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September 2001

Drawing Board

Many Munich Found readers born outside the United States wish to have the option of taking up legal residence in the U.S. In 2003, the U.S. government will award 50,000 green cards to the lucky winners of its latest lottery. Throwing your name into the “hat” is fairly simple, as long as you go by the following guidelines. Lottery officials stress that only those from countries with, currently, the fewest immigrants to the U.S. will be considered for a green card. You are eligible if you were born in one of the following countries (regardless of the country for which you currently hold a passport):

Africa (includes all African countries and associated islands)

Asia (includes all countries except China)

Europe (includes all countries except Britain and its Dominions, but does include Nothern Ireland)

North America (the Bahamas, but not Canada)

Oceanic Countries (includes Australia, New Zealand, Papua, New Guinea and all countries and islands of the South Pacific)

South America, Middle America and the Caribbean (includes all countries in the region except Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico).

There is no official application for the green card lottery. Simply type, or print out, on a standard copy-paper-size sheet of white paper, the following:
Full name, date of birth, country of birth, full names, birthdays and birthplaces of spouse and children under 21 (if applicable), address of applicant. The document must be signed by the applicant, regardless of whether he/she has used an agency to fill out and submit the paperwork. A high-quality passport photo must be attached, the subject may not wear sunglasses or other identity-concealing accessories.
Applications will be accepted from October 1, at noon, until October 31, at noon.
For more important tips and information, visit the government Web site at www.usembassy.de/greencard/index.htm (German) or www.travel.state.gov (English). Lottery rules can be obtained by fax callback, 24 hours a day, at 0190-850058-09 (German) or 0190-850058-10 (English). Calls cost DM 3.63 per minute.

Remember: those who hope to increase their chances by submitting multiple applications will be disqualified. All applications must be sent by “snail mail” to the address provided at the aforementioned agencies. Express mail, email or other sending methods will mean immediate disqualification. All applicants have the same chance, even if you choose to use one of the many middlemen hawking their services. Good luck to all who wish to win—let us know if you are one of the few!