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U.S. Government Announces: 2008 Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery; Premium Processing For Certain Employment Based Immigration Petitions.

Article Excerpt
The State Department has released instructions for the 2008 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2008), also known as the Green Card Lottery. The Diversity Program provides a means for foreign nationals to become permanent residents of the U.S. (acquire green cards) regardless of whether they have a family member or an employer willing to sponsor them. The State Department has made 50,000 permanent resident visas available to persons meeting the simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. Applications must be submitted electronically between noon EDT on Wednesday October 4, 2006 and noon EST on Sunday December 3, 2006. The electronic form must be submitted on line at www.dvlottery.state.gov. There is no fee.

Lottery Visas are apportioned to foreign nationals hailing from the following six geographic regions: Africa; Asia; Europe; North America; Oceania; and South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Natives of the following countries are NOT eligible because each country has sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years: Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, Vietnam, and added for the first time this year Brazil and Peru....