Visa Lottery Starts

THE annual DV green card lottery (DV-2010) begins this week on October 2, and concludes on December 1 at noon. As in previous years, applications can only be lodged electronically through the State Department's DV website at www.dvlottery.state.gov.

The 50,000 green cards on offer are not - repeat, not - available to undocumented residents of the U.S. It's quite usual around this time of year for immigration-related agencies and what not to offer services "guaranteeing" success in the lottery - some of the come-ons are particularly enticing, promising results no matter what the circumstances.

But don't be fooled by such words. An undocumented resident of the U.S. should not apply for the lottery because the chances of success, should the application actually be selected, are nil. The green cards would need to be processed at a U.S. consular post abroad, and the undocumented applicant would be subject to the three or 10-year bar to entering the U.S. that is triggered when returning to the country.

For those who are either legal residents of the U.S., or still living in Ireland, the lottery is definitely something to be pursued - though, of course, the chances of success are miniscule, given the millions of people from around the globe who apply for one of the coveted green cards.

Citizens of most countries are eligible, with some exceptions - Brazil, Canada, China (mainland born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland), and Vietnam.

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Nster.com