Spring 2004 issue

The 2004 Diversity Visa lottery is in full swing. The immigrant visa section in Warsaw is currently processing over 1,100 Diversity Visa applicants each month. After receiving their visas, applicants then travel to the United States where they become Lawful Permanent Residents and are issued Green Cards.

Created in 1995, the Diversity Visa lottery was designed to ensure the United States receives a balanced mix of immigrants from a wide variety of countries. As of September 30, 2003, a total of 16,412 Diversity Visas have been issued to Poles. The U.S. Embassy in Warsaw also processes applicants from Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine.

To obtain a diversity visa, applicants must meet ALL eligibility requirements under U.S. law, including medical and criminal checks. There are two basic application requirements:

1. Applicants must be natives of a qualifying country. One is usually considered a native of the country in which one is born.
   
2. Applicants must have EITHER a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform.
   

Diversity Visa applicants come from all walks of life, and are of all ages. Many applicants are young, in their 20s and 30s. Some applicants are married and have children. They all are looking to make new lives for themselves, even if this means giving up a career in their native country.

Recently, a judge from Ukraine won the lottery and qualified to receive a Diversity Visa and emigrated to the U.S. The judge, 30, single, no children, from a town near the western Ukrainian center of Lviv, had worked as a judge since 2002. Since receiving his law degree in 1995, he had worked as an assistant in the criminal law department of Lviv State University. He was giving up his career to take up a job at a Chicago marketing firm where knowledge of Ukrainian is necessary. This case illustrates the lure of life in America, even for professionals in Eastern Europe who do not see a future for themselves in their native countries.

Diversity visa applicants are now taken only on-line. The application season usually is in late fall, with regulations for participation usually being published in August. There is no fee for entering the DV lottery.

Welcome to our Readers || US-VISIT Comes Into Effect || Visa Denials Receiving Social Security Benefits Will Soon Be Easier || ELECTIONS 2004 Embassy Sees Many Applicants For Diversity Visas || Visas Dominate High Level Talks || Polish Students To Work In U.S. || Warsaw Hosts Consular Conference || How Can I Get Answers To My Consular Questions?