[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 147 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41992-41995]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19736]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3099]


Registration for the Diversity Immigrant (DV-2001) Visa Program

ACTION: Notice of registration for the seventh 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 (maximum) 
immigrant visas to be made available in the Diversity Immigrant Visa 
(DV) category during Fiscal Year 2001. 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)).

Entry Procedures for Immigrant Visas To Be Made Available in the DV 
Category During Fiscal Year 2001

    ENTRIES FOR THE DV-2001 MAIL-IN PERIOD MUST BE RECEIVED BETWEEN 
NOON (EASTERN TIME) ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1999 AND NOON (EASTERN TIME) 
ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1999. 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 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 7 
percent of the diversity visas issued in any one year. For DV-2001, 
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

[[Page 41993]]

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.)
1. FULL NAME, with the last (surname/family) name underlined
    EXAMPLES: Public, Sara Jane (or) Lopez, Juan Antonio
2. DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH
    Date: Day, Month, Year EXAMPLE: 15 November 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) (Failure to provide all of this information will disqualify 
the applicant.)
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-2001 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

    NB: In Asia CHINA--mainland born and Taiwan born, INDIA, 
PHILIPPINES, SOUTH KOREA, and VIETNAM DO NOT QUALIFY for this year's 
diversity program. HONG KONG S.A.R. DOES QUALIFY. Applicants born in 
MACAU MAY APPLY for this year's DV Program, however, they will become 
ineligible on December 20, 1999 when control of Macau reverts to China, 
unless legislation is enacted which would allow Macau's continued 
eligibility for the DV Program.
    (2) SOUTH AMERICA/CENTRAL AMERICA/CARIBBEAN: ZIP CODE: 00211 
(extends from Central America (Guatemala) and the Caribbean nations to 
Chile.)

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
ARGENTINA
BARBADOS

[[Page 41994]]

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

    NB: 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.

    (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):

BAHAMAS, THE

    NB: In North America, CANADA DOES NOT QUALIFY for this year's 
Diversity Program.

    Important Notice: 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, 2001. Family members may not obtain diversity visas 
to follow to join the applicant in the U.S. after this date. There 
is NO initial fee, other than postage required to enter the DV-2001 
program. The use of an outside intermediary or assistance to prepare 
a DV-2001 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

[[Page 41995]]

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.

Notifying Winners

    Only successful entrants will be notified. They will be notified by 
mail between April and July of 2000 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 the diversity visas have been issued or on September 
30, 2001, whichever is sooner, the DV Program for Fiscal Year 2001 will 
end.

Obtaining Instructions on Entering the DV Lottery

    Interested persons may call (202) 331-7199, which describes the 
various means to obtain further details on entering the DV-2001 
program. Applicants overseas may contact the nearest U.S. embassy or 
consulate for instructions on the DV lottery. DV information is also 
available in the Visa Bulletin on the Internet at http://
travel.state.gov or via the Consular Affairs automated fax at (202) 
647-3000 (code 1103). Calls to the automated fax service must be made 
from a fax machine using the receiver or voice option of the caller's 
fax equipment.

    Dated: July 27, 1999.
Mary A. Ryan,
Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-19736 Filed 7-30-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-06-U