DV-2001 LOTTERY DEADLINE NEARS

People who are interested in entering the DV-2001 green card lottery will need to get their applications out immediately if they are to make the November 3^th filing deadline.

Even as more and more businesses conduct business exclusively on the Internet, and the US government itself makes increasing amounts of information available online, the State Department rules mandate use of the slowest means for sending the documents available.  DV-2001 rules only permit applications to be sent by regular mail in an envelope of a specified size (see http://www.visalaw.com/lottery_page.html for specifics).  This means that overnight mail services may not be used.  Applicants outside the US will now need to have their applications mailed from addresses within the US if they are to apply in time, as international mail is not fast enough to ensure timely entry.  That might involve using an express mail service to send an application from overseas to a friend or lawyer in the US.  The person in the US would then send the application to the National Visa Center via regular mail.

Rules for DV-2002 will not be announced until next summer.  However, we expect the State Department to stick to its fall schedule and hold the lottery in October or November 2000.

When the results of the DV-2001 lottery are made available, we will pass them on to our readers.

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Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.