[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 148 (Monday, August 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41315-41318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20637]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 2864]


Bureau of Consular Affairs; Registration for the Diversity 
Immigrant (DV-2000) Visa Program

ACTION: Notice of registration for the sixth 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 50,000 immigrant visas 
to be made available in the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) category 
during Fiscal Year 2000. (Note: The Nicaraguan and Central American 
Relief Act (NCARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulates that 
beginning with DV-99, and for as long as necessary, 5,000 annually-
allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the 
NCARA Program). This notice is issued pursuant to 22 CFR 42.33(b)(2) 
which implements Sections 201(a)(3), 201(e), 203(c) and 204(a)(1)(G) of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, (8 U.S.C. 1151, 1153, 
and 1154(a)(1)(G)). The Department published regulations related to 
this Notice in the Federal Register on March 31, 1994 (59 FR 15303) and 
on January 22, 1996 (61 FR1523).
    Entry Procedures for the 50,000 Immigrant Visas To Be Made 
Available in the DV Category During Fiscal Year 2000.
    Entries for the DV-2000 mail-in period must be received between 
noon (Eastern time) on Thursday, October 1, 1998 and noon (Eastern 
time) on Saturday, October 31, 1998. Entries received before or after 
these dates will be disqualified regardless of when they are 
postmarked. Entries sent to an incorrect address will also be 
disqualified.

How Visas Are Apportioned

    Visas are apportioned among six geographic regions with a greater 
number of visas going to regions with

[[Page 41316]]

lower rates of immigration, and no visas going to countries sending 
more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years. No one 
country can receive more than 3,500 diversity visas in any one year. 
For DV-2000, natives of the following are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply:

CANADA
CHINA (mainland and Taiwan, except Hong Kong S.A.R.)
COLOMBIA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
EL SALVADOR
HAITI
INDIA
JAMAICA
MEXICO
PHILIPPINES
POLAND
SOUTH KOREA
UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories
VIETNAM

Requirements

    To enter, an applicant must be able to claim nativity in an 
eligible country, AND must meet either the education or training 
requirement of the DV program. Nativity in most cases is determined by 
the applicant's place of birth. However, if a person was born in an 
ineligible country but his/her spouse was born in an eligible country, 
such person can claim the spouse's country of birth rather than his/her 
own. Also, if a person was born in an ineligible country, but neither 
of his/her parents was born there or resided there at the time of the 
birth, such person may be able to claim nativity in one of the parents' 
country of birth. Education or Training: To enter, an applicant MUST 
have EITHER a high school education or its equivalent, defined in the 
U.S. as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and 
secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past 
five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or 
experience to perform. U.S. Department of Labor definitions will apply. 
If a person does not meet these requirements, he/she SHOULD NOT submit 
an entry to the DV program.

Procedures for Submitting an Entry Form

    Only ONE entry form may be submitted by or for each applicant 
during the registration period. Submission of more than one entry will 
disqualify the person. The applicant must personally sign the entry, 
preferably in his/her native alphabet. Failure of the applicant to 
personally sign his/her own entry will result in disqualification.

Completing the Entry Form

    There is no specific format for the entry. Simply use a plain sheet 
of paper and type or clearly print in the English alphabet (preferably 
in the following order): Failure to provide ALL of this information 
will disqualify the applicant.
    FULL NAME, with the last (surname/family) name italicized.
    EXAMPLES: Public, Sara Jane (or) Lopez, Juan Antonio.
    2. DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH:
    Date: Day, Month, Year EXAMPLE: November 15, 1961.
    Place: City/Town, District/County/Province, Country EXAMPLE: 
Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
    The name of the country should be that which is currently in use 
for the place where the applicant was born (Slovenia, rather than 
Yugoslavia; Kazakstan rather than Soviet Union, for example).
    3. THE APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY IF DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF 
BIRTH.
    If the applicant is claiming nativity in a country other than his/
her place of birth, this must be clearly indicated on the entry. This 
information must match with what is put on the upper left corner of the 
entry envelope. (See ``MAILING THE ENTRY'' below.) If an applicant is 
claiming nativity through spouse or parent, please indicate this on the 
entry. (See ``Requirements'' section for more information on this item.
    4. NAME, DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH OF THE APPLICANT'S SPOUSE AND 
CHILDREN (IF ANY).
    5. FULL MAILING ADDRESS.
    This must be clear and complete, as any communications will be sent 
there. A telephone number is optional, but useful.
    6. PHOTOGRAPH. Attach a recent, preferably less than 6 months old, 
photograph of the applicant, 1.5 inches (37 mm) square in size, with 
the applicant's name printed on the back. The photograph (not a 
photocopy) should be attached to the entry with clear tape--DO NOT use 
staples or paperclips, which can jam the mail processing equipment.
    7. SIGNATURE: Failure to personally sign the entry will disqualify 
the applicant.

Mailing the Entry

    Submit the entry by regular or air mail to the address matching the 
region of the applicant's country of nativity. Entries sent by express 
or priority mail, fax, hand, messenger, or any means requiring receipts 
or special handling will not be processed.
    The envelope must between 6 and 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) long and 
3\1/2\ and 4\1/2\ inches (9 to 11 cm) wide. Postcards are NOT 
acceptable, nor are envelopes inside express or oversized mail packets. 
In the upper left hand corner of the envelope the applicant must show 
his/her country of nativity, followed by the applicant's name and full 
return address. The applicant must provide both the country of nativity 
and the country of the address, even if both are the same. Failure to 
provide this information will disqualify the entry. The mailing address 
for all entries is the same EXCEPT for the ZIP (POSTAL) CODE. The 
address is: DV-2000 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth NH (ZIP 
CODE as appropriate. See below.) U.S.A.
    The Zip Codes are:

ASIA--00210
SOUTH AMERICA/CENTRAL AMERICA/CARIBBEAN--00211
EUROPE--00212
AFRICA--00213
OCEANIA--00214
NORTH AMERICA--00215

    For the DV Program, the regions are divided as follows:
    (1) ASIA: ZIP CODE: 00210 (extends from Israel to the northern 
Pacific islands, and includes Indonesia):

AFGHANISTAN
BAHRAIN
BANGLADESH
BHUTAN
BRUNEI
BURMA
CAMBODIA
HONG KONG S.A.R.
INDONESIA
IRAN
IRAQ
ISRAEL
JAPAN
JORDAN
NORTH KOREA
KUWAIT
LAOS
LEBANON
MALAYSIA
MALDIVES
MONGOLIA
NEPAL
OMAN
PAKISTAN
QATAR
SAUDI ARABIA
SINGAPORE
SRI LANKA
SYRIA
THAILAND
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
YEMEN
    In Asia CHINA-mainland born and Taiwan born, INDIA, PHILIPPINES, 
SOUTH KOREA, and VIETNAM DO

[[Page 41317]]

NOT QUALIFY for this year's diversity program. HONG KONG S.A.R. DOES 
QUALIFY. MACAU WILL BECOME INELIGIBLE ON DECEMBER 20, 1999. All DV-2000 
visas for Macau-born selected entries must be issued by that date.
    (2) SOUTH AMERICA/CENTRAL AMERICA/CARIBBEAN: ZIP CODE: 00211 
(extends from Central America (Guatemala) and the Caribbean nations to 
Chile.)

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA
BARBADOS
BELIZE
BOLIVIA
BRAZIL
CHILE
COSTA RICA
CUBA
DOMINICA
ECUADOR
GRENADA
GUATEMALA
GUYANA
HONDURAS
NICARAGUA
PANAMA
PARAGUAY
PERU
ST. KITTS & NEVIS
ST. LUCIA
ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
SURINAME
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
URUGUAY
VENEZUELA
    In South America COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EL SALVADOR, HAITI, 
JAMAICA, AND MEXICO DO NOT QUALIFY for this year's Diversity Program.
    (3) EUROPE : ZIP CODE: 00212 (Extends from Greenland to Russia, and 
includes all countries of the former USSR):

ALBANIA
ANDORRA
ARMENIA
AUSTRIA
AZERBAIJAN
BELARUS
BELGIUM
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
BULGARIA
CROATIA
CYPRUS
CZECH REPUBLIC
DENMARK*
ESTONIA
FINLAND
FRANCE*
GEORGIA
GERMANY
GREECE
HUNGARY
ICELAND
IRELAND
ITALY
KAZAKSTAN
KYRGYZSTAN
LATVIA
LICHTENSTEIN
LITHUANIA
LUXEMBOURG
MACEDONIA, THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF
MALTA
MOLDOVA
MONACO
MONTENEGRO
NETHERLANDS*
NORTHERN IRELAND
NORWAY
PORTUGAL* **
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
SAN MARINO
SERBIA
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TAJIKISTAN
TURKEY
TURKMENISTAN
UKRAINE
UZBEKISTAN
VATICAN CITY

    NB: In Europe GREAT BRITAIN and POLAND DO NOT QUALIFY for this 
year's diversity program. GREAT BRITAIN (UNITED KINGDOM) includes the 
following dependent areas: ANGUILLA, BERMUDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, 
CAYMAN ISLANDS, FAULKLAND ISLANDS, GIBRALTAR, MONTSERRAT, PITCAIRN, ST. 
HELENA, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. Note that for purposes of the 
Diversity Program only, Northern Ireland is treated separately; 
NORTHERN IRELAND DOES QUALIFY and is listed among the qualifying areas.
    * Includes components and dependent areas overseas.
    ** Macau-born selected registrants must receive their visas by 
December 20, 1999 in order to qualify for DV-2000.
    (4) AFRICA: ZIP CODE: 00213 (includes all countries on the African 
continent and adjacent islands):
ALGERIA
ANGOLA
BENIN
BOTSWANA
BURKINA FASO
BURUNDI
CAMEROON
CAPE VERDE
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
CHAD
COMOROS
CONGO
CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE
COTE D'IVOIRE (IVORY COAST)
DJIBOUTI
EGYPT
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
ERITREA
ETHIOPIA
GABON
GAMBIA, THE
GHANA
GUINEA
GUINEA-BISSAU
KENYA
LESOTHO
LIBERIA
LIBYA
MADAGASCAR
MALAWI
MALI
MAURITANIA
MAURITIUS
MOROCCO
MOZAMBIQUE
NAMIBIA
NIGER
NIGERIA
RWANDA
SAO TOME & PRINCIPE
SENEGAL
SEYCHELLES
SIERRA LEONE
SOMALIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SUDAN
SWAZILAND
TANZANIA
TOGO
TUNISIA
UGANDA
ZAMBIA
ZIMBABWE
    (5) OCEANIA: ZIP CODE: 00214 (includes Australia, New Zealand, 
Papua New Guinea and all countries and islands of the South Pacific):
AUSTRALIA*
FIJI
KIRIBATI
MARSHALL ISLANDS
MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES OF
NAURU
NEW ZEALAND*
PALAU
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
SOLOMON ISLANDS
TONGA
TUVALU
VANUATU

WESTERN SAMOA

    * Includes components and dependent areas overseas.
    (6) NORTH AMERICA: ZIP CODE: 00215 (includes the Bahamas):

[[Page 41318]]

BAHAMAS, THE

(In North America, CANADA DOES NOT QUALIFY for this year's Diversity 
Program.)
    Applicants must meet ALL eligibility requirements under the U.S. 
law in order to be issued visas. Processing of applications and 
issuance of diversity visas to successful applicants and their eligible 
family members MUST occur by September 30, 2000. Family members may not 
obtain diversity visas to follow to join the applicant in the U.S. 
after this date.
    IMPORTANT NOTICE: There is NO initial fee, other than postage 
required to enter the DV-2000 program. The use of an outside 
intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV-2000 entry is entirely at 
the applicant's discretion. Qualified entries received directly from 
applicants or through intermediaries have equal chances of being 
selected by computer. There is no advantage to mailing early, or 
mailing from any particular locale. Every application received during 
the mail-in period will have an equal random chance of being selected 
within its region. However, more than one application per person will 
disqualify the person from registration.

Selection of Winners

    The selection of winners is made at random and no outside service 
can legitimately 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 lawfully 
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 from 9:00 am to 
5:30 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday or 1-202-835-0159; Internet 
address: http://www/fraud.org. The U.S. Department of State does not 
investigate consumer complaints against businesses in the United 
States.

Notifying Winners

    Only successful entrants will be notified. They will be notified by 
mail between April and July of 1999 at the address listed on their 
entry. Winners will also be sent instructions on how to apply for an 
immigrant visa, including information on the fee for immigrant visas 
and a separate visa lottery surcharge. 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 50,000 visas have been issued or on September 30, 
1999, whichever is sooner, the DV Program for Fiscal Year 2000 will 
end.

Obtaining Instructions on Entering the DV Lottery

    The above information on entering the DV-2000 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: July 29, 1998.
Mary A. Ryan,
Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-20637 Filed 7-31-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-06-P