Dear Readers:
This week the entry period for the annual green card lottery began. We are re-running our popular questions and answers document that should tell you everything you need to know to enter. There are many services out there that promise to increase one’s chances of winning the lottery. Readers should beware of anyone making such claims. This is a classic scam that has grown bigger as the Internet has expanded its reach. There are no secret ways to make a lottery application stand out and anyone who says otherwise is not being honest.
There are legitimate entry services out there (and, in the name of full disclosure, we have such a service). And there are legitimate reasons to use them. Some people have poor English skills and cannot easily follow directions in this language. Some people move around and are concerned about not receiving a winner’s package if they are no longer residing at the same place as listed on the entry form. Some people don’t trust the mail systems in their home country and want to use a US return address on their envelopes.
But it is certainly possible for most people to enter themselves and we are pleased to provide the tools for doing so. You can find more information on our web site’s green card lottery center at www.visalaw.com/lottery_page.html.
Shortly before press time, we learned of a major amnesty bill introduced by House Minority Leader Richard Gephart. We’ll report more on this bill next week, but mainly to offer a preview of what to expect next year. This Congress will soon be finished and it is extremely unlikely that any more pro-immigration bills will pass. If the House of Representatives returns to Democratic hands after the election, this bill will stand a better chance of success.
We also include this week all of our regular features including News Bytes, News from the Courts, Ask Visalaw and Border News.
In firm news, we want to tell Mick Wright, our webmaster, to get well soon. If you see mistakes in this week’s newsletter, it is probably because I’m doing the posting myself. So please be patient.
Finally, as always, we remind readers that we’re lawyers who make our living representing immigration clients. We would love to discuss becoming your law firm. Just go to http://visalaw.wpengine.com/intake.html to request an appointment or call us at 800-748-3819 or 901-682-6455.
Kind regards,
Greg Siskind
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. The information provided in this article has not been updated since its original posting and you should not rely on it until you consult counsel to determine if the content is still valid. We keep older articles online because it helps in the understanding of the development of immigration law.