Chance to gain U.S. citizenships

Chance to gain U.S. citizenships

JAKARTA (JP): Planning to migrate to America with your family? Here's your chance to win that opportunity through a lottery.

About the only requirement is that you must have, at least, graduated from high school.

Under the "Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery" program, the United States is making available 55,000 visas for U.S. permanent residence to residents from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States, the U.S. State Department said.

Applications, in the case of applicants from Asia, have to be sent by mail to the DV-96 Program National Visa Center, Portsmouth, NH 00210, and must be received between Jan. 31 and March 1, U.S. Information Service at the American Embassy in Jakarta said quoting the State Department's announcement.

There is no form to fill. Simply type in your application over a regular letter or business size enveloped, in English, supplying names and dates of birth of you and your spouse and children and the mailing address.

The lottery is closed to countries that already have a large share of migrants in the United States, including China, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Britain, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, El Salvador, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.

Winners will be selected at random by computer on July 1 this year. Successful applicants will be notified by mail at the mailing address listed on the entry.

Individuals selected will be registered as applicants for immigrant visas and provided further instructions, according to the USIS announcement. (emb)