HORITSU.COM :: The US Immigration Laws

The visa lottery provides an opportunity for people from a select number of countries, which includes Japan, to win a US green card. The mail-in registration period for this year's lottery is from October 1 through October 31, 1998. Lottery applications received before or after the official application period will be disqualified. Applications may be submitted by regular mail or air mail only from anywhere in the world. Any applications submitted by hand, telegram, FAX, or by any means requiring any form of special handling or acknowledgment of receipt, such as registered mail, express mail, or certified mail will not be eligible. Winners are expected to be notified by mail sometime between April and July 1999 for the 50,000 immigrant visas which will be issued beginning October 1, 1999.

If you are a native of Japan and have at least a high school education or two years of qualifying work experience, you may register for the lottery. A native is someone who is born within a country, regardless of the person's current country of residence or nationality. Even if you are not a native of a qualifying country, for example, South Korea, you can apply if your spouse is a native of a qualifying country, for example, Japan. You would need to explain this in Part 3 of the application. (Example: Wife born in Japan).

Moreover, be sure to include the names of your spouse and children since they win if you win. Also, be aware that a husband and a wife can each submit a separate application.

There are two rules that are intended to reduce the fraud surrounding the program, including the unethical prices some organizations charge. First, the applicant must personally sign his/her own entry, preferably in his/her native alphabet. Second, the applicant must attach with clear tape to the sheet of paper a recent photograph of him/herself. The photo must be 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch (the same size required with all nonimmigrant visas) and the alien must clearly print his/her name in the Roman alphabet on the reverse of the photo before attaching the photo to the sheet of paper.

Make sure that you follow the required format and only submit one application. Millions of applications received last year were disqualified for failing to properly follow directions (for example, submitting multiple applications, not using regular mail, or sending outside of the registration period).