Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Monday, August 2, 1999

Release #306a-99

Contact: Sunny Mindel / Samantha I. Lugo (212) 788-2958
Madeleine Tress, Immigrant Affairs (212) 788-7654
Tom Sclafani, DCA (212) 487-4239



MAYOR GIULIANI URGES IMMIGRANTS TO PREPARE FOR THE VISA LOTTERY

To Protect Candidates from Fraud,
City Offers Fraud Hotline and Multilingual Brochures

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today announced that the entry period for the Federal Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Program (DV-2001) would take place from October 4, 1999 to November 3, 1999. The Mayor urged prospective visa lottery entrants to obtain information on how to apply from the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and Language Services or the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.

"New Yorkers understand the value of immigration and the importance of the DV-2001 Visa Lottery, which will give 50,000 people the opportunity to become permanent residents and to continue making contributions to this country," Mayor Giuliani said.

"The energy, diversity and dedication of millions of immigrants who made a commitment to this country and who made New York City their home, helped to make this City, the Capital of the World," the Mayor added.

The U.S. State Department will conduct its sixth annual Diversity Visa Lottery from October 4, 1999 to November 3, 1999 to award 50,000 permanent resident visas nationwide. The lottery program was established by the Immigration Act of 1990 to help expand the number of countries from which new immigrants to the United States originate. Being randomly selected in the Visa Lottery does not guarantee that the "lottery winner" will receive a permanent resident visa, but it does make the winner eligible to apply for a green card.

Mayor Giuliani also announced that the Department of Consumer Affairs will conduct an educational outreach campaign to steer prospective lottery participants away from the fraudulent practices of unscrupulous immigration service practitioners.

"It is important for prospective applicants to know that while no one can do anything to increase their chances of being selected in the lottery, New York City will make sure that they have access to the critical information they need to properly enter the Visa Lottery," the Mayor added.

Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jules Polonetsky said, "Becoming a legal United States resident is a dream for thousands of immigrants and the Visa Lottery offers them the opportunity to make that dream a reality. Unfortunately, fraudulent immigrant service providers see the lottery as an opportunity to make false promises to immigrants and charge thousands of dollars for unnecessary services. With our collaborative outreach campaign, we hope to send the message that the lottery is free and easy to enter, and that people can take advantage of the opportunity without being taken advantage of by con artists."

Angelica Tang, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and Language Services, said, "Entering the visa lottery program is simple and straightforward, but every year a high rate of entries are disqualified because many participants do not follow directions properly. In addition to providing the most up-to-date and accurate information about the lottery, the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and Language Services assists New York participants who might have additional immigration concerns. We urge those individuals to contact our office, or reliable immigration service providers, such as the New York Immigration Hotline for more information and advice."

The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs also advocates for lottery winners who have difficulty with their applications for green cards. With pro bono assistance from the American Immigration Lawyers Association, participants of the lottery receive a full range of services from entry information to fraud protection and legal advocacy.

The rules for the free lottery are simple. Visa Lottery entrants must furnish a recent 1½" X 1½" photograph (no more than 6 months old), with their name printed on the back and taped to their lottery entries. The following rules and restrictions also govern the lottery.

Prospective lottery entrants should take note of the following for assistance:
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
(202) 331-7199
http://www.travel.state.gov

NEW YORK IMMIGRATION HOTLINE
(718) 899-4000

U.S. IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE
(800) 375-5283

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, together with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and Language Services have issued a special publication to explain the rules and restrictions of the upcoming Visa Lottery. A Consumer Guide to the Fall 1999 "DV-2001" Permanent-Resident Visa Lottery brochure is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, and Russian. They also published Beware of Immigration Services Fraud, a brochure available in the same six languages, plus Haitian Creole, Italian and Korean. To get a free copy of the guides, send a self-addressed envelope to:

New York City Department of Consumer Affairs
42 Broadway
New York, NY 10004
Attn: Visa Lottery
(Please specify the language in which you wish to receive the material)

This information can also be obtained (in English only) by visiting the DCA website at www.ci.nyc.ny.us/consumers.

Consumers who believe they are victims of fraud concerning the green card lottery program are urged to contact the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs at 42 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 (by mail only), the National Fraud Information Center at (800) 876-7060 or (202) 835-0159, or the Federal Trade Commission's Regional Office at (212) 607-2800.

www.ci.nyc.ny.us


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