| 1.
What is the Diversity Visa Program?
The
Diversity Visa Program, known as the "GREEN CARD LOTTERY"
was enacted by the United States Congress in 1965. It is a
method by which people in certain countries around the world
can get permanent residency in the United States merely by
submitting a simple application. The current program allocates
50,000 visas, "Green Cards," to applicants from
certain countries around the world. The selected applicants
will be chosen in a random drawing or "lottery"
conducted by the U.S. State Department.
2.
What is a "Green Card" and what is "United
States Permanent Residency"?
A
Green Card is the piece of identification which shows that
a person as United States Permanent Residency. Permanent Residency
gives a person the legal right to live and work permanently
in the United States and to enter and leave the country freely.
No longer does will a person need a special visa to enter
and live in the United States. After five years of having
the Permanent Residency, you can obtain the United States
citizenship.
3.
How does the Green Card lottery work?
To
obtain a Green Card, an entry must be prepared and submitted
to the U.S. State Department. The entry must be completed
in compliance with strict rules established by the U.S. State
Department. The State Department will then select winners
by a random drawing. ONLY WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY THE
STATE DEPARTMENT. Winners will then be given instructions
and forms which need to be filled out quickly and submitted
so that the winner can get his/her Permanent Residency. The
winners can fill out the forms and submit them to the nearest
United States Embassy to receive their Green Cards. If the
winners are in the U.S. and otherwise meet certain requirements
of the United States Immigration Laws, the Permanent Residency
can be obtained in the United States.
Cuevas & Ortiz, P.A.
Diversity Visa Program (Visa Lottery)
REQUIREMENTS
4. What do I have to do to submit an application
to obtain a Green Card pursuant to the lottery?
To
apply for the Green Card Lottery, the applicant must provide
the following 4 items:
1.
Written application form
2. Required processing fee
3. Passport photograph(s) (one picture for the applicant and
one picture for each member of the family)
4. Signature(s) on the application
5.
When do I register?
As
soon as possible! There is a brief registration period that
begins October 7, 2002 through November 6, 2002. We must have
your [application form] no later than October 15, 2001 in
order to submit your application on time. It is better to
plan ahead of time as there have been times in past programs
that the U.S. State Department has advanced the deadline without
notice. Early processing guarantees your application will
be timely filed. It is better to be safe than sorry.
6.
Who is elegible to apply?
Persons
who are "Charged" to any country in the world can
apply, EXCEPT PEOPLE CHARGED TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES :Canada,
China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India,
Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United
Kingdom, and Vietnam. Northern Ireland is treated as a separate
country and is eligible.
You
must be at least twenty-one (21) years old
You can enter wherever you are living - even in the United
States
You must have at least a U.S. high school diploma (or your
country’s equivalent) or two years work experience in
certain jobs
7.
How do I know which country I am "Charged" to?
A
native is both someone born within one of the qualifying countries
and someone entitled to be "charged" to such country
under Section 202(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Thus someone may be (1) charged to the country of birth of
his/her spouse; (2) a minor dependent child can be charged
to the country of birth of a parent; and (3) an applicant
born in a country of which neither parent was a native may
be charged to the country of birth of either parent. If one
claims to be a native of a country other than where one was
born, he/she must include a statement to that effect on the
lottery application
8.
Some Normal Concerns, And Their Answers
You
do not have to speak or write English
You do not need to have relatives living in the United States
You do not have to have a particular amount of money or a
job waiting
You need only qualify as an "immigrant," which means
you may not be a criminal, cannot be mentally disturbed, must
be able to work or support yourself, and not be a threat to
the United States national interest
You can enter the Green Card lottery even if you have petitions
pending, such as a relative or employer’s petitions
Entering the Green Card lottery does not affect current or
past petitions.
9.
If I win can my family be included?
When
you receive a Green Card through the lottery, your husband
or wife and unmarried children under twenty-one (21) years
of age will also receive Green Cards at the same time.
10.
What is the fee for registration?
Our
firm charges $75 per applicant. The U.S. State Department
does not have a fee to enter the Diversity Visa Lottery. Some
people decide to submit the applications on their own, however
more than one-half of all applicants done by people without
experience with the United States Immigration and Naturalization
laws submit the application incorrectly, submit the applications
late, or their applications never get there. It is also very
important to be notified of your approval immediately because
more approvals are granted each year than there are visas.
Therefore, we help our clients by making sure they find out
about their approvals via Express Mail, and we provide assistance
if required in understanding the requirements for submitting
their residency applications. There is no charge for unmarried
children under twenty-one (21) years of age when filing as
a family. The required filing fee covers all handling and
expense of preparing, processing, and mailing your application
to the U.S. State Department.
You
can pay by U.S. Currency, Foreign Currency (same value), International
Money Order, U.S. Money Order, International Draft, Traveler’s
Check, Check drawn on U.S. Bank. All checks are to be made
payable to "Cuevas & Ortiz, P.A. - Lottery".
Because
the Green Card Lottery is a lottery program, Cuevas Law Group,
P.A. cannot guarantee that you will be picked as a winner.
However, we use our experience and knowledge to give you the
best possible opportunity to win. We carefully satisfy the
many legal and technical requirements. The slightest mistake
can disqualify your entry. We make sure your entry is done
right and filed on time!
PLEASE
MAKE SURE YOUR INCLUDE YOUR PROPER PAYMENT TO "Cuevas
& Rubin - Lottery"
Information
on Form of Payment
PLEASE
MAKE SURE THAT YOU INCLUDE THE PICTURES REQUIRED ONLY FOR
THE PRINCIPAL APPLICANT. THE PICTURE MUST BE SIGNED ON THE
BACK BY THE PRINCIPAL APPLICANT
PLEASE
MAKE SURE YOU MAIL IT TO OUR OFFICE AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE:
Cuevas & Ortiz, P.A.
Green Card Lottery
536 Biltmore Way
Coral Gables, Florida 33134
United States
11.
Summary of Instructions
Do
not submit application more than once. Applications will not
be accepted by fax.
The U.S. State Department requires that applicants filing
for the Green Card Lottery Program must submit a photograph.
You must send a photograph and print your name along with
your signature on the back. Follow the specifications listed
below. All applications must be accompanied with a photograph(s).
Please print application, enclose photograph(s) and mail to
Cuevas Law Group, P.A. at the address below.
Any/all payments must accompany the application. No application
will be processed without a payment enclosed.
Date of birth and origin of birth must be filled in.
12.
PHOTOGRAPH SPECIFICATIONS
The
entry will be disqualified if all required photos are not
attached. Recent photographs of the applicant and his/her
spouse and each child, including all natural children as well
as all legally-adopted and stepchildren, even if the children
no longer reside with the applicant, must be attached to the
entry. The name and date of birth of each family member must
be printed on the back of their photo. Group or family photos
will not be accepted; there must be a separate photo for each
family member. Photos should be attached with tape and not
stapled to the entry. If there is insufficient room on the
front of the entry, applicants may tape photos to the back
of the page.
If
photos do not conform to the following specifications, the
entry will be disqualified:
- PICTURES
MUST BE INCLUDED FOR EACH MEMBER OF YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY
- SIZE:
2 inches (50mm) square, with the applicant’s, spouse's,
or child's name and date of birth printed on the back.
- Applicant,
spouse, or child must be directly facing the camera; the
head of the person being photographed should not be tilted
up, down or to the side, and should cover about 50% of the
area of the photo.
- The
photo should be taken with the person being photographed
in front of a neutral, light-colored background. Photos
taken with very dark or patterned, busy backgrounds will
not be accepted.
- Photos
in which the face of the person being photographed is not
in focus will not be accepted.
- Photos
in which the person being photographed is wearing a hat
or glasses with dark lens or in which the face is obscured
in any way will not be accepted.
- Photos
may be either color or black and white.
Photograph
Requirement
SIZE: 2 inches (50mm) square
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The
name and date of birth of each family member must be printed
on the back of their photo.
You
may fill out the
[application form] now and submit it by printing the form
and mailing it or by faxing it. Answer the questions to the
best of your knowledge, choose source of payment and sign
the form where shown. You must mail the completed application,
processing fee and passport photograph(s) as soon as possible.
Upon receipt, Cuevas Law Group, P.A., will:
Prepare,
process, and file your application on time
Notify winners by Express Mail
Send certification of receipt of application
Keep a copy of your application for future reference
Provide e-mail support for your questions
Notify you if there are problems with your application
Let you know if any rules of the program changes
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