February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
These are the abbreviated instructions for the 2001 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2001) (Schumer Visas) as published by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The instructions have been edited to conform with the needs of applicants from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland only.
The U.S. diversity immigration program makes available a maximum of 55,000 permanent-residence visas each year to persons meeting the eligibility requirements. Applicants for diversity visas are initially chosen through a random computer-generated lottery drawing. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one year.
Entries must be received between noon Monday, Oct. 4, and noon Wednesday, Nov. 3. Entries received before or after these dates will be disqualified regardless of when they are postmarked. Also, entries sent to an incorrect address will be disqualified.
Requirements
An applicant must be able to claim nativity in an eligible country, and must meet either the education or training requirement of the DV program. Nativity in most cases is determined by the applicant’s place of birth. However, if a person was born in an ineligible country but his/her spouse was born in an eligible country, such person can claim the spouse’s country of birth rather than his/her own.
Education or training
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An applicant must have either a high school education or its equivalent, defined in the U.S. as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education; or two years of work experience within the last five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform.
Submitting entry forms
Only one entry form may be submitted by or for each applicant during the registration period. Submission of more than one entry will disqualify the person.
Completing the entry form
There is no specific format for the entry. Simply use a plain sheet of paper and type or clearly print in the English alphabet (preferably in the following order) and on a plain sheet of paper the following information:
1. Full Name, with the last (surname/family) name underlined. Examples: Murphy, Mary Jane
2. Date and Place of Birth. Date: Day, Month, Year Example: 15 November 1961. Place: City/Town, District/County/Province, Country. Example: Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland or Newry, Co. Down, Northern Ireland.
3. If the applicant is claiming nativity in a country other than his/her place of birth, this must be clearly indicated on the entry. This information must match with what is put on the upper-left corner of the entry envelope. (See "Mailing the Entry" below). If an applicant is claiming nativity through spouse or parent, please indicate this on the entry.
4. With regard to name, date and place of birth of the applicant’s spouse and children (if any), failure to provide all of this information will disqualify the applicant.
5. Full Mailing Address. This must be clear and complete, as any communications will be sent there. A telephone number is optional, but useful.
6. Attach a recent, preferably less than 6 months old, photograph of the applicant, 1.5 inches (37 mm) square in size, with the applicant’s name printed on the back. The photograph (not a photocopy) should be attached to the entry with clear tape — do not use staples or paperclips.
7. Failure to personally sign the entry will disqualify the applicant.
Mailing the entry
Submit the entry by regular or air mail. Entries sent by express or priority mail, fax, hand, messenger, or any means requiring receipts or special handling will not be processed.
The envelope must be between 6 and 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) long and 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 inches (9 to 11 cm) wide. Postcards are not acceptable, nor are envelopes inside express or oversized mail packets. In the upper-left hand corner of the envelope the applicant must show his/her country of nativity followed by the applicant’s name and full return address. The applicant must provide both the country of nativity and the country of the address, even if both are the same. Failure to provide this information will disqualify the entry. The address for Irish applicants is:
DV-2001 Program
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH 00212
USA
Registration will be selected at random by computer from among all qualified entries. Those selected will be notified by mail during April to July 2000 and will be provided further instructions, including information on fees connected with immigration to the U.S. Persons not selected will not be notified.
There is no initial fee, other than postage, required to enter the DV-2001 program. The use of an outside intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV-2001 entry is entirely at the applicant’s discretion. Qualified entries received directly from applicants or through intermediaries have equal chances of being selected by computer. There is no advantage to mailing early, or mailing from any particular locale.
€ Any questions can be directed to your nearest Irish Immigrant advice center.