Presidents Washington and Obama agreed: America is for immigrants

                     

When Barack Obama welcomed new immigrants to the U.S., he continued a tradition as old as the nation itself. Even before he became the nation’s first president, George Washington helped establish that tradition:

“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges,” said Washington in 1783.

The U.S. is a nation of immigrants. At times anti-immigrant sentiment has risen, but in each case the nation came to repudiate those views and to welcome its newest citizens as part of the national fabric.

Alexander Hamilton was derided for being an immigrant. (Public domain)

• Alexander Hamilton: Hamilton came to the then-British colonies as a penniless, orphaned teenager from the West Indies. As he rose to prominence in the new United States, opponents derided him for his foreign birth. It didn’t work. Today, people know Hamilton as a Founding Father, architect of the U.S. financial system and the man on the $10 bill.
• Lawmakers apologize: Chinese laborers flocked to America in the 1850s and 1860s to work in mines and in railroad construction. In 1882, Congress banned further Chinese immigration. Congress would repeal this law and apologize for it. In 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives passed this resolution, introduced by Congresswoman Judy Chu: “Whereas Chinese-Americans continue to play a significant role in the success of the United States; and Whereas the United States was founded on the principle that all persons are created equal: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives regrets the passage of legislation that adversely affected people of Chinese origin in the United States because of their ethnicity.”

• The Know Nothings: Active in the 1850s, the American Party, also called the Know Nothings, pledged to limit the influence of Irish Catholics and other immigrants to the United States. Among their opponents: Abraham Lincoln. “I think little better of them than I do of those of the slavery extensionists,” he said in 1855. The future president looked forward to the day that the Know Nothings would be “entirely tumbled to pieces.” They soon were. Later, Americans elected John F. Kennedy, a Catholic of Irish heritage, to the presidency.

In 2013, President Obama restated a creed as old as the American republic:

“Throughout our history, immigrants have embraced the spirit of liberty, equality, and justice for all — the same ideals that stirred the patriots of 1776 to rise against an empire, guided the Framers as they built a stronger republic, and moved generations to bridge our founding promise with the realities of our time.”

Ethiopians put down roots in Washington to build their largest U.S. community

Restaurants are one path to success for Ethiopian Americans. (State Dept./D.A. Peterson)

When Johannes Argay decided to open a small market selling food and spices from his native Ethiopia, he wasn’t intimidated by all the competition at Build America Plaza in Falls Church, Virginia, where dozens of shops bear orange-and-brown signs in English and Amharic.

“It depends on the quality,” says Argay, who formerly owned a restaurant in New York City. Opening a cooler case, he adds, “This fresh injera especially, we get every morning from Dulles Airport, direct from home. This is the best injera in the city.”

Business owner Johannes Argay at his Showa Baltena Market, in Falls Church, Virginia. Argay’s store sells Ethiopian food and spices — and organic food grown on all-American Amish farms. (State Dept./D.A. Peterson)

Injera is the crepe-like bread made from the grain teff on which spicy Ethiopian food is served and eaten communally by hand. It’s a dining experience that many Americans savor.

“Americans love Ethiopian food,” says Ethiopian émigré Yeshimebeth “Tutu” Belay. “We use our hands to eat and we share — that’s the biggest thing. The outfits, the songs, the language and alphabet, all these things are attractions.”

Belay was determined to open her own business after moving to Washington in the late 1980s. “I knew if I did 8-to-5, I’d never accomplish my dream,” she explains.

She and husband Yehunie Belay, a well-known Ethiopian singer, first ran a restaurant in Washington’s historically African-American Shaw neighborhood. Eventually, she carved out her own business niche, compiling information on Ethiopian businesses, doctors, lawyers and others and soliciting advertisers for her Ethiopian Yellow Pages.

Yeshimebeth “Tutu” Belay, publisher of the Ethiopian Yellow Pages, displays her latest telephone directory. (State Dept./D.A. Peterson)

Her business directory, now a 600-page tome published annually, has expanded along with the area’s Ethiopian population.

Little Ethiopia

Many Ethiopians fled their homeland in the 1980s because of political turmoil and a famine that lasted from 1983 to 1985. In 1980, the U.S. Census Bureau counted just 10,000 Ethiopian immigrants. Three decades later, the census counted 251,000 Ethiopian immigrants and children. And while thousands have settled in Minneapolis, Seattle, Atlanta and other cities, the greater Washington area has the country’s largest concentration, with 35,000 residents of Ethiopian descent, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Some community leaders believe the number actually exceeds 200,000.

What draws so many Ethiopians to Washington?

“They know it’s the capital,” explains Tsehaye Teferra, president of the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), who earned a doctorate in sociolinguistics at Washington’s Georgetown University. “It has some resemblance to how migration happens in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa is the city of government, commerce and education. In the provinces, after high school, where do you go for employment or further training? The logical place is the capital.”

In Washington, many recent Ethiopian immigrants drive taxicabs and park cars. Bereket Woldu began working part time for Colonial Parking in college and rose to become senior vice president. Now an executive with Forge, Colonial’s parent company, Woldu estimates 10,000 Ethiopians have worked in Colonial’s ubiquitous parking lots and garages over the years, making it “one of the highest if not the highest employer of Ethiopians outside the homeland.”

Bereket Woldu, an executive at Colonial Parking’s parent company, poses outside the entrance to one of the firm’s many garages. (State Dept./D.A. Peterson)

“Birds of a feather flock together,” says Woldu, who notes it is a job that even those with limited English can perform. “You didn’t have to say much. If you smiled and said hello, your customer service ability overcame deficiencies in language.”

Heran Sereke-Brhan, deputy director of the Washington mayor’s Office on African Affairs, says Ethiopian Airlines’ direct flight to Washington from Addis Ababa also helps boost the region’s Ethiopian population. The airline began twice-a-week flights in 1998 and switched to daily service in 2010.

“Generations followed each other here,” Sereke-Brhan notes. For Ethiopians who encountered difficulties getting educational or professional credentials recognized, driving a taxi or taking other service jobs “is the default pattern if you have to make a living to support your family. People make ends meet, and it’s an honest day’s work.”

In the 1990s, Ethiopian restaurants helped revitalize Washington’s now-trendy Adams Morgan neighborhood. When rents became too pricey, many moved to the U Street area and contributed to the rejuvenation of that neighborhood.

The Vegetarian Combination Platter, offering different Ethiopian dishes, is a customer favorite at the Bati Restaurant and Lounge in Falls Church, Virginia. (State Dept./D.A. Peterson)

Dereje Desta publishes Zethiopia, a monthly newspaper for the region’s Ethiopian community. He says that while taxi drivers and parking-lot attendants “are more visible, a lot of Ethiopians are professionals. Go into the Patent Office and hospitals and you’ll hear Amharic spoken. Ethiopians are everywhere.”

Mike Endale, a vice president of BLEN Corp., a software development company founded by Ethiopians, thinks Ethiopian immigrants “have made the D.C. area much more vibrant.” Newer immigrants are “much more in tune with the American system by the time they land. They understand the value of credit lines and how to take out a loan. We’re entering the upper middle classes very easily now.”

Six diners — including waitress Lula, at right — enjoy a friendly meal together at the Bati Restaurant and Lounge in Falls Church, Virginia. (State Dept./D.A. Peterson)

Mehari Goytom just opened a restaurant and pastry shop in Build America Plaza called Viva Africa. It is open 16 hours a day. “This is the beginning. We must work hard,” says Goytom. “It’s good to live here. Here it’s freedom.”

A few storefronts away, that’s how Argay sees the future, too. “I have [the] American dream like everybody. I know one day I’ll be a success. God will help me. God bless America.”

The United States: a diverse country with many languages

                            

In the United States, Spanish is the most commonly spoken language other than English, a sign of the impact of immigration and the proximity of Latin America to the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey delves further into other languages spoken at home in the United States, and it shows how the patterns of immigration have shaped the country.

The maps below show America’s diversity as seen through languages spoken at home.

Trump calls for termination of the Diversity Lottery program

U.S. President Donald Trump today announced that he is starting the process of terminating the Diversity Visa Lottery Program.This announcement comes after the NYC terror attack where he alleged terrorists enter the U.S. through the program. It also comes after his backed proposals for changes to the country's immigration system,the so called ''merit based'' system. The changes in the RAISE Act (the initials stand for Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment) would attempt to reduce the number of legal immigrants by 50% over the next 10 years. Bad thing is: Under these proposals, the Diversity Visa(DV) Lottery program will be cancelled.
Millions of people a year apply to this DV Lottery, and 50,000 are successful. The diversity immigrant visa program was started more than two decades ago by order of Congress. It is a way to get in to the US without having the family links or employment prospects required for the other methods. Good thing is: The proposals are a long way off being made law. They are likely to face resistance in Congress. The system would prioritise English speakers, and those who can support themselves and their families financially and demonstrate skills that contribute to the US economy. Applicants would have to get at least 30 points, as judged by their: Highest educational qualification: 13 points for a US doctorate; one point for a US or foreign high school diploma Age: people over 50 would get no points, with younger people being judged on a sliding scale from two to 10 points Ability at English, as judged by a test Future salary: 13 points for a job offer that paid 300% of the median for their destination state Investments: 12 points for a $1.8 million investment in a US business Achievements: 15 points for an Olympic medal, 25 points for a Nobel prize

Countries suspended by Trump from applying for the Diversity Visa

                                   

On September 24, 2017, Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation titled “Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States by Terrorists or other Public-Safety Threats.”  

Through this proclamation, the president imposed restrictions to some countries due the ''Special concerns'' they each presented. Natives of the following 7 countries are subject to travel restrictions such as being ineligible to apply for the Diversity and immigrant visas amoung others. These countries are:

     1. Chad 
     2. Iran
     3. Lybia
      4. North Korea
      5. Somalia
      6. Syria
      7. Yemen

The restrictions and limitations took effect at 3:30 p.m on September 24, 2017, for foreign nationals who were subject to the suspension of entry and who lack a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity of the United States. 

The restrictions and limitations took effect at 12:01 a.m. on October 18, 2017, for nationals of the following countries: Chad and North Korea.

Under the  Executive Order, the Secretary of Homeland Security may recommend to the President the removal of a country from the proclamation or an adjustment of the travel restrictions imposed on its nationals at any time provided that the country meets the requirement regarding information sharing necessary to ensure the proper vetting and screening of its nationals.

Answers to your DV Lottery questions

1. What is DV Lottery program?

The ''Diversity Visa Lottery'' also known as ''Green Card Lottery'' is a congressionally-mandated Immigrant Visa Program. Each year it provides some 50,000 Diversity Visas for immigrants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. The diversity visas is distributed among six geographic regions, and no single country may receive more than 7 percent of the available visas in any one year.

2. How much does it cost to apply for the DV Lottery?

There is no cost to apply for the DV Lottery program. If you are selected you will pay for the visa fees at the embassy or consulate during your interview.

3. How do I apply for the DV Lottery?

Online registration for the DV-2020 Program began on Wednesday, October 03, 2018 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and will conclude on Tuesday, November 06, 2018 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-4).

Watch this video for a step -by-step guide on how to apply for the DV Lottery.

4. Why is my country not eligible for this year's DV Lottery program?

Countries that have had more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years are ineligible to apply for the DV Lottery. The list of countries can change from year to year.

The following countries are not eligible to apply for the DV-2020 program:

Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, 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.

5. Can I use the same photo I submitted in last year's application?

No. Your entry will be disqualified if you enter the same photo from last year.You must use a photo taken within the last six months. See DV Lottery Digital Photograph compositional and technical specifications

6. How does the diversity visa benefit me? 

The Diversity Visa allows you to live and work in the United States.

7. Will the US government help me with my expenses if I'm selected for  the lottery?

The US Government will not pay for your airfare, find you a job or find you a place to live. During your visa application you will have to prove that you are unlikely to become dependent on the US government for your living expenses.

8. How do I know if I am selected? 

You must use your confirmation number to access the Entrant Status Check available on the E-DV website at dvlottery.state.gov starting May 3, 2019, through at least September 30, 2019. Entrant Status Check is the sole means by which the Department of State will notify you if you are selected, provide further instructions on your visa application, and notify you of your immigrant visa interview appointment date and time. In order to ensure the use of all available visas, the Department of State may use Entrant Status Check to notify additional selectees after May 2, 2017. Retain your confirmation number until September 30, 2019 in case of any updates. The only authorized Department of State website for official online entry in the Diversity Visa Program and Entrant Status Check is dvlottery.state.gov

9. How will I know if I am not selected? Will I be notified? 

The Department of State will NOT notify you directly if your entry is not selected. You must use the Entrant Status Check to learn whether you were selected. You may check the status of your DV-2020 entry through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website at starting May 1, 2019, until September 30, 2019. Keep your confirmation number until at least September 30, 2019.

10. What if I lose my confirmation number? 

You must have your confirmation number to access Entrant Status Check. A tool is now available in Entrant Status Check (ESC) on the E-DV website that will allow you to retrieve your confirmation number via the email address with which you registered by entering certain personal information to confirm your identity.

U.S. embassies and consulates and the Kentucky Consular Center are unable to check your selection status for you or provide your confirmation number to you directly (other than through the Entrant Status Check retrieval tool). The Department of State is NOT able to provide a list of those selected to continue the visa process.

11. How many individuals will be selected for DV-2020? 

For DV-2019, 50,000 Diversity Visas are available. Because it is likely that some of the first 50,000 persons who are selected will not qualify for visas or not pursue their cases to visa issuance, more than 50,000 entries will be selected to ensure that all of the available DVs are issued. However, this also means that there may not be a sufficient number of visas for all those who are selected.

Each month, visas will be issued to those applicants who are eligible for issuance during that month, as long as visas are available. Once all of the 50,000 DV visas have been issued, the program will end. Visa numbers could be finished before September 2019. Selected applicants who wish to apply for visas must be prepared to act promptly on their cases. Being randomly chosen as a selectee does not guarantee that you will receive a visa. Selection merely means that you are eligible to apply for a Diversity Visa. If your rank number becomes eligible for final processing, you potentially may be issued a Diversity Visa. Only 50,000 visas will be issued to such applicants.

12. How will successful entrants be selected? 

 All entries received from each region are individually numbered; at the end of the entry period, a computer will randomly select entries from among all the entries received for each geographic region. Within each region, the first entry randomly selected will be the first case registered; the second entry selected will be the second case registered, etc. All entries received within each region during the entry period will have an equal chance of being selected. When an entry has been selected, the entrant will receive notification of his or her selection through the Entrant Status Check available starting May 1, 2019, on the E-DV website dvlottery.state.gov. If you are selected and you respond to the instructions provided online via Entrant Status Check, the Department of State’s Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) will process the case until those selected are instructed to appear for visa interviews at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate or until those in the United States who are applying to adjust status apply with USCIS in the United States.

13. I am already in the United States. If selected, may I adjust my status with USCIS? 

Yes, provided you are otherwise eligible to adjust status under the terms of Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), you may apply to USCIS for adjustment of status to permanent resident. You must ensure that USCIS can complete action on your case, including processing of any overseas applications for a spouse or for children under 21 years of age, before September 30, 2019, since on that date your eligibility for the DV-2020 program expires. The Departnment of State will not approve any visa numbers or adjustments of status for the DV-2020 program after midnight EDT on September 30, 2019, under any circumstances.

14. If I am selected, for how long am I entitled to apply for a Diversity Visa? 

If you are selected in the DV-2020 program, you are entitled to apply for visa issuance only during U.S. government Fiscal Year 2019, which spans from October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020. We encourage selectees to apply for visas as early as possible, once their program rank numbers become eligible.

Without exception, all selected and eligible applicants must obtain their visa or adjust status by the end of the fiscal year. There is no carry-over of DV benefits into the next year for persons who are selected but who do not obtain visas by September 30, 2020 (the end of the fiscal year). Also, spouses and children who derive status from a DV-2020 registration can only obtain visas in the DV category between October 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020. Individuals who apply overseas will receive an appointment notification from the Department of State through Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website four to six weeks before the scheduled appointment.

15. If a DV selectee dies, what happens to the case? 

If a DV selectee dies at any point before he or she has traveled to the United States or adjusted status, the DV case is automatically closed. Any derivative spouse and/or children of the deceased selectee will no longer be entitled to apply for a DV visa. Any visas that were issued to them will be revoked.

6 Ways to boost your chances of winning the DV Lottery

               

Every year, millions of people around the globe apply for the Green Card Lottery for a chance to move to the USA and start a new life or to simply adjust their status in America.The Diversity Visa Lottery as it is official known provides some 50000 visas to foreigners with low rate of immigration to the United States. Less than 2% of applicants end up getting a visa.

Here is how you can maximize your chances of being selected for further processing for the Electronic Diversiy Visa Program:

I. Be a native of an eligible country

• If you were not born in an eligible country, there are two other ways you might be able to qualify.

1. If your spouse was born in a country whose natives are eligible you can claim your
spouse’s country of birth provided that both you and your spouse are named on the selected
entry, are found eligible and issued diversity visas, and enter the United States simultaneously.

2. If you were born in a country whose natives are ineligible, but in which neither of your parents
was born or legally resident at the time of your birth you may claim the country of birth
of one of your parents if it is a country whose natives are eligible for the current DV program.

• Natives of oceania region have better odds of being selected as fewer people apply for the lottery in that region. 

• Every year a list of countries whose natives are not eligible to apply for the DV Lottery program is published. Make sure you check out the list!

II. You must meet the education/work experience requirement of the DV program 

• by having either:

1. at least a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education; OR

2. two years of work experience within the past five  years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience that is classified in a Specific  Vocational Training Preparation (SVP) rating 7.0 or higher.

It's not necessary to meet the work or education requirements before you apply for the DV Lottery;However these must be met before applying for a visa at the embassy if you were selected for further processing.

III. You must meet the age requirement

 The requirement of a high school education or work experience for each principal applicant at the time of application will effectively disqualify most persons who are under age 18.

IV. You must meet the photograph requirement of the DV program

• You should submit recent photographs (taken within the last six months) of yourself, your spouse, and all your children.
• Group photographs will not be accepted.Do not manipulate your photo in any way.
• Do not submit the same photograph that was submitted with a prior year’s entry;doing so will result in disqualification.
•   For more details, see Digital Photograph for compositional and technical specifications.

V. You must list your eligible spouse and children (if married)

• Enter the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth of your spouse, and a photograph of your spouse meeting the same technical specifications as your photo. Failure to list your eligible spouse will result in your disqualification as the Diversity Visa principal applicant and refusal of all visa applications in your case at the time of the visa interview. You must list your spouse even if you currently are separated from him/her, unless you are legally separated. 

• List the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth for all living unmarried children under 21 years of age, regardless of whether they are living with you or intend to accompany or follow to join you, should you immigrate to the United States. Submit individual photographs of each of your children using the same technical specifications as your own photograph. Failure to list all children who are eligible will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visa applications in the case at the time of the visa interview.

VI. As the principal applicant, you must submit only one single Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form online at www.dvlottery.state.gov

• You and your spouse can each submit a seperate entry if you both meet the DV Lottery requirements.

 You are strongly encourage you to complete the entry form yourself, without a “visa consultant,” “visa agent,” or other facilitator who offers to help. If someone helps you, you should be present when your entry is prepared so you can provide the correct answers to the questions and retain the confirmation page and your unique confirmation number. It is extremely important that you retain your confirmation page and unique confirmation number. Without this information, you will not be able to access the online system that informs you of your entry status. You also should retain access to the email account listed in your E-DV entry.
                               
          Beware of scams;don't fall a victim!!!

⚠ It's free to enter the DV Lottery!

⚠ All entries must be submitted online through the E-DV website www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period.No late or paper entries are accepted after the specified registration period!
            
⚠ Be cautious if someone offers to keep your unique confirmation number information for you!
       
⚠ You are strongly encouraged to access ''Entrant Status Check yourself''. Do not rely on someone else to check and inform you!