IMPORTANT: Re Diversity Visa

To All Diversity Visa entrants who attempted to log into the Entrant Status Check (ESC) website on May 1, 2014.

For a brief period on May 1, the ESC website experienced a technical problem. As a result, some people who logged into the site to check the status of their applications were shown the wrong information. If you logged into the ESC website on May 1 and saw a notice of selection that did not include your name, or if you saw a notice that you were not selected, you must re-check your status to find out whether or not you were selected.

You must see a notice that is addressed to you by name as proof of selection to process further in the DV-2015 program. We regret any confusion this technical problem may have caused.

Please note that the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) will not send you unsolicited e-mail that includes your confirmation number or that asks you to provide any personal information. You must log into the ESC website to check your status. If you have further questions about the ESC website or the content of this e-mail, you may contact KCC by e-mail at KCCDV@state.gov. The KCC telephone number is 606-526-7500 (7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. EST).

Sarasota Immigration Attorneys See Surge in Applications for What Could Be the Last Green Card Lottery

Applicants Rush in Before Congress Eliminates the Green Card Lottery

Sarasota, FL, 10/21/13 – Immigration attorneys across the Sarasota-Bradenton area are seeing a surge in applications for the Diversity Visa or Green Card Lottery this year.  Held every year in October, the Diversity Visa Lottery allows residents of countries that do not send many immigrants to America to apply for a Green Card.  In order to be granted a Green Card, applicants have to prove their nationality, demonstrate a clean criminal record, and show that they will not be a public burden.

This year’s surge is due to the ongoing debate in Congress about immigration reform.  In July, the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would eliminate the Diversity Visa.  Just a few weeks ago, in the midst of the shutdown, House Democrats produced their own bill which would do the same.

“What we are seeing is an attempt on the part of the House Democrats to use the momentum they gained from ending the shutdown to pressure House Republicans into compromising on Immigration Reform,” said Chris Jaensch, managing attorney of Jaensch Immigraiton Law Firm, Sarasota’s largest immigration firm.  “The Diversity Visa is already unpopular with conservatives and not seeing it on the Democrats’ bill means that if immigration reform passes, regardless of the form it takes, the Diversity Visa is out,” he continued.

President Obama has announced that Immigration Reform is one of his major objectives for the next 90 days, along with a budget and a farm bill.  We could see Immigration Reform before the end of the year.

This year the Diversity Visa application window is open until 12 noon eastern standard time on November 2^nd.

Updated 10/28/13:

On Monday, October 28th, Summer Smith of BayNews9, after hearing that this year’s may be the last Diversity Visa Lottery, came to our firm to interview Victoria Jaensch Karins.  Victoria is the president of the Central Florida Chapter of AILA.

Summer Smith from BayNew9 (right) interviews Victoria Jaensch Karins (center) on the state of this year’s Diversity Visa Lottery

Green Card Lottery 2013 Statistics

Diversity Visa Lottery

The United States government recognizes that we are a nation of immigrants.  This fact has contributed to our nation’s status today as a beacon for the rest of the world, in good times and bad.  Our government is generously willing to share that prosperity with prospective immigrants through the Diversity Visa or Green Card Lottery.  Every year the State Department holds a lottery and 55,000 applicants are selected at random to receive a green card.

At Jaensch Immigration Law Firm we would like to help as many people as possible register to apply for the Diversity Visa.  We see it as one option among many for achieving the goal of immigrating legally to the United States.

 For information about the lottery in Spanish, please click HERE

 For information about the lottery in German, please click HERE

Eligible Countries

For DV-2014, natives of GUATEMALA are now eligible for selection!

Natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. over the period of the previous five years:

BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA* (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM.

*Persons born in HONG KONG SAR, MACAU SAR, and TAIWAN are eligible.

• If you were born in an ineligible country but your spouse was born in an eligible country, you and your spouse are eligible to register together.
• You must be 18 or older to qualify.

Red, Yellow, Light Blue, Orange and Pink Areas Represent Eligible Countries

Jaensch Immigration Law Firm is offering to register foreign-born applicants and their family members in the lottery.  Visit our Diversity Visa Lottery page for more.

Diversity Visa Lottery-2013 Statistics – How many applicants were selected from your country?

The following shows the number of Diversity Visas awarded per country  in the last lottery (source: State Department Website):