>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 08:24:01 -0700
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.482)
[attachment converted to ascii, and sample form deleted, you can get all the
information from here http://travel.state.gov/DV2004.html or search the
official INS site for "lottery" at http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/index.htm .
Be aware that many online sites require payment, when in fact it is free to
participate. Just follow the rules described below.
the moderator]
I'm relaying a note from our law firm looking after our visas with their
permission. In case the moderator cuts off the attachments, feel free to
contact me and I shall relay them to you directly.
Just a personal note on the lottery: it's great for some, but a green
card is not for everyone. A disadvantage of the green card is that,
thanks to changes introduced by Clinton, if you hold it long enough, you
may continue to be tax liable in the US for some time even if you drop
your green card.
regards
Axel
Axel Merk
Merk Investments
http://www.merkinvestments.com/
(877) 270 6999
P.s: We are no immigration attorneys, nor give legal or tax advice.
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Donald W.Parker" <DWP_at_mbbp.com>
Date: Tue Oct 08, 2002 10:36:57 US/Pacific
To: <agm_at_merkonline.com>
Subject: Immigrant Visa Lottery
I am writing to let you and any of your foreign employees (or clients
who may have foreign employees) know about the current United States
Department of State Immigrant Visa (Green Card) lottery that is being
held between October 7, 2002 and November 6, 2002.
Attached is a memorandum that we have prepared describing the Green Card
lottery and the process of applying. Under the lottery, the Department
of State gives 50,000 Immigrant Visas each year to nationals from all
but a few of the countries in the world. An Immigrant Visa allows the
recipient, his or her spouse and their children under the age of 21, to
immigrate to the United States and after a period of time to apply to
become citizens of the United States. Attached as well is a sample
lottery entry form. The instructions for submitting an entry are
complex and failure to comply exactly with the instructions will
disqualify an entry. Accordingly, care should be taken in reading the
attached memorandum and preparing and submitting a lottery entry.
The enclosed memorandum is intended to answer any questions that you or
your foreign employees or contacts may have concerning the Green Card
lottery process. If, however, questions do arise, you or your employees
or contacts should not hesitate to call or email me. I would be happy
to answer questions regarding the Immigrant Visa lottery without charge.
Again, please note that lottery entries must be received by the
Department of State between October 7 and November 6, 2002.
Don Parker
Donald W. Parker
Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton, PC
1601 Trapelo Road
Waltham, MA 02451
(T) 781-622-5930
(F) 781-622-5933
dwp_at_mbbp.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
M E M O R A N D U M
FROM: Donald W. Parker
DATE: October 7, 2002
RE: Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Program
Under the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Program (the "Diversity
Program"), the United States Department of State makes available 50,000
immigrant visas to persons meeting certain eligibility requirements.
An immigrant visa received by a foreign national through the Diversity
Program permits that foreign national, his or her spouse and their
children who are under the age of 21 at the time of receipt of the
immigrant visa to obtain permanent resident ("Green Card") status in
the United States. Applicants for the Diversity Program are chosen by
a random computer-generated lottery drawing. The 50,000 visas are
apportioned among approximately 160 countries in six geographic regions
with no one country being allocated more than 3,500 of the available
visas under the Diversity Program in any one year.
Note that participation in the Diversity Lottery Program is not
permitted for natives (see "Requirements for Participation" below) of
Canada, China (Mainland and Macau), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, South
Korea, United Kingdom (not including Northern Ireland) and dependent
territories of Vietnam. Note as well that the current location of the
applicant is irrelevant to participating in the Diversity Program.
Provided that the applicant satisfies the eligibility requirements and
completes and submits the entry form properly, the entry can be mailed
from the United States or from any country abroad.
This Memorandum discusses briefly the requirements for participating in
the Program. Attached to this Memorandum are (i) a sample Diversity
Program Entry Form and (ii) a reprint of a list provided by the
Department of State of the countries within each of the six
geographical regions.
1. Time for Submission of Entry: Entries for the Diversity
Program must be received between noon (Eastern Standard Time) on
Monday, October 7, 2002 and noon (Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday,
November 6, 2002. Note that an entry must be received within these
dates, not merely postmarked. Entries received earlier or later than
these dates will be disqualified.
2. Requirements for Participation: Each applicant must be able to
claim "nativity" in an eligible country. In most cases, nativity is
determined by the applicant's country of birth. If, however, an
applicant was born in an ineligible country, but his or her spouse was
born in an eligible country, he or she can claim the spouse's country
of birth. 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
parent's country of birth. As noted above, the following countries
are ineligible countries: Canada, China (mainland), Colombia, Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan,
Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (but not including Northern
Ireland) and its dependent territories and Vietnam. Persons born in
Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.
In addition, each applicant must have either a high school education or
its equivalent, defined as the 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 that requires at
least two years of training or experience to perform.
If a person does not satisfy these requirements they should not submit
an entry form.
3. The Application Process: Only one entry form may be submitted
by each applicant. Registration of more than one entry form will
automatically disqualify the applicant. Within a family, a husband and
wife may each file a separate application, as may children under the
age of 21, provided that each applicant independently satisfies the
requirements for participation in the Diversity Program (including
specifically the education/work experience requirement discussed
above). No fee is required to be submitted with the entry form.
4. The Form of the Entry: There is no specific format for an
entry. A plain sheet of white paper can be used which contains all of
the following information typed or clearly written in English:
1. FULL NAME. Last name first, followed by first name and middle or other
names. The last name must be underlined. EXAMPLE: Public, Sara Jane.
2. DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH. The date must be written Day, Month Year.
The place of birth should written as City/Town, District/County/Province,
Country.
EXAMPLE: 15 November 1961
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
The name of the country should be that which is
currently in use for the place where the applicant was
born (for example, Slovenia rather than Yugoslavia,
Kazakhstan rather than Soviet Union.)
3. APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY IF DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF
BIRTH. If the applicant is claiming nativity in a
country other than the place of his or her birth, this
must be clearly indicated on the entry form. If the
applicant is claiming nativity in his or her country of
birth, the designation "not applicable" should be
filled in at this point.
4. NAME, DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH OF THE APPLICANT'S SPOUSE
AND CHILDREN WHO ARE UNMARRIED AND UNDER 21 (IF ANY).
Provide this information even if you are no longer
legally married to the child's parent, and even if the
child does not currently reside with you and /or will
not immigrate with you. If the applicant has no spouse
or children, the designation "not applicable" should be
filled in at this point.
5. FULL MAILING ADDRESS. This must be clear and complete
as notification of having been selected in the
Diversity Program will be sent to this address. A
telephone number is optional but useful as well.
6. PHOTOGRAPH. Attach a recent (preferably less than 6
months old) photograph of the applicant, spouse and
each child measuring exactly 2 inches square. This
full set of photographs must be attached to the
application of each member of the family who applies.
Each person's name and date of birth must be printed on
the back of the photograph. The photograph should be
attached to the entry form with clear tape - staples or
paperclips cannot be used to attach the photograph to
the entry form. The entry will be disqualified if all
required photos are not attached. If photos do not
conform to the following specifications, the entry will
be disqualified:
a. Size: 2 inches (50mm) square
b. Person must be directly facing the camera;
head should not be at an angle
c. The photo should be taken in front of a neutral,
light background
d. Photos in which the face is not in focus will not be
accepted
e. Photos with hats or glasses with dark lenses which obscure
the face will not be accepted
f. Photos may be either in color or black and white
7. SIGNATURE. Each applicant must sign the entry form -
failure to sign the entry form will result in automatic
rejection of the entry form. The signature must be in
the applicant's native alphabet, as it would appear on
his /her passport or another official or contractual
obligation. Neither an initialed signature nor block
printing of the applicant's name will be accepted and
will result in the disqualification of the entry. If
an applicant decides to sign his/her name in the Roman
alphabet and that is not his/her native alphabet,
he/she must also sign in his/her native alphabet.
5. Submitting the Entry Form: The entry form must be submitted by
regular or airmail to the address matching the region of the
applicant's country of birth (see below). Entries that are submitted
by express or priority mail, fax, hand, messenger or any means
requiring receipts or special handling will not be processed.
Each entry form must be submitted in an envelope that is between 6 and 10
inches long and 3 ½ and 4 ½ inches wide. Envelopes that do not meet these size
requirements, and entries on postcards will be automatically rejected. In the
upper left hand corner of the envelope the applicant must indicate his or her
country of nativity followed by his or her name and full return address
(identical to the address listed on the entry form itself). Provide the
country of nativity and the country of the address, even if both are the same.
The DV-2004 divides the world into six regions, and each region has a separate
mailing address. You should look up your country of nativity on the attached
list to determine your geographic region. EXAMPLE: if your country of
nationality is Nicaragua, then your geographic region for purposes of mailing
in an entry is South America/Central America/ Caribbean. The DV entry should
be mailed to the address listed below for the applicant's region of nativity:
Africa: Asia:
DV-2004 Program DV -2004 Program
Kentucky Consular Center Kentucky Consular Center
1001 Visa Crest 2002 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41901-1000 Migrate, KY 41902 -2000
U.S.A. U.S.A.
Europe: South America / Central America/ Caribbean
DV-2004 Program DV-2004 Program
Kentucky Counselor Center Kentucky Consular Center
3003 Visa Crest 4004 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41903 -3000 Migrate, KY 41904 - 4000
U.S.A. U.S.A.
Oceania: North America:
DV-2004 Program DV- 2004 Program
Kentucky Consular Center Kentucky Consular Center
5005 Visa Crest 6006 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41905-5000 Migrate, KY 41906 - 6000
U.S.A U.S.A
EXAMPLE: an applicant who was born in Australia and now lives in France may
submit one entry to the appropriate address for Oceania; the envelope should
look like this:
Australia Applicant's full name Street address City, Province, Postal Code
DV-2004 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
5005 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41905 - 5000
U.S.A.
6. Processing of Entries in the Diversity Program: Registrants
under the Diversity Program will be selected at random by computer from
among all qualified entries. Those selected will be notified by mail
during the period from April to July of 2003 and will be provided with
instructions at that time as to how to proceed to apply for an
immigrant visa. Persons not selected in the random drawing will not be
notified. Processing of applications under the Diversity Program must
be completed by September 30, 2004. Accordingly, if you are selected,
it is important that you immediately begin the process of following the
instructions and applying for the immigrant visa. No fee is charged to
enter the DV 2004 program.
The information in this memorandum should answer most of your questions
concerning the process of registering in the Diversity Program. I
would be happy to answer any other questions you may have concerning
the Diversity Program without charge. Please do not hesitate to call
my legal assistant Abigail Rhodes or me at 781-622-5930 or email either
of us at apr_at_mbbp.com or dwp_at_mbbp.com.
Good luck!
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
LISTING OF COUNTRIES BY REGION
1. ASIA: (extends from Israel to the northern Pacific islands, and includes
Indonesia):
AFGHANISTAN MALAYSIA
BAHRAIN MALDIVES
BANGLADESH MONGOLIA
BHUTAN NEPAL
NORTH KOREA
BRUNEI OMAN
BURMA
CAMBODIA QATAR
HONG KONG S.A.R. SAUDI ARABIA
INDONESIA SINGAPORE
IRAN SRI LANKA
IRAQ SYRIA
ISRAEL THAILAND
JAPAN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
JORDAN YAMEN
KUWAIT TAIWAN
LAOS
LEBANON
MACAU S.A.R.
2. SOUTH AMERICA/CENTRAL AMERICA/CARIBBEAN: (extends from Central America
(Guatemala) and the Caribbean nations to Chile.)
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA HONDURAS
ARGENTINA NICARAGUA
BARBADOS PANAMA
BELIZE PARAGUAY
BOLIVIA PERU
BRAZIL ST. KITTS & NEVIS
CHILE ST. LUCIA
COSTA RICA ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
CUBA SURINAME
DOMINICA TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
ECUADOR URUGUAY
GRENADA VENEZUELA
GUATEMALA
GUYANA
3. EUROPE: (Extends from Greenland to Russia, and includes all countries of
the former USSR):
ALBANIA LICHTENSTEIN
ANDORRA LITHUANIA
ARMENIA LUXEMBOURG
AUSTRIA MACEDONIA, FORMER YUGOSLAV REP. AZERBAIJAN MALTA
BELARUS MOLDOVA
BELGIUM MONACO
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA MONTENEGRO
BULGARIA NETHERLANDS*
CROATIA NORTHERN IRELAND
CYPRUS NORWAY
CZECH REPUBLIC PORTUGAL
POLAND
DENMARK* ROMANIA
ESTONIA RUSSIA
FINLAND SAN MARINO
FRANCE*
GEORGIA SLOVAKIA
GERMANY SLOVENIA
GREECE SPAIN
HUNGARY SWEDEN
ICELAND SWITZERLAND
IRELAND TAJIKISTAN
ITALY TURKEY
KAZAKSTAN TURKMENISTAN
KYRGYZSTAN UKRAINE
LATVIA UZBEKISTAN
VATICAN CITY YOUGOSLAVIA, FEDERAL REPBULIC OF
*Includes components and dependent areas overseas.
4. AFRICA: (includes all countries on the African continent and adjacent islands):
ALGERIA MADAGASCAR
ANGOLA MALAWI
BENIN MALI
BOTSWANA MAURITANIA
BURKINA FASO MAURITIUS
BURUNDI MOROCCO
CAMEROON MOZAMBIQUE
CAPE VERDE NAMIBIA
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC NIGER
CHAD NIGERIA
COMOROS RWANDA
CONGO SAO TOME & PRINCIPE
CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REP. OF SENEGAL
COTE D'IVOIRE (IVORY COAST) SEYCHELLES
DJIBOUTI SIERRA LEONE
EGYPT SOMALIA
EQUATORIAL GUINEA SOUTH AFRICA
ERITREA SUDAN
ETHIOPIA SWAZILAND
GABON TANZANIA
GAMBIA, THE TOGO
GHANA TUNISIA
GUINEA UGANDA
GUINEA-BISSAU ZAMBIA
KENYA ZIMBABWE
LESOTHO
LIBERIA
LIBYA
5. OCEANIA: (includes Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and all
countries and islands of the South Pacific):
AUSTRALIA* PALAU
FIJI PAPUA NEW GUINEA
SAMOA
KIRIBATI SOLOMON ISLANDS
MARSHALL ISLANDS TONGA
MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES TUVALU
NAURU VANUATU
NEW ZEALAND*
*Includes components and dependent areas overseas.
6. NORTH AMERICA: (includes the Bahamas):
BAHAMAS, THE
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Received on Wed Oct 09 2002 - 23:09:28 PDT
