[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 223 (Monday, November 18, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58730-58731]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-29403]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 2474]


Bureau of Consular Affairs; Registration for the Diversity 
Immigrant (DV-98) Visa Program

ACTION: Notice of registration period and requirements for the fourth 
year of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.

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    This public notice provides information on the procedures for 
obtaining an opportunity to apply for one of the 55,000 immigrant visas 
to be made available in the DV category during Fiscal Year 1998. This 
notice is issued pursuant to 22 CFR 42.33, which implements sections 
201(a)(3), 201(e), 203(c) and 204(a)(1)(G) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151(a)(3), 1153(c), and 1154(a)(1)(G). 
Readers should note that the Department published amendments to its 
regulations at 22 CFR 42.33 in the Federal Register on January 22, 
1996. [61 FR 1523.]

Information on the Entry Procedures for the 55,000 Immigrant Visas To 
Be Made Available in the DV Category During Fiscal Year 1998

    Sections 201(a)(3), 201(e), 203(c) and 204(a)(1)(G) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act, taken together established, effective 
for Fiscal Year 1995 and thereafter, an annual numerical limitation of 
55,000 diversity immigrant visas to be made available to persons from 
countries that have had low rates of immigration to the United States. 
The DV-98 registration mail-in period will last 30 days and will be 
held from noon on February 3, 1997 through noon on March 5, 1997. This 
will give those eligible, both in the United States and overseas, ample 
time to mail in an entry.

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 had lower 
immigration rates as determined pursuant to INA 203(c). There is, 
however, a limit of seven percent (or 3,850) on the use of visas by 
natives of any one foreign state. The regions, along with their Fiscal 
Year 1998 allotments are:
    Africa: (21,179) Includes all countries on the continent of Africa 
and adjacent islands.
    Asia: (7,280) Includes all countries except China, both mainland 
and Taiwan born, India, Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam; (Hong 
Kong is eligible).
    Europe: (23,213) Includes all countries except Great Britain 
(United Kingdom) and its dependent territories and Poland; (Northern 
Ireland is eligible).
    North America: (8) The Bahamas is the only eligible country this 
year; (Canada is not eligible for this year's lottery.)
    Oceania: (844) Includes Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, 
and all countries and islands in the South Pacific.
    South America, Central America, and the Caribbean: (2,476) Includes 
all countries except Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, 
Jamaica, and Mexico.

Who Is Eligible?

    ``High admission'' countries are 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 
fiscal years for which data is available in the immediate relative, or 
family or employment preference categories. See INA 203(c)(1)(A). Each 
year the Immigration and Naturalization Services adds the family and 
employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five fiscal 
years to identify the countries that must be excluded from the annual 
diversity lottery. For 1998, ``high admission'' and therefore 
ineligible countries are: China (mainland and Taiwan), India, The 
Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Poland, United Kingdom and dependent 
territories (except see below), Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, El Salvador, 
Colombia, and The Dominican Republic.
    Natives of Hong Kong and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for 
this year's lottery.

What Are the Requirements?

    In addition to being born in a qualifying country, applicants must 
either (1) have a high school education or its equivalent or (2) within 
the past five years, have two years of work experience in an occupation 
that requires at least two years of training or experience. See INA 
203(c)(2).
    There is no fee or special petition form that must be completed to 
enter. The entry must be typed or clearly printed in the English 
alphabet on a sheet of plain paper and must include the following:
1. Applicant's Full Name
Last Name (Surname/Family Name), First Name and Middle Name

(Underline Last Name/Surname/Family Name)

Example: Public, George Quincy
2. 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
    Please use the current name of the country (e.g. Kazakstan, Russia, 
Croatia, Slovakia, Eritrea, etc.), if different from the name in use at 
the time of birth.
3. Name, Date and Place of Birth of Applicant's Spouse and Minor 
Children, if Any
    The spouse and child(ren) of an applicant who is registered for DV-
98 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 as they are not entitled to derivative 
status.
4. Applicant's Mailing Address, and Phone Number, if Possible
    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.
5. Applicant's Native Country if Different From Country of Birth
6. A Recent 1\1/2\ Inch by 1\1/2\ Inch Photograph of the Principal 
Applicant
    The applicant's name must be 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.)
7. Principal Applicant's Signature Is Required on the Entry
    The applicant must 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.)


[[Page 58731]]


    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 regular 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. Duplicate or multiple entries will disqualify 
individuals from registration for this program. See INA 
204(a)(1)(6)(i). 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 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. Selected entries will be 
registered and then notified as specified below.

Where Should Entries Be Sent?

    Note Carefully the Importance of Using the Correct Postal ZIP Code 
for Each Region.

Asia: DV-98 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00210, USA
South America, Central America, and the Caribbean: DV-98 Program, 
National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00211, USA
Europe: DV-98 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00212, USA
Africa: DV-98 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00213, USA
Oceania: DV-98 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00214, USA
North America: DV-97 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 
00215, USA

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 these 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 that an entry will win. Any service that 
claims it can improve an applicant's odds is 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 or 1-202-835-0159. The U.S. 
Department of State has no authority to investigate complaints against 
businesses in the United States.

How Will Winners Be Notified?

    Only successful entrants will be notified. They will be notified by 
mail at the address listed on their entry during the summer of 1997. 
Winners will also be sent instructions on how to apply for an immigrant 
visa, including information on a new requirement for a special DV case 
processing fee. Successful entrants must complete the immigrant visa 
application process and 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 even if the applicant is qualified, 
because the number of entries selected and registered is greater than 
the number of immigrant visas available. Those selected will, 
therefore, need to complete and file their immigrant visa applications 
quickly. Once all 55,000 visas have been issued, the DV Program for 
Fiscal Year 1998 will end.

Where To Obtain Instructions on Entering the DV Lottery?

    The above Information on entering the DV-98 program is also 
available 24 hours a day to persons within the United States 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 DV Lottery and will be requested to provide 
their name and address so that printed instructions can be mailed to 
them. Applicants overseas may continue to contact the nearest U.S. 
embassy or consulate for instructions on the DV Lottery.

    Dated: November 12, 1996.
Mary A. Ryan,
Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs.
[FR Doc. 96-29403 Filed 11-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-06-P