proof of education or work experiences should NOT be submitted with the application, but must be presented to the consular officer at the time of the formal immigrant visa application.
(End Page Four)
7. HOW WILL CASES BE REGISTERED?
At the National Visa Center all mail received will be separated into one of the six geographic regions and individually numbered. After the end of the application period, a computer will randomly select cases from among all the mail received for each geographic region. Within each region, the first letter randomly selected will be the first case registered, the second letter selected the second registration, etc. It makes no difference whether an application is received early or late in the application period; all applications received during the mail-in period will have an equal chance of being selected within each region. When a case has been registered, the applicant will immediately be sent a notification letter, which will provide appropriate visa application instructions. The National Visa Center will continue to process the case until those who are registered are instructed to make formal application at a U.S. consular office or until those able to do so apply at an INS office in the United States for change of status. The National Visa Center will provide additional instructions on the steps to take to pursue the applications for DV-1 visas.
8. MAY APPLICANTS ADJUST THEIR STATUS WITH THE INS?
Yes, provided that they are otherwise eligible to adjust status, registered applicants who are physically present in the United States may apply to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for adjustment of status to permanent resident. Applicants who adjust, however, must first mail completed forms of OF-230, Part I, and DSP-122 to the National Visa Center. (These forms will be included with the registration notification letter.) Applicants must ensure that INS can COMPLETE ACTION on their cases before September 30, 1995 since on that date registrations for the Fiscal Year 1995 DV-1 program terminate.
9. WILL APPLICATIONS WHO ARE NOT REGISTERED BE INFORMED?
No, applicants who are not registered will receive no response to their registration request. Only those who are registered will be informed. All notification letters are expected to be sent within about three months of the end of the application period. Anyone who does NOT receive a letter will know that his/her application has not been registered.
10. HOW MANY APPLICANTS WILL BE REGISTERED?
A total of about 90,000 persons, both principal applicants and their spouses and children, will be registered. Since it is likely that some of the first 55,000 persons who are registered will not peruse their cases to visa issuance, this larger figure should ensure use of all DV-1 numbers, but it also risks some registrants' being left out. All applicants who are registered will be informed promptly of their place on the list. Each month visas will be issued according to registration lottery rank order, to those applicants who are ready for visa issuance during that month. Once all of the Fiscal Year 1995 visas have been issued, the program for the year will end. Registered applicants who wish to receive visas must be prepared to ACT PROMPTLY on their cases.
11. IS THERE A MINIMUM AGE FOR APPLICANTS FOR REGISTRATION UNDER
THE DV-1 PROGRAM?
There is NO minimum age for submission of an application for registration, but the requirement of a high school education or work experience for each principal applicant a the time of visa issuance will effectively disqualify most persons who are under age 18.
12. WILL THERE BE ANY SPECIAL FEE FOR REGISTRATION IN THE DV-1
CATEGORY?
There is NO FEE FOR SUBMITTING A REQUEST FOR REGISTRATION, and NO FEE should be included with the letter sent to the mailing addresses indicated above. (DV-1 applicants, like other immigrant visa applicants, must pay the regular visa fees at the time of visa issuance.)
(End of Page Five)
13. ARE DV-1 APPLICANTS SPECIALLY ENTITLED TO APPLY FOR A WAIVER
OF ANY OF THE GROUNDS OF VISA INELIGIBILITY?
No. Applicants are subject to all the grounds of ineligibility specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act and there is no special provision for the waiver of any grounds of visa ineligibility other that those ordinarily provided in the Act.
14. MAY APPLICANTS WHO ARE ALREADY REGISTERED FOR AN IMMIGRANT
VISA IN ANOTHER CATEGORY APPLY IN THIS REGISTRATION FOR THE
DV-1 CATEGORY?
Yes, such persons may seek DV-1 status through this registration as well.
15. HOW LONG DO APPLICANTS WHO ARE REGISTERED ON THE BASIS OF THIS
APPLICATION PERIOD REMAIN ENTITLED TO APPLY FOR VISAS IN THE
DV-1 CATEGORY?
Under the law, persons registered following this DV-1 application period are entitled to apply for visa issuance ONLY DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 1995, i.e., from October 1994 through September 1995. There is no carry-over of benefit into another year for persons who are registered but who do not obtain visas during FY-1995.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO ADVANTAGE TO MAILING EARLY, OR MAILING FROM ANY PARTICULAR LOCALE. EVERY APPLICATION RECEIVED DURING THE MAILIN PERIOD WILL HAVE AN EQUAL RANDOM CHANCE OF BEING SELECTED. HOWEVER MORE THAN ONE APPLICATION PER PERSON WILL DISQUALIFY THE PERSON FROM REGISTRATION. ALSO, FAILURE TO INCLUDE THE APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY AND FULL NAME AND ADDRESS ON THE ENVELOPE WILL DISQUALIFY THE APPLICATION.
LISTS OF QUALIFYING COUNTRIES BY REGION
The lists below show the countries QUALIFIED within each geographic region for this year's Diversity Program. The determination of countries within each region is based on information provided by the Geographer of the Department of State The countries which do not qualify for this year's program were identified by the Immigration and Naturalization Service according to the formula in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. DEPENDENT AREAS OVERSEAS ARE NOT INCLUDED WITHIN THE REGION OF THE GOVERNING COUNTRY. Any countries which do NOT qualify for this year's program are noted in parentheses after the respective regional list.
AFRICA:
ALGERIA, ANGOLA, BENIN, BOTSWANA, BURKINA, BURUNDI, CAMEROON, CAPE VERDE, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CHAD, COMOROS, CONGO, COTE D'IVOIRE (IVORY COAST), DJIBOUTI, EGYPT, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, ERITREA, ETHIOPIA, GAMBOON,GAMBIA, GHANA, GUINEA, GUINEA-BISSAU, KENYA, LESOTHO, LIBERIA, LIBYA, BADAGASCAR, MALAWAI, MALI, MAURITANIA, MAURITIUS, MOROCCO, MOZAMBIQUE, NAMIBIA, NIGER, NIGERIA, RWANDA, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE, SENEGAL, SEYCHELLES, SIERRA LEONE, SOMALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SUDAN, SWAZILAND, TANZANIA, TOGO, UNISIA, UGANDA, ZAMBIA, ZIMBABWE
ASIA:
AFGHANISTAN, BAHRAIN, BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, BRUNEI, BURMA, CAMBODIA, HONG KONG, INDONESIA, IRAN, IRAQ, ISRAEL, JAPAN, JORDON, NORTH KOREA, KUWAIT, LAOS, LEBANON, MALAYSIA, MALDIVES, MONGOLIA, NEPAL, OMAN, PAKISTAN, QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, SINGAPORE, SRI LANKA, SYRIA, THAILAND, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, YEMEN.
EUROPE:
ALBANIA, ANDORA, ARMENIA, AUSTRIA, AZERBAIJAN, BELARUS,
BELGIUM, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, BULGARIA, CROATIA, CYPRUS,
CZECH REPUBLIC, DENMARK (including components and dependent
areas overseas), ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE (including
components and dependent areas overseas), GEORGIA, GERMANY,
GREECE, HUNGARY, ICELAND, IRELAND, ITALY, KAZAKHSTAN, LATVIA,
LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG, MACEDONIA (THE FORMER
YOGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF) MALTA, MOLDOVA, MONACO, MONTENEGRO,
NETHERLANDS (including components and dependent areas
overseas), NORTHERN IRELAND, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL
(including components and dependent areas overseas), ROMANIA,
RUSSIA, SAN MARINO, SERBIA, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, SPAIN, SWEDEN,
SWITZERLAND, TAJIKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN, UKRAIN, UZBEKISTAN,
VATICAN CITY.
(Europe country NOT qualified for this years Diversity
Program:
UNITED KINGDOM (GREAT BRITAIN), including the following
dependent areas: ANGUILLA, BERMUDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS,
CAYMAN ISLANDS, FALKLAND ISLANDS, GIBRALTER, MONTSERRAT,
PITCAIRN, ST. HELENA, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. Note that for
purposes of the Diversity Program only, Northern Ireland is
treated seperately; Northern Ireland DOES QUALIFY and is
listed among the qualifying countries.
HONG KONG is a sparate immigrant visa chargability area and
DOES QUALIFY; Hong Kong is included on the regional list for
Asia.)
NORTH AMERICA:
BAHAMAS
OCEANIA:
AUSTRAILIA (including components and dependent areas
overseas), FIJI, KIRIBATI, MARSHALL ISLANDS, MICRONESIA --
FEDERATED STATES OF, NAURU, NEW ZEALAND (including components
and dependent areas overseas), PALAU (TRUST TERRITORY OF THE
PACIFIC ISLANDS), PAPAU NEW GUINEA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, TONGA,
TUVALU, VANUATU, WESTERN SAMOA
SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN:
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, ARGENTINA, BARBADOS, BELIZE, BOLIVIA,
BRAZIL, CHILE, COLUMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, DOMINICA, ECUADOR,
GRENADA, GUATEMALA, GUYANA, HAITI, HONDURAS, NICARAGUA,
PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PERU, SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS, SAINT LUCIA,
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES, SURINAME, TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO, URUGUAY, VENEZUELA
VISA BULLETIN SUBSCRIPTION AND CHANGE OF ADDRESS INFORMATION: Additions or changes to the mailing list should be sent to: Visa Bulletin, Visa Office, Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20522- 0113. Only addresses within the U.S. postal system may be placed on the mailing list. Please include a recent mailing label when reporting changes or corrections of address; the Postal Service does NOT automatically notify the Visa Office of address changes.
Department of State Publication 9514
CA/VO: March 30, 1994
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