SUBSCRIPTIONS
ABOUT INDZINE

DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY
By K.S. Rai

The entries for the Diversity Visa Lottery started on october 4, and entries will be accepted till noon NOVEMBER 3,1999. Up to 50,000 Green Cards are available under the visa lottery program, which promotes legal immigration from countries that the U.S. Department of state determines are under-represented in the United States population. A Green Card holder is a Legal permanent Resident for the United States and has the right to work, do business and live permanently in America.

The entries for the diversity visa lottery are not based on the Nationality of the applicant but the country of birth. For example an Indian citizen born in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka can apply under this program. The natives born in born in the following countries are not allowed to enter under the diversity Visa Lottery program this year are: India, Canada , China (Not including Hong Kong), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland , South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom and its dependent territories(Not including Northern ireland and Vietnam, Every year 6 million to 8 million entries are received. Being selected in the lottery does not guarantee a Green Card but makes the person eligible to apply for one.

To qualify for this program, one must have either a high school education or its equivalent or within the past five years have two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training experience.

Participants must write down and mail in some basic information such as name, date and place of birth and mailing address.No fees are required, and anyone who sends more than one entry are disqualified.Those selected will be notified between April and July 2000.

The U.S. State Department says winners are selected at random, and no outside service can improve a person's chance of being chosen or guaranteed a win.Regulations on submitting an entry may be obtained on the State Department Web site (http://travel.state.gov) or by calling the agency at (202) 331-7199. October 1999   Visa Availability for India Born. The bulletin issued by the Visa office of the Bureau of consular Affairs of the U.S.Department of State gives the following availability position for the issuance of immigrant visas during the month of October 1999.