This Posting is in Three Parts:
1) Controversy surrounding Canter & Siegel's advertisement
across 6,000 newsgroups.
2) Canter & Siegel's addresses and phone numbers and places
where you can complain to about their actions on the net.
*** 3) Instructions from the U.S. State Department on how to
apply for the green card lottery FOR FREE AND WITHOUT A
LAWYER. (Even an idiot can to it right...)
NOTE:
THIS POSTING WAS CREATED FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, COUNTRY, AND THE NET.
--------------------------- PART I ----------------------------
If you are unaware of the controversy surrounding Canter & Siegel,
skip the Late Breaking News.
******************** LATE BREAKING NEWS ******************
(This information also appears in the posting)
* The city of Phoenix has no land holding records for Laurence
Canter.
* His phone number is not listed - though directory assistance
did say he had a phone in the area.
* The Arizona State Bar Association ((602) 252-4804) say that
Canter & Siegel are not registered with them. They also say
that you have to be registered with the Arizona Bar to
practice in Arizona. However, they said that all complaints
must be directed through the Tennessee Bar Association.
* The Arizona State Corporation Commission ((602) 545-3026) and
they have no record of a Canter & Siegel in the state of
Arizona. (EVERYBODY incorporates these days for liability
reasons if nothing else. Even so, Canter & Siegel could be a
partnership.)
***************** END LATE BREAKING NEWS ********************
THIS SECTION GIVES A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING
CANTER & SIEGEL AND IS WRITTEN TO MAKE SENSE FOR THE UNNETAWRE.
As many of you out there in net-land are aware, the law firm of
Canter & Siegel has determined that it is O.K. to use the net for
advertising their wares.
>To Canter, the Internet bulletin boards were an ideal, low-cost[*]
>and perfectly legitimate way to target people likely to be
>potential clients. Many Internet users are foreigners in need of
>immigration services, he said. And messages flow over the
>internet almost for free. "I can't think of any other way to reach
>that many people who have things in common without spending
>thousands of dollars," he said.
Washington Post, Business Section, pg.C1
While this may be the case for Canter and Siegel, it is not true
for the internet as a whole. The internet as a whole has spent
many tens of thousands of dollars posting Canter & Siegel's
advertisement.
One newsreader called "trn" which is a particular favorite among
internet users has this warning message which is displayed every
time a new article is posted to a news group.
This program posts news articles to thousands of machines
throughout the enter civilized world. Your message will cost
the net hundreds if not thousands of dollars to send
everywhere. Please be sure you know what you are doing.
Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? [y/n]
Canter & Siegel posted to over 6,000 groups for all appearances.
(System Administrators have stated that they have not been able to
find a newsgroup to which they haven't posted an article.) If it
costs so much to post to only one newsgroup, you can imagine how
much it costs to post to over 6,000 newsgroups.
In addition, advertisements such as the one which Canter & Siegel
have posted are not accepted by the Internet Culture and are
considered to be from very impolite to downright rude. Much of
this is caused by the sheer volume of net-news which Internet
readers must wade through. Many people on the internet will sit
down and read over 100 articles at a sitting. Those that read less
usually read less for lack of time rather than lack of interest.
The internet community's aversion to advertising is also
caused by the fact that many Internet users pay for the amount of
information received. One Internet user, Peter da Silva, stated
that "The best analogy is a telemarketer calling up people's
cellular phone from a rented hotel room that doesn't charge for
local calls."
The rented hotel in this case is Internet Direct who was
Canter & Siegel's Internet service provider. They provided C&S
with an account as a kind gesture even though C&S returned their
user agreement (which explicitly forbids commercial advertising)
unsigned. What has Internet users really up in arms is that after
they complained to Canter & Siegel and Internet Direct, they
continue to post their advertisements. Posting material which has
been requested by a large number of other users to not be posted is
another big no-no in "net-etiquet."
Not if Jeff Wheelhouse can help it. "They will not be
back on our system," vowed Mr. Wheelhouse, system
administrator for Internet Direct Inc., the network service
company in Phoenix that Mr. Canter used last week to send his
message. Mr. Wheelhouse said the advertisement had drawn some
30,000 replies before Internet Direct pulled the plug on Mr.
Canter a few days later.
Mr. Wheelhouse said he would not be deterred by Mr.
Canter's threat to sue Internet Direct for $250,000 unless he
is reconnected. "They crashed our computer about 15 times --
that's when we stopped counting -- because of the volume of
incoming complaints," Mr. Wheelhouse said. "I lost an entire
week dealing with this." (New York Times)
Since more than 20 million people are on the Internet and
Canter and Siegel's account cost them between $ 20 and $ 30 a
month, it was a lot of advertising bang for the buck. The
cost, of course, was picked up by Internet providers, private
and public. "When you post an article to a single use net'
group, it costs other people to propagate that article around
the world," Wheelhouse said. "When you post 5,000 articles, it
costs a lot of people a lot of money." (St. Louis Post -
Dispatch, April 17, 1994)
The lawyer, Laurence A. Canter of Phoenix, may be scorched,
but is apparently unrepentant. Along with the flames, he said
yesterday, came numerous queries from potential clients. "We
will definitely advertise on the Internet again," Mr. Canter
said, sounding cheerful despite the virtual flogging he has
received. (New York Times)
A lot of the advertising which gets on the net are "get rich quick
schemes" and usually have subject lines like "Make Money Fast", or
"Home Job Opportunity Can Make $$$." Whether Canter & Siegel's
advertisement falls under this category must be decided by the
reader. The following is a list of Canter & Siegel's prices as
well as the prices as charged by the National Immigration Service
if one was to submit an application into the Green Card Lottery
themselves:
INITIAL APPLICATION (Individual, Spouse + Two Children):
Canter & Siegel : $95.00 U.S.
Immigration Office: $FREE
APPLICATION WITH MORE THAN TWO CHILDREN:
Canter & Siegel: $15.00 U.S.
Immigration Office: $NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE
(Note: There is no limit on how many children one can send in on an
application -- just that they be under 21 years of age.)
APPLICATION WITH SPOUSE AS PRIMARY APPLICANT:
Canter & Siegel: $50.00
Immigration Office: $FREE
ONE HOUR TELEPHONE CONSULTATION:
Canter & Siegel: $75
Immigration Office $FREE
Note: Most lawyers will give a one hour initial consultation for
FREE -- Check your local phone book for listings.
Canter & Siegel claim that "Last year nearly 1/3 of the 1.1 million
applications submitted were thrown out because they were not done
according to the strict technical requirements demanded."
The reason for this is that each individual is only allowed to
submit an application ONCE and not multiple times. The
applications were not necessarily filled out "wrong", they were
just submitted more than once.
Are Internet users totally against advertising? No. Most of the
companies which are using the internet consider it advertising.
The reason for this is that being hooked up to the internet and
corresponding with others in the same or other fields helps build
trade relations. In addition, by posting answers to other users
queries, it helps establish a company as an expert in a particular
field. However, posting what is clearly commercial advertisements
only serves to get other users upset. Many users see the Internet
as one of the last Commercial Free places that they can retreat to.
OTHER NET NEWS:
******************************************************************
This has been posted to a number of the newsgroups. I am still
trying to find out if it is real or not. (I assume that it is as
net-news has been in the past pretty accurate so far.)
This was originally posted (when I got it) by
[email protected].
******************************************************************
Just got the following in the mail from the Tennessee Bar. It
is a disciplinary Report from the Florida Bar. There is also a four
page Corrected Opinion from the Supreme Court of Florida which I do
not have time to type in right now.
# # #
For Immediate Release
October 13,1988
Contact: Bonnie L Mahon
The Florida Bar
Tampa Office
Telephone: 813/875-9821
SUPREME COURT GRANTS ATTORNEY'S PETITION TO RESIGN PERMANENTLY
TALLAHASSEE, Oct.13-- The Florida Supreme Court has granted
attorney Laurence A. Canter's petition to resign permanently,
effective November 7, 1988.
Canter, of 240 North Washington Boulevard, Sarasota, was
charged with numerous violations of the attorney disciplinary rules
including neglect, misrepresentation, misappropriation of client
funds and perjury.
Several of the complaints against Canter involved his failure
to file the necessary or appropriate documents with the United
Stated Immigration and Naturalization Services in matters of
permanent residency and work visas. In addition, Canter refused to
refund clients' funds and neglected to notify his clients that he
has been suspended from the practice of law as a result of a
previous discipline.
The Florida Bar further alleges that Canter committed perjury
by filing a false affidavit with the Bar and while testifying under
oath in a deposition. These charges resulted after an audit of
Canter's trust account by the Bar showed that trust funds were held
in Canter's account during the time period when he denied any funds
were present.
Canter was born in 1953 and admitted to The Florida Bar in
1980.
The resignation without leave to apply is not final until time
expires to file motion for rehearing and if filed, determined. The
filling of a motion for rehearing shall not alter the effective
date of this resignation.
As an official agency of the Supreme Court of Florida, The
Florida Bar and its Department of Lawyer Regulation are charged
with the administration of a statewide disciplinary system to
enforce Supreme Court rules of professional conduct for all
lawyers.
# # #
-Chuck-
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Rice
[email protected]
-------------------------- PART 2 -------------------------------
From:
[email protected]
Here is a summary of the folks who can handle complaints about the
recent Green Card spamming/carpet bombing of Usenet newsgroups.
Please do not complain to indirect.com, they've done all they can
on this one.
A few pointers on this:
-The Arizona State Bar does not seem to be the correct people
to contact.
-Contacting the local bar in your home state may be effective
if you wish to question cross-state advertising
by unregistered lawyers.
-When complaining, KISS [keep it simple stupid]. A short summary
of Usenet guidelines, followed by a simple explanation
of why this was so bad. The people you complain to are
generally *not* going to be netters.
-Keep your complaints nice. It always helps.
-Local news in Arizona may be interested in this. I've been
told that some of the Phoenix print and T.V. media
are starting to twig to this.
Thanks to all who've patiently gathered this-- I am but a
humble information coordinator at your feet.
If you wish to contact Canter and Siegel directly:
Canter and Siegel, Immigration Attorneys
PHONE: (602) 661-3911
FAX: (602) 451-9717
ADDRESS: 3333 E. Camelback Rd., Ste 250
Phoenix, Arizona USA 85018
[other accounts]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Other Phone Numbers/ Addresses:
TUCSON PHONE: (602)-749-9886 (Forwarded to Phoenix)
If you wish to speak to the Arizona State Bar:
State Bar of Arizona
Attn: Discipline Dept
111 W. Monroe
Suite 1800
Phoenix, AZ 85003
1-602-252-4804
If you wish to talk to/write the Tennessee State Bar:
[They prefer for you to write]
Board of Professional Responsibility
1101 Kermit Drive
Suite 730
Nashville, Tn. 37217
Voice: 1-615-361-7500
[or] 1-800-486-5714
Fax: 1-615-367-2480
If you wish to speak to the American Bar Association:
[email protected]
fax:312-988-6014
For the American Immigration Lawyers Association:
[Canter and Siegel are members]
Attn: Warren Leiden, Executive Director
1400 'I' Street NW
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20005
202-371-9377
FAX 202 463-6325
If you wish to speak to the Immigration and Naturalization Service:
[although they do not handle complaints, they can only give you
info]
1-800-755-0777
1-202-514-2000
If you wish to complain to the Congressperson who covers C&S's
district:
Via gopher-
Access is through the Arizona State University Gopher
(info.asu.edu, port 70). Select "Arizona Statewide
Information" then "U.S. Rep. John Kyl"
Via Smail-
4250 E. Camelback Rd.
Suite 140-K
Phoenix, AZ 85018
Voice: (602) 840-1891
Fax: (602) 840-4848
[or]
2440 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Voice: (202) 225-1142
Fax: (202) 225-1143
For the Senators from Arizona:
Sen DeConcini (AZ) 202-224-4521
Sen McCain (AZ) 202-224-2235
These numbers may just get you the House Operator or someone who
can leave a message for the Congessman.
Again, thank you to all who gathered the info. Hope everyone puts
it to good use.
--
Andrew McMichael "I especially liked the reduction of
[email protected] authority to absurdity, the notion that
Graduate School of History sex could be funny, and the bold
insults
Honorary Tamilian hurled at Pretension." - Mack Sennett
===============--------------------------------==================
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
VISA BULLETIN
Number 35, Volume VII Washington, D.C.
REGISTRATION FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF THE DIVERSITY OF IMMIGRANT VISA
DV-1 Immigrant Visa "Lottery" program:
Sections 201(a)(3), 201(e), 203(c) and 204(a)(1)(G) of the
immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, taken together
establish, effective for Fiscal Year 1995 and thereafter, an annual
numerical limitation of 55,000 for diversity of immigrants.
Natives of countries determined by the Immigration and
Naturalization Service according to a mathematical formula
specified by the law will be able to compete for these visas. This
program is identified by the visa symbol DV-1 and is informally
known as the "visa lottery." The law specifies that there must be
a separate registration fore each year's DV-1 visas. This
information concerns the application period during 1994 for visas
to be issued during the Fiscal Year 1995 (from October 1, 1994
through September 30, 1995).
Qualifying Countries Under the DV-1 Program:
The law apportions DV-1 immigrant visa issuance among six
geographic regions
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- North America (excluding Mexico, Central America, and the
Caribbean.)
- Oceania, and
- South America, Central America and the Caribbean,
according to a formula based on total immigrant admissions over the
most recent five-year period. The formula identifies both high and
low admissions regions and high admissions foreign states. A
greater share of the available visa numbers goes to low admission
regions that to high admission regions. High admission states are
excluded entirely from the program. No single country may receive
more than 7% (3,850) of the world-wide total of DV-1 visa numbers.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service determines the countries
whose natives (as that term is explained in question 1 below) may
be entitled to DV-1 visas. According to the law, countries are
grouped by region. (See detailed regional lists at the end of this
Visa Bulletin.) The allotment of visas per region for Fiscal Year
1995 is shown in parentheses below, followed by summary information
on eligible countries. (The eligible counties and regional numbers
may change each year depending on variations in immigration
rates.):
AFRICA: (20,200) All countries.
ASIA: ( 6,837) All countries _EXCEPT_ the following:
China-mainland born and Taiwan born,
INDIA, PHILIPPINES, VIETNAM, and SOUTH
KOREA. (Hong Kong is eligible.)
EUROPE: (24,549) All countries _EXCEPT_ the following:
GREAT BRITAIN (United Kingdom) and its
dependent territories. (Northern Ireland
is eligible.)
NORTH AMERICA: ( 8) The bahamas is the ONLY eligible country
included in the North America region.
CANADA is _NOT_ eligible.
OCEANA: ( 817) All countries.
SOUTH AMERICA,
CENTRAL AMERICA,
and the
CARIBBEAN: ( 2,589) All countries _EXCEPT_ MEXICO, JAMAICA,
EL SALVADOR and DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.
(End of Page One)
How and When to Apply for DV-1 Status:
The application period for registration for the DV-1 visas to be
issued during the fiscal year 1995 (i.e. from October 1994 through
September 1995) will _begin_ at 12:01 a.m. (Eastern Time) on
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1994, and will _end_ at midnight on THURSDAY,
JUNE 30, 1994. APPLICATIONS MUST BE TYPED OR CLEARLY PRINTED AND
MAILED TO THE ONE OF THE SIX FOLLOWING ADDRESSES, DEPENDING UPON
THE REGION OF THE APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY:
ASIA: DV-1 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00210
U.S.A.
SOUTH AMERICA, DV-1 Program
CENTRAL AMERICA, National Visa Center
and CARIBBEAN: Portsmouth, NH 00211
U.S.A.
EUROPE: DV-1 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00212
U.S.A.
AFRICA: DV-1 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00213
U.S.A.
OCEANIA: DV-1 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00214
U.S.A.
NORTH AMERICA: DV-1 Program
(Bahamas only) National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00215
U.S.A.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE THE CORRECT POSTAL ZIP CODE FOR EACH REGION.
(A list of qualifying countries within each region appears at the
end of the Visa Bulletin.)
EXAMPLE
| <------------ 6" to 10" or 15cm to 25cm -------------> |
/----------------------------------------------------------\ ---
|XXXXXXXXXX |------| | |
|XXXXXXXXXX | | | |
| |______| | 3.5-4.5"
| DV-1 Program | or
| National Visa Center | 9cm-11cm
| Portsmouth, NH 00XXX | |
| U.S.A. | | |
| | | |
|___________________________________|______________________| _V_
|
(If, for instance, the applicant's country is Kenya (in Africa),
the postal zip code for Africa would be used, that is 00213.)
(End of Page Two)
ONLY ONE APPLICATION MAY BE SUBMITTED BY OR FOR EACH APPLICANT
DURING THIS REGISTRATION PERIOD. (SUBMISSION OF MORE THAN ONE
APPLICATION WILL DISQUALIFY THE PERSON FROM REGISTRATION.)
Applications for registration will be grouped by region and will be
selected strictly in a random order from among all those received
during the application period. Every application received will
have an equal chance of being selected.
Applications must be sent to the address above by regular mail or
air mail only, and may be mailed from within the United States or
abroad. The information required on the envelope must be typed or
clearly printed. Any form of special handling or acknowledgement
of receipt, such as registered mail, express mail, or certified
mail will NOT be eligible for the visa lottery. Applications
received at the DV-1 Program address will NOT be processed for
registration. Only ONE application may be included in each
envelope.
SIZE OF ENVELOPE:
The Envelope in which each application is mailed must be BETWEEN 6
and 10 inches (15 cm to 25 cm) in LENGTH, and BETWEEN 3 1/2 and
4 1/2 inches (9 cm to 11 cm) in WIDTH. This is necessary to assist
in the automatic processing of the mail.
INFORMATION WHICH MUST BE INCLUDED WITH APPLICATION FOR
REGISTRATION:
THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE OR SPECIAL FORM. THE REQUEST FOR
REGISTRATION IN THE LOTTERY MUST FURNISH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
ON A PLAIN SHEET OF PAPER. ALL ANSWERS MUST BE TYPED OR CLEARLY
PRINTED IN THE ENGLISH ALPHABET. NO SIGNATURE IS REQUIRED ON THE
APPLICATION.
Each application must be in the following format:
A. APPLICANT'S FULL NAME
Last Name, First Name and Middle Name
(Underline Last Name/ Surname/Family Name)
Example: _Public_, George Quincy
B. 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
C. NAME, DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH OF APPLICANT'S SPOUSE AND
CHILDREN, IF ANY
The spouse and child(ren) of an applicant who is registered
for DV-1 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 of the applicant as they are not entitled to
derivative status.
D. APPLICANT'S MAILING ADDRESS
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.
E. APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY IF DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF BIRTH
See the answer to Question 1 below in this Visa Bulletin
regarding the meaning of "native" for the purposes of the DV-1
Program.
(END PAGE THREE)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT DV-1 REGISTRATION:
1. HOW IS THE TERM "NATIVE" DEFINED? ARE THERE ANY BASES UPON
WHICH PERSONS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN BORN IN A QUALIFYING COUNTRY
MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR REGISTRATION?
Native means BOTH someone born within on of the qualifying
countries AND someone entitled to be "charged" to such country
under the provisions of Section 202(b) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act. Applicants for DV-1 registration may be charged
to the country of birth of a spouse; a minor dependent child can be
charged to the country of birth of a parent; and an applicant born
in a country of which neither parent was a native or a resident at
the time of his/her birth may be charged to the country of birth of
either parent. An applicant who claims the benefit of alternate
chargeability must include a statement to the effect on the
application for registration, and must show the country of
chargeability on the upper left hand corner of the envelope in
which the registration is mailed.
2. MAY PERSONS WHO ARE IN THE U.S. APPLY FOR REGISTRATION?
Yes, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in another country, and the
application may be mailed in the U.S. or abroad.
3. IS EACH APPLICANT LIMITED TO ONLY ONE APPLICATION DURING THIS
DV-1 REGISTRATION PERIOD?
Yes, the law allows only ONE application BY OR FOR each person
during this DV-1 registration period; SUBMISSION OF MORE THAN ONE
APPLICATION WILL DISQUALIFY THE PERSON FROM REGISTRATION. NOTE:
More than 400,000 applications were DISQUALIFIED during the 1993
and 1994 visa lotteries due to multiple applications. Applicants
may be disqualified at time of registration or at the time of the
visa interview if more than one entry is detected.
4. MAY A HUSBAND AND A WIFE EACH SUBMIT A SEPARATE APPLICATION?
Yes, if otherwise qualified, a husband and wife may each submit one
application for registration; if either is registered, the other
would be entitled to derivative status.
5. MUST EACH APPLICANT SUBMIT HIS / HER OWN REQUEST, OR MAY
SOMEONE ACT ON BEHALF OF AN APPLICANT?
Applicants may prepare and submit their own request for
registration, or have someone act on their behalf. Regardless of
whether an application is submitted by the applicant directly, or
is assisted by an attorney, friend, relative etc., ONLY ONE
APPLICATION MAY BE SUBMITTED IN THE NAME OF EACH PERSON. Only one
notification letter will be sent for each case registered, to the
address provided on the application.
6. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATION OR WORK EXPERIENCE?
The law and regulations require that every applicant must have at
least a high school education or its equivalent or, within the past
five years, have two years of work experience. A "high school
education or equivalent" is defined as successful completion of a
twelve-year course of elementary and secondary education comparable
to that of a high school degree in the United States. Qualifying
work experience shall be based upon the most recent edition of the
Dictionary of Occupational Titles published by the Employment and
Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor.
Documentary proof of education or work experiences should NOT be
submitted with the application, but must be presented to the
consular officer at the time of the formal immigrant visa
application.
(End Page Four)
7. HOW WILL CASES BE REGISTERED?
At the National Visa Center all mail received will be separated
into one of the six geographic regions and individually numbered.
After the end of the application period, a computer will randomly
select cases from among all the mail received for each geographic
region. Within each region, the first letter randomly selected
will be the first case registered, the second letter selected the
second registration, etc. It makes no difference whether an
application is received early or late in the application period;
all applications received during the mail-in period will have an
equal chance of being selected within each region. When a case has
been registered, the applicant will immediately be sent a
notification letter, which will provide appropriate visa
application instructions. The National Visa Center will continue
to process the case until those who are registered are instructed
to make formal application at a U.S. consular office or until those
able to do so apply at an INS office in the United States for
change of status. The National Visa Center will provide additional
instructions on the steps to take to pursue the applications for
DV-1 visas.
8. MAY APPLICANTS ADJUST THEIR STATUS WITH THE INS?
Yes, provided that they are otherwise eligible to adjust status,
registered applicants who are physically present in the United
States may apply to the Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS) for adjustment of status to permanent resident. Applicants
who adjust, however, must first mail completed forms of OF-230,
Part I, and DSP-122 to the National Visa Center. (These forms will
be included with the registration notification letter.) Applicants
must ensure that INS can COMPLETE ACTION on their cases before
September 30, 1995 since on that date registrations for the Fiscal
Year 1995 DV-1 program terminate.
9. WILL APPLICATIONS WHO ARE NOT REGISTERED BE INFORMED?
No, applicants who are not registered will receive no response to
their registration request. Only those who are registered will be
informed. All notification letters are expected to be sent within
about three months of the end of the application period. Anyone
who does NOT receive a letter will know that his/her application
has not been registered.
10. HOW MANY APPLICANTS WILL BE REGISTERED?
A total of about 90,000 persons, both principal applicants and
their spouses and children, will be registered. Since it is likely
that some of the first 55,000 persons who are registered will not
peruse their cases to visa issuance, this larger figure should
ensure use of all DV-1 numbers, but it also risks some registrants'
being left out. All applicants who are registered will be informed
promptly of their place on the list. Each month visas will be
issued according to registration lottery rank order, to those
applicants who are ready for visa issuance during that month. Once
all of the Fiscal Year 1995 visas have been issued, the program for
the year will end. Registered applicants who wish to receive visas
must be prepared to ACT PROMPTLY on their cases.
11. IS THERE A MINIMUM AGE FOR APPLICANTS FOR REGISTRATION UNDER
THE DV-1 PROGRAM?
There is NO minimum age for submission of an application for
registration, but the requirement of a high school education or
work experience for each principal applicant a the time of visa
issuance will effectively disqualify most persons who are under age
18.
12. WILL THERE BE ANY SPECIAL FEE FOR REGISTRATION IN THE DV-1
CATEGORY?
There is NO FEE FOR SUBMITTING A REQUEST FOR REGISTRATION, and NO
FEE should be included with the letter sent to the mailing
addresses indicated above. (DV-1 applicants, like other immigrant
visa applicants, must pay the regular visa fees at the time of visa
issuance.)
(End of Page Five)
13. ARE DV-1 APPLICANTS SPECIALLY ENTITLED TO APPLY FOR A WAIVER
OF ANY OF THE GROUNDS OF VISA INELIGIBILITY?
No. Applicants are subject to all the grounds of ineligibility
specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act and there is no
special provision for the waiver of any grounds of visa
ineligibility other that those ordinarily provided in the Act.
14. MAY APPLICANTS WHO ARE ALREADY REGISTERED FOR AN IMMIGRANT
VISA IN ANOTHER CATEGORY APPLY IN THIS REGISTRATION FOR THE
DV-1 CATEGORY?
Yes, such persons may seek DV-1 status through this registration as
well.
15. HOW LONG DO APPLICANTS WHO ARE REGISTERED ON THE BASIS OF THIS
APPLICATION PERIOD REMAIN ENTITLED TO APPLY FOR VISAS IN THE
DV-1 CATEGORY?
Under the law, persons registered following this DV-1 application
period are entitled to apply for visa issuance ONLY DURING THE
FISCAL YEAR 1995, i.e., from October 1994 through September 1995.
There is no carry-over of benefit into another year for persons who
are registered but who do not obtain visas during FY-1995.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY 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.
HOWEVER MORE THAN ONE APPLICATION PER PERSON WILL DISQUALIFY THE
PERSON FROM REGISTRATION. ALSO, FAILURE TO INCLUDE THE APPLICANT'S
NATIVE COUNTRY AND FULL NAME AND ADDRESS ON THE ENVELOPE WILL
DISQUALIFY THE APPLICATION.
LISTS OF QUALIFYING COUNTRIES BY REGION
The lists below show the countries QUALIFIED within each geographic
region for this year's Diversity Program. The determination of
countries within each region is based on information provided by
the Geographer of the Department of State The countries which do
not qualify for this year's program were identified by the
Immigration and Naturalization Service according to the formula in
Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. DEPENDENT
AREAS OVERSEAS ARE NOT INCLUDED WITHIN THE REGION OF THE GOVERNING
COUNTRY. Any countries which do NOT qualify for this year's
program are noted in parentheses after the respective regional
list.
AFRICA:
ALGERIA, ANGOLA, BENIN, BOTSWANA, BURKINA, BURUNDI, CAMEROON, CAPE
VERDE, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CHAD, COMOROS, CONGO, COTE
D'IVOIRE (IVORY COAST), DJIBOUTI, EGYPT, EQUATORIAL GUINEA,
ERITREA, ETHIOPIA, GAMBOON,GAMBIA, GHANA, GUINEA, GUINEA-BISSAU,
KENYA, LESOTHO, LIBERIA, LIBYA, BADAGASCAR, MALAWAI, MALI,
MAURITANIA, MAURITIUS, MOROCCO, MOZAMBIQUE, NAMIBIA, NIGER,
NIGERIA, RWANDA, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE, SENEGAL, SEYCHELLES, SIERRA
LEONE, SOMALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SUDAN, SWAZILAND, TANZANIA, TOGO,
UNISIA, UGANDA, ZAMBIA, ZIMBABWE
ASIA:
AFGHANISTAN, BAHRAIN, BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, BRUNEI, BURMA, CAMBODIA,
HONG KONG, INDONESIA, IRAN, IRAQ, ISRAEL, JAPAN, JORDON, NORTH
KOREA, KUWAIT, LAOS, LEBANON, MALAYSIA, MALDIVES, MONGOLIA, NEPAL,
OMAN, PAKISTAN, QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, SINGAPORE, SRI LANKA, SYRIA,
THAILAND, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, YEMEN.
EUROPE:
ALBANIA, ANDORA, ARMENIA, AUSTRIA, AZERBAIJAN, BELARUS,
BELGIUM, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, BULGARIA, CROATIA, CYPRUS,
CZECH REPUBLIC, DENMARK (including components and dependent
areas overseas), ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE (including
components and dependent areas overseas), GEORGIA, GERMANY,
GREECE, HUNGARY, ICELAND, IRELAND, ITALY, KAZAKHSTAN, LATVIA,
LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG, MACEDONIA (THE FORMER
YOGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF) MALTA, MOLDOVA, MONACO, MONTENEGRO,
NETHERLANDS (including components and dependent areas
overseas), NORTHERN IRELAND, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL
(including components and dependent areas overseas), ROMANIA,
RUSSIA, SAN MARINO, SERBIA, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, SPAIN, SWEDEN,
SWITZERLAND, TAJIKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN, UKRAIN, UZBEKISTAN,
VATICAN CITY.
(Europe country NOT qualified for this years Diversity
Program:
UNITED KINGDOM (GREAT BRITAIN), including the following
dependent areas: ANGUILLA, BERMUDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS,
CAYMAN ISLANDS, FALKLAND ISLANDS, GIBRALTER, MONTSERRAT,
PITCAIRN, ST. HELENA, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. Note that for
purposes of the Diversity Program only, Northern Ireland is
treated seperately; Northern Ireland DOES QUALIFY and is
listed among the qualifying countries.
HONG KONG is a sparate immigrant visa chargability area and
DOES QUALIFY; Hong Kong is included on the regional list for
Asia.)
NORTH AMERICA:
BAHAMAS
OCEANIA:
AUSTRAILIA (including components and dependent areas
overseas), FIJI, KIRIBATI, MARSHALL ISLANDS, MICRONESIA --
FEDERATED STATES OF, NAURU, NEW ZEALAND (including components
and dependent areas overseas), PALAU (TRUST TERRITORY OF THE
PACIFIC ISLANDS), PAPAU NEW GUINEA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, TONGA,
TUVALU, VANUATU, WESTERN SAMOA
SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN:
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, ARGENTINA, BARBADOS, BELIZE, BOLIVIA,
BRAZIL, CHILE, COLUMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, DOMINICA, ECUADOR,
GRENADA, GUATEMALA, GUYANA, HAITI, HONDURAS, NICARAGUA,
PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PERU, SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS, SAINT LUCIA,
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES, SURINAME, TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO, URUGUAY, VENEZUELA
VISA BULLETIN SUBSCRIPTION AND CHANGE OF ADDRESS INFORMATION:
Additions or changes to the mailing list should be sent to: Visa
Bulletin, Visa Office, Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20522-
0113. Only addresses within the U.S. postal system may be placed
on the mailing list. Please include a recent mailing label when
reporting changes or corrections of address; the Postal Service
does NOT automatically notify the Visa Office of address changes.
Department of State Publication 9514
CA/VO: March 30, 1994
