Recently in Visa information Category

I wrote earlier about the Goodlatte/Herseth amendment to do away with the Diversity visa lottery. I asked you to see how your representatives voted.

Well, this is one of the things I Love about the US: people take initiative to contact their Senator! That's probably because, contrary to what I see in The Netherlands, people in the US feel connected to their representatives. They also hold their politicians a lot more accountable. Hey! We elected you into office! This is what you should do.

Here's an e-mail I recieved a few days ago......

Hi, I found your blog through Google!

I can't believe that the amendment to eliminate the
Diversity Visa passed in the House. BUT there is still
hope as it will be voted on by the Senate in the
coming weeks. Cross your fingers!

I wrote to my Senators to support the Diversity Visa.
I also wrote to Rep. Herseth who wrote the amendment.

You should write to a few Senators! I'm sure they
would love to hear the story of a normal, intelligent
person who applies for the visa year after year. And
how badly the visa is needed!

That's great!! I'll follow this reader's advise and write a few Senators myself. And maybe that way I can inspire YOU to do the same....

Why would you do that? Well, because just love Sweety and me :) But there are other (better) reasons to. Here's what the same reader had to say about that.

The reason why I'm a huge supporter of the Diversity Visa is because it is the only real fair opportunity to obtain a green card for those who are not fortunate enough to have family members invite them, or have a specialized occupation. I think it is a true "equal opportunity," and a very generous immigration policy that I am proud of.

I think people who oppose it are racist/classist.
Racist because they don't want any more immigrants
into the country than are absolutely necessary;
classist because they don't want immigrants who don't
come from money or high education.

I do not agree that the process is completely random.
"Winners" still have to prove their citizenship,
provide documents of education/training, clean
criminal background (right?), and pass the US Consular
interview. Winners are guarenteed nothing but the
OPPORTUNITY of being issued a visa.

The simple fact that 100,000 winner letters are issued
to fill 50,000 visas proves that only half of the
winners are expected to fulfill all the
qualifications, pass the interview, and actually be
issued a visa.

Anyways, I'll get off my soapbox... and I'm crossing
my fingers that the very unpopular HR 4437 (or 4337)
doesn't pass.

There you have it! Do you need more reasons to write your Senator? Hurry up, sent them a letter or e-mail today!

Most of you also read Sweety's weblog so you know what's been keeping me so busy. The most important thing is of course our baby boy TJ. He's great! He's smiling, growing and pooping. I love him.

I started a new job and that always requires some extra energy. Slowly I'm getting used to the new rhythm.... and surviving with less sleep :) The job is a lot more interesting than the previous one. Working for the Government I'm involved in a network security project. Last week I received my 'Top Secret' clearance. Good stuff :)

As you know we're participating in this years Diversity Lottery. Just as last year the rumours of notification letters being send to winners started very early. Officially the Kentucky Consular Center will notify winners by mail between May and July 2006, but they often start early. So between now end July we could receive a notification letter..... or not :(

The US House of Representatives has passed a Bill (HR4437 pdf) of which an amendment (#37 Goodlatte/Herseth pdf) seeks to do away with the Diversity visa lottery. As most of you know, Sweety and I participate every year in pursuit of our dream to move to the US.

The decision to do away with the Visa Lottery system was voted on comfortably, 273 to 148. One of the arguments for getting rid of this Visa Lottery was that terrorists were using the scheme to enter the US.

That's just weird logic. So everything terrorists are using to enter the US should be banned? Did you know that terrorists use shoes when entering the US?

Tell me which terrorist actually entered the US based on a Visum won with the Lottery. It makes no sense to use the Lottery since it's a process that takes at least two years. Why would a terrorist do that if they can enter illegally with a false ID within days.

Please take the time to see how your representatives voted.

More info:
CNN
Hindustan Times
MichNews

Finally a post not about Google but actually one related to moving the US :)

In a news release issued September 20, 2005, the US Department of State announced that registration for the 2007 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery will begin at noon on October 5, 2005. Persons seeking to enter the lottery program must register online through the designated website during the registration period, noon October 5, 2005 through noon December 4, 2005.

In response to demand, DOS says it has tripled the number of servers hosting the registration website this year.

In addition, persons submitting entries to the 2007 lottery will receive a notice of receipt now containing their name, date of birth, country of chargeability, and a time/date stamp when information has been properly registered.

The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for August was publicized today. It has the results for the Diversity Lottery 2006. There were 6.3 million qualified entries.

Turns out that of the 90.000 selected winners, only 105 are from The Netherlands (plus 8 on the Netherlands Antilles). That's about the same as last year (130) but remarkable lower if compared with the 698 Belgium winners. Go Belgium! Or is it a typo? It might be since there are also 698 winners from Belarus. Belarus and Belgium are underneath each other in the list.

Since we did not receive a notification letter, I guess we didn't win this year :(

There will be a new Diversity Lottery for 2007 so better luck next year!

The United States will allow 27 mainly European states taking part in a visa free travel scheme more time to introduce biometric data in passports.

The United States risked losing billions of dollars in spending by tourists and business travelers if it had stuck to tight timetable because about half the countries participating in the visa waiver scheme would miss the deadline.
Reuters

The new biometric criteria would only be for new passports, issued after October 26. Older passports just need to be machine readable. All Dutch passports are so we would have had no problem.

The Kentucky Consular Center has began to sent out the DV-2006 notification letters to winners in Australia. And this time it's not a joke. Every year Australians seem to be the first to receive the letters. In the past the first European winners where notified about two weeks later. Letters will be sent all the way through June. So, between now and the end of June, Sweety and I will be closely monitoring our mailbox. Waiting for that big brown envelope, notifying us we've won!

p.s. the batteries of the digital camera are fully loaded, there's space on the memory, so we'll post a picture as soon as we get the letter :)

Last week I had a dream where in I received a letter from the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC). They send out the notifications to Diversity Lottery winners every year. I don’t dream that often, and this one felt really real. What a great feeling it was! The envelope was smaller than the ones sent out in real life, and it was white instead of brown. But still.

Martin from Matosh told me his wife had a similair dream a few months before they received a winning notification in real life. They moved to the US last December.

I hope this dream will come true for us to.

Yesterday I went to a free USA Work Visa Workshop in Amsterdam organized by Law Offices of Richard A. Wilde. It was kinda interesting, though I didn’t hear a lot of new things. There was a special guest speaker from the US Consulate in Amsterdam. This was nice because she actually decides on Visa requests. So it was a great opportunity to ask some questions.

The conclusion after an hour of information is not new. The best way to emigrate to the US for Sweety and me is winning the Diversity Lottery. Last year more than 110 Dutch received a greencard through this. Second best is through employment but Visas for that are gone for this year and it is hard to find a company that will sponsor you.

Although the KCC officially says it informs winners of the Diversity Lottery between May and June, some people receive their letter before May every year. Sometimes as early as March. I’ve already heard of people receiving a letter, informing them they won the DV2006, in Asia and Australia.

Today someone at a Dutch forum posted a message that he had received confirmation of winning. I’m not sure yet if it is true or an April fools joke, but I think it can be true. This means that it’s a very exciting time for Sweety and me. Not only because our Government might fall (again!) but more importantly: if one of us wins the Lottery we should receive a letter between now and June, and wheter they fall or not, it won’t be our Government any more before too long :)

UPDATE: It was a joke....

No, not for a Valentine card. In two weeks the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) will start sending out instructions to DV2006 winners. So every time I'll receive a large envelope, between March and July, my hard will skip a beat. What if...

I really hope one of us wins this year. That would be awesome! Though we’d have to do some serious money saving :)

It's done ;)

Yesterday I filled in the application for the US Greencard Lottery. The form is very easy, basically it just requires you to fill in your name and address, and where you were born. I was done in five minutes. I used the photo from last year. Now we'll have to wait again.... Those selected will be notified by mail between May and July 2005 and will be provided further instructions, including information on fees connected with immigration to the U.S.

DV Lottery started. The State Department Web site for the 2006 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2006) is now open, click here to participate for free.

The Congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

Get ready for the 2006 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, aka Green Card Lottery! Read all about it at the U.S. Department of State website. he instructions for the 2006 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program are also available in PDF Format.

This year the registration period will begin at 12:00 pm EST (GMT-5) on November 5, 2004 and end at 12:00 pm EST (GMT-5) on January 7, 2005. Last year, millions of people lost their chance to enter because they waited too long - the number of people trying to enter at the end of the year caused the Government's website to shut down through most of the final days.

On August 11 2004 2:28PM (Minnesota time) Klaas became a citizen of the United States of America. Visit his site to cograt him, UsaDutch.com.

This week, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released Public Notice 4765, which offers adjusted fees for consular services and would become effective October 1, 2004.

The DV Lottery surcharge for immigrant visa will be raised from $100 to $375!! That's what you have to pay when you win and then still want to apply for a visa. Participating in the lottery will stay free. Basically people who win to lottery have to pay for those who lose.....

read more at regulations.gov

--------------------
The Schedule increases the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery surcharge
for a diversity immigrant visa application from $100 to $375. The
Department has legal authority to collect the surcharge only from
persons who are selected through the lottery process and therefore
qualify to apply for a DV visa, and to set it at a level sufficient to
cover the entire cost of running the lottery. The current $100 DV fee
recovers only some of the costs of the program, with remaining costs
recovered through appropriations. In order to make the DV surcharge
more consistent with the costs the Department is authorized to recover
through the surcharge and with the full-cost recovery basis on which
other consular fees are set and collected, the proposed increase allows
for full recovery of all costs, both direct and indirect, from those
who are selected through the lottery process and apply for a DV visa.
The fee will continue to be collected from everyone selected in the
lottery who pursues an application for DV status.
--------------------

The Register reports that a Florida couple has been sent to jail for 37 months after pleading guilty to mail fraud offences in connection with a Green card Scam.

Again, participation in the lottery is free. No charge, so you never have to pay for it. You can however, ask somebody else to help you fill in the necessary forms. And they can charge money for that. Sweety and I didn’t use a company to fill in the forms for us. Since it’s basically just your name, date of birth and current address they want, we managed our selves :)

Anouk forwarded me an e-mail sent to her by the International Student Office of George Washington University. Here it is:

------------------------------
It has been brought to our attention that an email message (from
“dvlottery2004-2005 dvlottery.state.gov”) is currently in mass circulation.
PLEASE DISREGARD THIS EMAIL! The message is a hoax and actually originates
from the French ISP “caramail.com” and not from the United States government.
The message states that you have “Won the DV lottery” and targets
international students and scholars living within the United States. You
will be asked to give your personal information, submit a picture of yourself
and submit a fee of US$349.67.
------------------------------

You can find more information about this scam at Siskind’s Immigration Bulletin.

Thanks Anouk!

Well, it seems we haven’t won a Green Card in this years Diversity Lottery. Winners have been notified between May and July. We weren’t among them. So better luck next year! Or… will there even be a next lottery? The U.S. Green Card Lottery has come under attack by certain government officials and organizations that would like to see the program ended.

"The bottom line is it's a program that can be taken advantage of by hostile intelligence officers or terrorists," said Anne W. Patterson, deputy inspector general for the State Department.

The Center for Immigration Studies called for the elimination of the Green Card Lottery, claiming the visa lottery is the perfect means of immigration for a terrorist lucky enough to be selected.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), a former immigration lawyer, introduced a bill (H.R. 775) last year to eliminate the visa lottery, though it hasn’t been acted on yet.

Now, after reading a lot about it I understand the flaws in the current program. It doesn’t provide diversity at all. So changing it might be a good idea. But canceling would not suit America. I think it should always be possible for people to move to the US without a family member or employer sponsoring them. Just pack your backs, get on a plane and follow your dream. Isn’t that the American Way? Why is it that people in favor of canceling the Diversity Lottery don’t come up with an alternative?

I know Sweety and I will get a permanent visa, one way or another. Just like terrorists will find their way in the country. I mean, all you need is a company willing to fill in a form saying that they need you. You really think a terrorist can't find one? His terrorist friends will start a company and fill in the forms. They're not going to gamble on a lottery.

So come up with a program that lets Sweety and me in! We’ll work hard and take care of ourselfs.

The Revalidation Division is discontinuing its domestic visa revalidation (reissuance) service. Basicly this means that when you have a visa and want to renew it, you have to leave the US to renew it. Obviously, when you don’t renew you have to leave the US too. The Department of State claims it’s not feasible to collect the required biometric indicator (fingerprint) from all visa applicants. It is required to do so according to the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act (H.R.3525).

More information can be found here.

Who was the first President of the United States? Can the Constitution be changed? Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? Can you name the thirteen original states?
Those are some of the question you can expect on your U.S. Citenship test. Now, i know it will take a while before Sweety (great site) and i will take it but it won't hurt to know the awnsers :)

President Bush recently proposed a major change to U.S. Immigration law, which if passed by congress, will radically change the way foreign workers are treated. Under the new proposal, anyone with a job or a job offer in the U.S.A. will become eligible for a renewable 3 year work permit and may apply for permanent residency. Even unskilled workers and those who have been in the U.S.A. illegally can qualify. Under current laws, only highly skilled workers in specialized fields can obtain work permits. The new proposal could open the door to millions of immigrants, including me :)

Read the White House Transcript. Read the White House Fact Sheet.

A site based on one simple idea:

Present the general public with clear, concise and practical information that would be useful in deciding which course of action to consider when immigrating to the United States.
At least, that's what they say about there own site :)
It does look like a honest site with a lot of information. With lessons in American Civics, Immigration Visa Information, News and Fact Sheets.

Take a look :)
Rapid Immigration

Wow.... O N L Y 5.9 million applications for the annual green card lottery were submitted. For 2004 10.2 million applications were received. Yes! That means better changes for us :)

Last-minute applicants flooded the State Department's Web site, but the number of entries was still well below the totals for the last two years, The New York Times reported.

The countries with the most applicants were Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Nepal and Morocco. Each country is capped at 3,500 green cards, however, so the more applications, the longer the odds. I don't know how many Dutch applicants were recieved. I hope just two :)

The BCIS has changed their name to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Effective November 1, the official web site for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be uscis.gov. All web pages at http://www.immigration.gov and http://www.bcis.gov have been moved to http://uscis.gov.

The Electronic Diversity Visa site is online. Goto http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ and read the Instructions carefully. Remember that participating is free. This could be your chance to win a Greencard and move to the United States permanently.

We'll take our pictures later this month and i might post them on my weblog. The Photo Check is a handy tool to verify if your photo meets the technical requirements. Be sure that you understand the other specifications and that your photo conforms, or the entry will be disqualified.

It's almost november and that means it's almost time to enter the Diversity Lottery program :) It's really exciting.... though the chances of winning are small, it does give hope. And as we say in Holland: "Hoop doet leven" (Hope keeps you alive).

Our friends Kev & Mel offered to help as make photo's according to the guidelines. I'll go through the rules once more to be sure we have everything we need to enter the Lottery. Not that i haven't read the rules more than a hundred times by now :)

And remember, do it yourself:
No fee is charged to enter the annual DV program. The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program. Any intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare DV casework for applicants do so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government. Use of any outside intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV entry is entirely at the applicant's discretion.

The recent 660% increase in permit prices in The Netherlands made me wonder what the permit costs for the USA are. I don't think it's really thát important. Moving to the USA is expensieve anyway and we really want to move there. So who cares :)
But i took a look anyway, and i think i've found it. I think that after winning the Diversity Lottery, which is free, you have to file form I-485. It has 7 pages and the fee is $255. A separate fee for fingerprinting may also be required: $50. And when your "green card" expires, you have to file I-90 and pay another $130.

That's expensive too. I just think it's all fraud :)

I've read the Green Card Lottery 2005 guidelines and showed them to our US friends. Not much has changed except the electronically submission. Because of the online entry the signature requirement has been eliminated.
Also, natives of Russia will not be eligible to apply for a diversity visa. But that's not my problem :)

The U.S. Department of State announced the instructions for the 2005 Diversity Lottery (aka Green Card Lottery). There's a major change! Applicants must submit an Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (EDV Entry Form), which is accessible only at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ (not online yet). No more paperwork to enter the lottery. They also moved the entry dates to november/december.

And how about this:
"If the submitted digital images do not conform to the specifications, the system will automatically reject the EDV Entry Form and notify the sender."
Does this mean that you get a change to correct it? That would be a great improvement from the old system.

I did not have time to read everything to see if there are any other changes. I'll let you know when i find more changes. For more information visit the Department of State website, click here.

As you might know, one of the ways to get a permanent visa (or Greencard) is to take part in the Diversity Visa Lottery (DV). Every year 50,000 permanent resident visas are made available.
Taking part is free, the chance of winnig is slim. For the DV-2004 10.2 million applications were received, 2.9 million were disqualified. From the remaining 7.3 million, 111,000 have been registered and notified and may now make an application for an immigrant visa. Since it is likely that some of the first 50,000 persons registered will not pursue their cases to visa issuance, this larger figure should insure that all DV-2004 numbers will be used.
Sweety and i will be taking part in the DV-2005. So somewhere in july 2004 we might get some great news! It's gonna be a long wait. If you also want to take part in the lottery, PLEASE DON'T :)

U.S. Department of State Diversity Visa Lottery 2004 (DV-2004) Results
More related sites can be found on my left menu: "Related Sites".