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 carice@netcom.com. ****************************************************************** 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 carice@netcom.com -------------------------- PART 2 ------------------------------- From: amcmicha@mason1.gmu.edu 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] cslaw@delphi.com cslaw@win.net cslaw@witchcraft.com cslaw@pipeline.com cslaw@netcom.com lcanter@delphi.com lcanter@win.net lcanter@witchcraft.com lcanter@pipeline.com 76636.443@compuserve.com 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: ABAJOURNAL@ATTMAIL.COM 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 amcmicha@mason1.gmu.edu 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