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Two-Month Registration Ends January 7, 2005
The U.S. Department of State will issue 50,000 permanent residency visas to the winners of the 2006 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, otherwise known as the Green Card lottery. Applications for the 2006 lottery will be accepted between November 5, 2004 and January 7, 2005.
The program offers visas to citizens of nations that have traditionally had a low level of immigration to the United States. It is designed to bring greater racial and ethnic diversity to the nation. For the last two years, Poland has led Europe in the number of people registered for the program – the third highest number in the world, following Bangladesh and Nigeria.
"Last year, almost 3500 Poles were able to benefit from the Diversity Visa Lottery. This program is a wonderful way for Poles to live and work legally in the U.S.," according to Consul General Lisa Piascik.
Diversity Visa applications are chosen by computer-generated drawing. In order to actually receive a visa, applicants selected in the random drawing must meet all eligibility requirements under U.S. law.
To be eligible, an applicant must be a native of Poland and must also have either a high school education or two years of skilled work experience within the past five years in a profession requiring at least two years of training.
Those selected from the random drawing will be notified by mail between May and July 2005 and will be given further instructions, including information on fees connected with immigration to the U.S. Applicants not selected will not receive any notification.
Applicants must register on line through at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. Paper entries will not be accepted.
The Department of State implemented an electronic registration system last year to improve efficiency and make the process less prone to fraud and less vulnerable to persons who may pose a security threat to the United States.
No fee is charged to enter the annual Diversity Visa lottery program.
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