[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]
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