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The Nepal Digest Friday 30 Dec 94: Push 14 2051 BkSm Volume 34 Issue 14
Happy New Year 1995!
- TND Editorial Board
Note: There was a file update problem on the system last week. If
you or one of your friends are not getting TND, please re-subscribe!
Apologies for the inconvinience.
******************************************************************************
* TND Board of Staff *
* ------------------ *
* Editor/Co-ordinator: Rajpal J. Singh a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
* SCN Liason: Rajesh B. Shrestha rshresth@black.clarku.edu *
* Consultant Editor: Padam P. Sharma sharma@plains.nodak.edu *
* Discussion Moderator: Ashutosh Tiwari tiwari@husc.harvard.edu *
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* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
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**********************************************************************
From: LENA.PIYA@AMGATE.BARRA.COM
Date: Fri, 23 Dec 1994 14:20:53 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Hello everyone
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
I've been receiving your subscription on a regular basis. I admire and
appreciate your effort to put together the digest. I have noticed many issues
being discussed through this digest, most of them are quite interesting also. I
also wanted to give an input in it.
Well let me begin with a concern that everyone has who are students, or are at
work at present. The problem with us our status. Some are in F-1 status where
as some are in H-1( Working Visa). I saw the discussion on the F-1 visa denials
from the US Consulate in Nepal, but never heard anything on H-1 visa. I assume
that everyone knows what H-1 visa is ( working visa that you get through the
company you're working for). My concern is if there has been any cases when a
person with a H-1 got denied the H-1 multiple entry Visa. If anyone has faced
this problem could you please get back to me.
I am in the similar kind of situation. My H-1B has been approved from INS and I
need to go to Nepal. I would like to know people's experience in the US
consulate in Nepal. I'd greatly appreciate your feedback on this matter. Thanks
in advance.
**********************************************************************
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 1994 21:06 EST
From: ATULADHAR@vax.clarku.edu
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Environmental Update: Dec 1994
===============================
[Source: ESCAP, OCt 1994; Environmental News briefing of Asia Pacific]
1. Arguments of kathmandu Industry: Reacting to proposed move to
relocate polluting industries of Kathmandu valley outside the valley, the
following counterarguments have been raised.
1. Kathmandu tax payers (as if there was a group called kathmandu
tax payers as in US) are not consulted about their ideas of which industries
are bad or good for moving out.
2. The main bette noire of Kathmandu pollution, the Carpet and
the Garment industries, claim that carpet industries use only 6 pollution of
the total water demand of Kathmandu and are party to only 3 percent of water
pollution in Bishnumati and 0.5 percent in Bagmati. The industry contributes
only 25 poercent of the solid wastes and 66 percent of this generated by
employees working in the industry. The reference for this "only" figures
is the ECO news vol 5, may 26, 1994, USAID.
3. wHO will the bear the overhead cost of relocating small and
medium scale industries, they would die with no access to subsidized infra
structure.
4. Kathmanduites who want relocation of the industries must be
willing to pay an environmental tax to pay for the relocation costs. does this
not sound as "Makai khane bhalu, kutai khane kalu?"
5. Industries are the victims not the public, if today the
industries are hounded out of Kathmandu to Hetauda, to morrow it will be to
Narayan ghat, and the day after, it will go south of the border, what then?
The author, Chandaan Acharya, recommends that industries stand and fight
against physical relocation.
2. URBAN ENVIRONMENT: Urban population increased from 3 percent to
10 percent between 1950 to 1990. It is exp[ected to be 14 percent in 2000 with
a growth rate of 6.5%, given the national growth rate is 2.1 percent.
About 50 percent of the total medium and large scale manufacturing
units in Nepal (4270 units) are in Kathmandu valley. This results in a loss of
agricultural ecosystem by urban sprawl; increase in per capita demand for
water, energy; change in local atmospheric system; decrease in absorptive
capacity of surrounding ecosystem or sink saturation for wastes generated;
vulnerability to medical epidemics. More than five dozen studies of the
Kathmandu environment has been done but they lack depth in analysis of urban
ecosystem function and structure. Which problems are most important is still
not agreed upon.
Amulya Tuladhar
******************************************************************
Date: Sun, 25 Dec 1994 13:19:18 +0300
From: shrestha@joyl.joensuu.fi
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Wanted ! Wanted !! Wanted !!!
Dear members,
If any one knows about E-mail address of Rabindra Shrestha or Madhuvan
Maskey (Both are in Viena, Austria), Please, send me that.
Thank you.
Raj Bahadur Shrestha
Finnland
********************************************************
Date: Sun, 25 Dec 94 11:01:31 EST
From: Ganesh Panta <GANESH@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: The Nepal Digest - Dec 23, 1994 (7 Push 2051 BkSm)
To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
Dear TND Readers:
Nepalese at the University of Georgia, GA, Athens, USA extend their
greetings and best wishes to all the TND Readers in the eve of X-mas
and New Year 1995.
Ganesh Panta
Girwan, Rupa and Prapti Pandey
Durga Dutta poudel
**********************************************************************
Date: Sun, 25 Dec 1994 21:58 EST
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu, Anish_Bania_at_WP@abtassoc.com
From: "Neal Cohen" 25-DEC-1994 21:53:06.67
Subj: UML's Economic Policies
This is the summary of the King's speech to Parliament that laid out the new
government's policy. Today's budget speech will provide additional details. As
I shall be on leave this week, our analysis of the budget speech will have to
wait a week. A full copy of our analysis is being mailed to you.
__________________________________________________________________________
The King's Speech to parliament on the 23rd December outlined the new
government's policies. As these are the policies of a minority govern-
ment it is not possible to know for which a majority in Parliament can
be achieved. The speech covers an incredible number of different
topics, it is impossible to determine their priorities and which they
will try to do immediately, or simply lay the foundation for implemen-
tation at a later date.
I view the speech as moving the government sharply away from the previ-
ous pro-economic liberalization and structural adjustment programs.
There is definitely a reduced commitment to privatization, to a reduced
role of government, to private sector development. The speech heavily
emphasizes a greater role for government intervention in the economy,
to government controls and direction.
While the obligatory pro-private sector statement is offered, it is
obvious from the speech that the government prefers the development of
cooperatives in marketing, provision of inputs and sales of outputs;
further, government will seek methods to reduce prices through price
controls. There is also talk about the need for interest rate subsidies
and increased targeting of credit to the priority sectors. There
appears to be little understanding of the necessity of developing a
market. Reductions on prices of essentials might have an appeal in
urban Nepal, they will reduce incentives to farmers. Lower interest
rates have appeal but they dry up capital and result in less incentives
to savers; subsidized interest rates lead to increased corruption in
the allocation of credit.
Reduction in the role of the private sector in provision of inputs or
sales of outputs will return Nepal to the failures of earlier efforts
at development through state-mandated cooperatives that did little. The
government appears to have little interest in further privatizations,
it is more interested in making existing companies more efficient.
Privatizations will become biased toward national investors and
workers. Statements of trying to encourage foreign investment do not
appear to be backed up by actions. Similarly, talk of being open to
encouraging SAPTA (the regional trade grouping for south Asia) trade
and investment, runs directly into a roadblock of protecting national
businesses.
There was no mention about eliminating the Octroi Tax, the Wealth Tax,
the Export Service Fee, or instituting a VAT. The only talk was able
reviewing import duties and this is probably in the context of protect-
ing national investors. The speech does talk about the need to make the
tax system simple, transparent and effective with a reduction in tax
evasion.
There is no direct statement about how the government feels about Arun
3, but statements on their water resource development program imply a
clear and strong preference for program OTHER than Arun
I was surprised at how little mention was made of health matters, or
of reducing population growth. While land reform was mentioned, it does
not appear to be emphasized as much as it was in the party's Manifesto,
or in early statements by Ministers.
Neal
***************************************************************
From: "Ganesh Pandey" <GANESHP@CIVIL.Lan.McGill.CA>
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu, atuladhar@vax.clarku.edu
Date: Wed, 28 Dec 1994 10:00:21 EST5EDT
Subject: Dilli Choudhary Honoured
Dilli Choudhary is honoured.
Should we be proud or ashamed of it?
I guess both together.
We should be ashamed of the fact that we still keep bonded
labours in our home.
Proud, at least there are some individual who are dedicated
to fight such evils.
So we should be ashamed of ourselves and proud of Dilli Choudhaty.
Please flame me...
namaste
ganesh
***************************************************************
Date: 27 Dec 94 18:00:47 EST
From: Rajendra.P.Shrestha@Dartmouth.EDU (Rajendra P. Shrestha)
Subject: News from the last few days
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
SOURCE: Reuters
HEADLINE: NEPAL BUDGET LEAVES BIG DEFICIT, SIGNALS BORROWING
BYLINE: By Gopal Sharma
DATELINE: KATHMANDU, DEC 26
BODY:
Nepal's minority communist rulers on Monday announced a budget
that raised public spending but left a huge deficit, sparking fears
among economists that the goverment would borrow more to pay its
bills.
Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikary's budget for 1994/95
(beginning mid-July) that recast the previous Nepali Congress
government's plans, announced free education for schoolchildren up to
the ninth grade and huge grants for village councils.
"The policies and programmes do not reflect the total commitments
of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) party," Adhikary told the
parliament elected in November after mid-term elections voted out the
centrist Congress.
"However, I believe this budget will provide a glimpse as well as
the long-term perspective."
Adhikary said UML's policies would give tax breaks to low-income
citizens, rely more on income taxation than on commodity taxation and
use commodity taxes to help local industries flourish in the Himalayan
economy that leans heavily on support from neighbouring India.
The spending outlay of 42.69 billion rupees ($ 854 million) and
revenue of 29.45 billion rupees ($ 590 million) left a deficit of
13.24 billion rupees ($ 264 million).
"It means that in the coming days we might have to depend more on
foreign aid and internal loans," said Pushkar Bajracharya, an
economist at the Tribhuvan University.
The government's spending plan showed that 4.46 billion rupees ($
89 million) of its resources would come from foreign aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Reuters
HEADLINE: Nepal seeks more from India border power project
DATELINE: KATHMANDU, Dec 26
BODY:
Nepal wants fresh talks with India to win more benefits from a
controversial hydroelectric project that straddles their Himalayan
border, Prime Minister Manmohan Adhikary said on Monday.
"We will have to resume talks with India on the Tanakpur project
with the interest and sovereignty of Nepal on our minds," said
Adhikary, leader of the newly-elected minority communist government.
Adhikary, whose party is seeking to rewrite a 40-year-old
friendship treaty with India that it claims is unfair to Nepal, was
replying to a parliamentary policy debate.
His Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) party had when in opposition
criticised the then-Nepali Congress government for conceding too much
to India in the building of the 125-megawatt project on the Mahakali
river.
Top government officials told Reuters that the deputy prime
minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, would visit India early next year to
prepare for Adhikary's first visit.
The previous government in 1991 allowed India to extend part of the
power project's embankment area into Nepal in exchange for two
megawatts of power and 1,000 cubic feet per second of water.
The UML at the time described the deal as "subservient to India"
and demanded it be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the Nepali
parliament.
"We are firm on our stand even now," Adhikary said. A high-level
state committee is now examining the deal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: DPA
HEADLINE: Nepal inquiry rejects conspiracy in communist leaders' death
DATELINE: Kathmandu, Dec 24
BODY:
A high-level judicial inquiry has rejected any conspiracy or plans
in the death of two top communist leaders in a road accident in May
1993, it was announced here.
The general secretary of the United Marxist-Leninists, Madan Kumar
Bhandari, and the UML organisation chief, Jeevraj Ashrit, were killed
when a vehicle in which they were travelling plunged into a river
south of here.
The UML, calling their death the result of a conspiracy, launched
a protest campaign in June 1993 to oust the prime minister, Girija
Prasad Koirala.
Over the next month and a half, almost two dozen people were
killed in police firing. One of the conditions for suspending the
agitation by the UML was the setting up of a judicial commission to
investigate the incident.
The commission said that it found no proof of "planned conspiracy"
to kill the two communist leaders.
The investigation was conducted by Nepalese supreme court judge
Trilok Pratap Rana.
The commission was set up by King Birendra under recommendation of
the Nepali Congress government led by Prime Minister Koirala. The
results were announced by the communist minority government which took
office after the November parliamentary elections. dpa sb vc
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: DPA
HEADLINE: Communist government commits itself to market economy
DATELINE: Kathmandu, Dec 23
BODY:
Nepal's three week old minority communist government has formally
committed itself to open market economy and has pledged to carry out a
"balanced" economic policy for the Himalayan kingdom.
The commitment came in King Birendra's address to the joint
session of the upper house and the newly elected lower house of
parliament Friday.
The communist United Marxist-Leninists (UML) party which has just
88 members in the 205-member House of Representatives, formed the
minority government on November 30 and was easily able to get the
mandatory vote of confidence in the lower house on Thursday.
The royal address which outlines the government's programmes and
policies for the remaining seven months of the current Nepalese
financial year promised to deliver the fruits of development to the
people by improving the economy and creating more job opportunities.
The UML government, however, said that a better "balance" would be
brought to its implementation of the liberal open market economy.
The liberal economic policy had been introduced by the Nepali
Congress government in 1991 soon after India had done so but there
have been persistent criticisms in Nepal that the policy had helped
only the rich business community while providing no protection to
consumers against exploitation.
The UML government which will present a revised budget for the
current year on Saturday is expected to announce some "relief" to the
people.
The government also said that it would end the "bonded" labour
system, prevalent in parts of western Nepal, under which people are
made to work like slaves until money borrowed has been repayed.
The royal address also stressed that the UML government would be
redrawing the priority in the planning structure of the country.
In foreign affairs, King Birendra said that the UML government
would be following a policy based on the five principles of peaceful
co-existence known as "Panchasheela" and on the principles of
non-alignment.
The UML government would seek to strengthen friendship with all
countries, particularly immediate neighbours, India and China, he
said.
The UML government stress on Panchasheela is seen by political
observers to mean that it would be following a more balanced foreign
policy towards India and China and try to correct the perceived
pro-India tilt during the Nepali Congress government. dpa ds
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Reuters
HEADLINE: Nepali communist PM wins unanimous confidence vote
BYLINE: Updates with results of vote) By Gopal Sharma
DATELINE: KATHMANDU, Dec 22
BODY:
Nepali Prime Minister Man Mohan Adhikary, the Himalayan kingdom's
first communist leader, won a unanimous vote of confidence on Thursday
in what opposition parties called a one-time show of undivided
support.
An overwhelming total of 198 deputies voted in favour of Adhikary's
three-and-a-half-week-old government, reflecting the opposition's
unwillingness to go right back to the polls.
"I hereby declare that the proposal put up by Prime Minister Man
Mohan Adhikary seeking the confidence of the House has been passed by
the House of Representatives," speaker Ram Chandra Poudel said after
the vote.
In a symbol of consensus, Adhikary and former Congress prime
minister Girija Prasad Koirala shook hands after the vote.
But the opposition warned the minority government to shun radical
policies or risk being thrown out of power.
Poudel, who was elected speaker last Saturday, did not vote and
three other votes in the 205-seat chamber were not cast because they
belonged to deputies who had been elected from two constituencies in
general polls last month. Three deputies were absent.
Adhikary's Communist United Marxist-Leninist (UML) party controls
88 seats in the chamber and won the support of the opposition which
feared it could lose even more ground to the communists if another set
of elections were held.
"It will be only one-time support," the spokesman for the
pro-palace Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Kamal Thapa, told Reuters
before the vote.
Adhikary, 74, was appointed prime minister on November 29 after his
party won a plurality that fell 15 votes short of an overall majority
in the House of Representatives.
The three-year-old constitution requires a prime minister to seek a
vote of confidence in the House within 30 days of being appointed.
The former ruling Congress Party holds 83 seats and the RPP has 20,
giving them blocking power.
"We will support the government in this particular motion because
we want political stability in the country," Congress deputy Jai
Prakash Anand said.
Congress parliamentary leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said the former
ruling party wanted the communists to protect law and order, give full
autonomy to local governments and pursue economic liberalisation.
The Congress parliamentary leader reminded Adhikary of his tenuous
plurality in parliament.
"The UML should not forget its arithmetical equation and maintain
good relations with the opposition," Deuba said.
The opposition claim nine people have been killed in violence since
the UML took power, and have called for the communists to take a
tougher stance on law and order.
"So far there is no situation for alarm," Adhikary said. "It is not
a situation where the sky is falling in. There have been sporadic
cases of violence. We will investigate."
The new prime minister said law and order was also a concern for
the UML, and that he had asked the interior minister to "bring the
guilty people to book."
The communist leader said he was willing to discuss economic
liberalisation with the opposition, but made no commitment to follow
Congress' free-market policies.
However, Adhikary has said he will defend capitalism and promote
foreign investment in Nepal, one of the poorest countries with annual
income of $180 a head, while protecting key industries with import
barriers.
***********************************************************************************************
***********************************************************************************************
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 1994 10:11:00 -0500
Forwarded by: rsingh@ims.advantis.com (Rajpal J.P. Singh)
Subject: Immigration Lottery 1996 Program
To: The Nepal Digest <nepal@mp.cs.niu.edu>
DV-96 VISA APPLICATION
A. APPLICANT'S FULL NAME
Kumar, Ajay Harshal [Mosaic users: remember to underline last name]
B. APPLICANT'S DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH
Date if Birth: 10 June 1952
Place of Birth: Bombay, India
C. NAME, DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH OF APPLICANT'S SPOUSE AND
CHILDREN, IF ANY
Spouse: Kumar, Mary Jane
Date of Birth: 11 July 1953
Date of Birth: Johannesburg, South Africa
Child: Kumar, Lucy Susan
Date of Birth: 20 May 1980
Place of Birth: Johannesburg, South Africa
D. APPLICANT'S MAILING ADDRESS
1122 Main Street
Johannesburg
2038
South Africa
Telephone: (011) 555-5555
Closest U.S. Consulate to current residence or last foreign residence: Johannesburg, South Africa
E.APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY IF DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF
BIRTH
South Africa. Claimed because of spouse's native status.
How to Enter the Green Card Lottery Lawyer-Free
Questions and Answers About DV-96
Sample Application
Sample Envelope
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT DV-96
This discussion is intended to address most of the major questions many of you have
asked me about the DV-96 Lottery. The discussion includes sample forms to guide you
in completing your own application.
What is the "Green Card" Lottery?
This discussion is intended to answer questions people may have regarding the
upcoming DV-96 lottery (better known as the "green card lottery") and give directions
for submitting a lottery application.
The U.S. Congress has authorized the allotment of 55,000 immigrant visas in the DV-96
category during Fiscal Year 1996. Foreign nationals who are natives of countries
determined by the I.N.S. (according to a mathematical formula based upon population
totals and totals of specified immigrant admissions for a 5-year period) are eligible to
apply. The application period will begin at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on January 31, 1995,
and will end at midnight on March 1, 1995.
Nationals of which countries are excluded?
China-mainland China and Taiwan (nationals of Hong Kong are included), India,
Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland natives are
eligible), Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, El Salvador, Columbia and the Dominican Republic.
How are visas allotted?
The DV-96 program apportions visa issuance among six geographic regions (Africa,
Asia, Europe, North America (other than Mexico), Oceania, and South America
(including Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean). The world is divided up into high
and low admission regions and each of the six regions is divided into high and low
admission states. A greater portion of the visas go to the low admission regions than to
high admissions regions. High admission states are entirely excluded from the lottery
(those states are listed above) and low admission states compete equally with other low
admission states in the same region. No single state may receive more than 7% (3,850) of
the 55,000 allotted visas. The allotment for this year is as follows:
Africa: 20,426
Asia: 7,087
Europe: 24,257
North America: 8 (only the Bahamas is included)
South America: 2,407
Oceania: 815
Who is eligible to apply for the lottery?
To receive a DV-96 visa, an individual must be a native of a low admission foreign state
(described above). The individual must have at least a high school education or its
equivalent, or, within the preceding five years, two years work experience in an
occupation requiring at least two years training or experience.
What does it mean to have a "high school education or its equivalent?"
"High School education or its equivalent" means the successful completion of a twelve
year course of elementary and secondary education in the U.S. or successful completion
in another county of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable
to complete a 12 year education in the U.S. or successful completion in another country
of a formal cause of elementary and secondary education comparable to completion of a
12 year education in the U.S. Passage of a high school equivalency examination is not
sufficient. It is permissible to have completed one's education in less than 12 years or
greater than 12 years if the course of study completed is equivalent to a U.S. high school
education. Documentary proof of education (including a diploma or school transcript)
should NOT be submitted with the application, but must be presented to the consular
office at the time of formally applying for an immigrant visa application.
What does it mean to have "two years work experience in an occupation
requiring at least two years training or experience?"
The determination of which occupations require at least two years of training or
experience shall be based upon the Department of Labor's Dictionary of Occupational
Titles. If the occupation is not listed in the DOT, the Department of State will consider
alternate evidence. Please Email or write me if you need to check the DOT (this will
probably not be necessary for the vast majority of you since most of you have high
school degrees or the equivalent. As with proof of education, documentary proof of work
experience should not be submitted with the application, but must be presented to the
consular office at the time of a formal immigrant visa application.
Can I be a "native" of a country other than the country in which I was
born?
A native is both someone born within one of qualifying countries and someone entitled to
the "charged" to such country under Section 202(b) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act. Thus someone may be (1) charged to the country of birth of his/her spouse; (2) a
minor dependent child can be charged to the country of birth of a parent; and (3) an
applicant born in a country of which neither parent was a native may be charged to the
country of birth of either parent. If one claims to be a native of a country other than where
one was born, he/she must include a statement to that effect on the lottery application and
must show the country of chargeability on the application envelope (see discussion of the
application form and envelope).
Will applying for the lottery affect one's ability to receive a
nonimmigrant visa?
Probably not. Technically, filing a visa lottery application is equivalent to filing an
immigrant petition. According to source at the Department of State, a consulate will only
be notified IF the person is selected in the lottery. An individual who is not chosen is on
his honor to state that he/she applied for the lottery. Theoretically, if your name is selected
in the lottery, you may have trouble renewing nonimmigrant status while waiting for your
name to be cleared for processing (see discussion on the postselection process for
securing a green card). This should only be a temporary problem since permanent
residency should eventually be awarded. There is still a risk that you will fail to be
deemed eligible for the DV-96 visa or the Department of State will have overestimated
the number of individuals to select in the lottery (see discussion on how the selection
process works). However, one lawyer I spoke with stated that over the last several
years, he has instructed his clients to answer the question on the OF 156 concerning
previous immigrant visa applications as follows: "My lawyer entered me in the AA1 [this
year the DV-96] lottery." He reports that he has never had a problem reported. The
Department of State may be issuing an advisory letter on this issue soon and I will post a
message to the group. I have yet to hear of anyone denied a visa because of a previous
lottery application.
Do I need to be in lawful visa status to compete?
An individual who is in the U.S. need NOT be in lawful status to compete in the lottery.
However, the Department of State has indicated that it will share information with the
Immigration and Naturalization Service for the "formulation, amendment, administration
and enforcement" of the country's immigration laws.
Does it matter whether I am or am not in the U.S.?
Individuals who otherwise meet the requirements for competition in the lottery, may
compete whether they are in the United States or in a foreign country.
Are there any limitations on the number of entries I can send in for the
lottery?
Each individual is limited to one application in the lottery. If more than one application is
received, the individual will be totally disqualified. Note: More than 400,000 applicants
were disqualified in the last lottery due to multiple applications.
May a husband and wife each submit a separate application?
Yes. If otherwise qualified, a husband and a wife may each submit one lottery application.
If either is selected in the lottery, the other would be entitled to derivative status.
Is there a minimum age to apply for the lottery?
There is not a minimum age to apply for the lottery. However, the education/work
experience requirements will effectively preclude most people under 18 from applying.
May I adjust status in the U.S. if I am selected?
An applicant may adjust status (switch to permanent residency in the U.S.) if they meet
the normal requirements for adjusting status with the INS (including not having
previously been out of visa status). Applicants who adjust must first send the forms they
receive from the National Visa Center back to the National Visa Center. In order to apply
for adjustment of status, the INS must be able to complete action on the case before
September 30, 1996.
How does the selection process work?
The National Visa Center in New Hampshire will receive all applications. Upon receipt,
the NVC will place the letter into one of six geographic regions and assign the letter an
individual number. Within each region, the first letter randomly selected will be the first
person registered, the second letter selected will be the second person registered, etc.
When a case is registered, the applicant will immediately be sent a notification letter
which will give visa application instructions.
About 100,000 persons, both principal applicants and their spouses and children, will be
registered. Since it is probable that some of the first 55,000 persons registered will not
apply for a DV-96 visa, this figure is assumed to eventually be reduced to about 55,000.
However, there is a risk that some applicants will be left out. According to the
Department of State, all applicants will be informed promptly of their place on the list.
Each month visas will be issued, according to registration lottery rank order, to those
ready for visa issuance for that month. Once 55,000 visas are issued, the program ends.
Registrants for this year's lottery will have to apply for a visa before September 1995 at
the latest. You must be prepared to act promptly if your name is selected.
How will I know if I was not selected?
The State Department will not notify applicants who are not selected. The only way you
will know that you are not selected is if you have not received a registration notification
letter before the date the INS officially states that it has stopped notifying people
(expected to be done within three months of March 1, 1995).
Is there an application fee to enter the lottery?
No. There is no fee for submitting a lottery application. If you win the lottery, you will pay
the regular visa fees paid by any immigrant visa applicant at the time of visa issuance.
Can someone selected in the lottery receive a waiver of any of the
grounds of visa ineligibility?
No. There is no special provision for the waiver of any grounds of visa ineligibility other
than those provided for in the Immigration and Nationality Act. Also, unlike in previous
years, holders of J 1 visas with a two year home residency requirement will not be able to
receive a waiver of this requirement by virtue of being selected in the lottery. A holder of
a J visa can still enter the lottery, but he/she will have to qualify for a residency waiver in
the same manner as is normally required to get such a waiver. Because all visas must be
issued by the end of September 1996, individuals who have not yet begun their home
residency are effectively precluded (unless they are otherwise eligible for a waiver).
May someone apply for a DV-96 visa if they are already registered in
another visa category?
Yes.
In what region is my native country assigned?
(1) 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
Gabon
Gambia, The
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zaire
Zambia
Zimbabwe
(2) Asia
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Burma
Cambodia
China-mainland
China-Taiwan
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Laos
Lebanon
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Nepal
Oman
Pakistan
Philippines
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Syria
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam
Yemen
(3) Europe
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Northern Ireland
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Uzbekistan
Vatican City (an independent city under the jurisdiction of the Holy See)
(4) North America
Bahamas, The
Canada
United States
(5) Oceania
Australia
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia, Federated States of
Nauru
New Zealand
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Western Samoa
(6) South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela
How do I apply for the lottery?
There is no form for the DV 1 lottery. All that is required is that the proper information is
typed or clearly printed in the Roman alphabet on a plain sheet of paper.
Each application must take the following form:
1. APPLICANT'S FULL NAME
Last Name, First Name and Middle Name
(Underline Last Name/Surname/Family Name)
Example: Doe, John James [Mosaic users: remember to underline last name]
2. 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,
3. NAME, DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH OF APPLICANT'S SPOUSE AND CHILDREN
[Note: Do not list parents as they are not entitled to derivative status]
4. APPLICANT'S MAILING ADDRESS AND NEAREST CONSULATE
Be sure the address is complete since this is where notification
will be sent if the application is selected. A telephone number
is optional. Also list location of U.S. Consular office closest to
current residence or last residence prior to entering U.S.
5. APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY IF DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF BIRTH
The application should be placed in an envelope which is between 6 inches and 10
inches (15 cm to 25 cm) in length and between 3 inches and 4 inches (9 cm to 11 cm) in
width.
In the upper left hand corner of the front of the envelope must be the country of which the
applicant is a native. Typed or clearly printed below the country must be the same name
and mailing address of the applicant as are shown on the application form.
Example:
New Zealand
Doe, James John [Mosaic users: underline last name]
1111 Main Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37204
Where do I send the application?
Applications must be sent by regular mail or air mail (not by hand delivery, telegram, or
any means requiring acknowledgment such as registered mail or express mail) to one of
the six following addresses, depending upon the region of the applicant's native country.
Note carefully the importance of using the correct postal zip code for each region:
ASIA: DV-96 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00210, U.S.A.
SOUTH AMERICA: DV-96 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00211,
U.S.A.
EUROPE: DV-96 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00212, U.S.A.
AFRICA: DV-96 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00213, U.S.A.
OCEANIA: DV-96 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00214, U.S.A.
NORTH AMERICA: DV-96 Program, National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00215,
U.S.A.
DISCLAIMER: This file is not intended to create an attorney client relationship.
The information contained in this file is not intended to be legal advice.
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