IMMIGRATION Q & A / Visa Lottery Entries Now Go to a New Location

Q: I hear that there are changes in the next diversity visa

lottery. Is that true?

A: Entries for the next lottery, DV-2002, will be accepted between noon on

Oct. 2 and noon on Nov. 1, according to officials. But the State Department,

which runs the program, has not released regulations for this lottery.

The instructions are expected to be released next month.

Though the instructions won't be made public for another few weeks, State

Department officials have announced that the address where entries should be

sent has changed.

The entries will no longer be accepted at the National Visa Center in

Portsmouth, N.H. They will need to be sent to the Kentucky Consular Center in

Williamsburg.

A full set of addresses will be released at the same time as instructions

for participating in DV- 2002. Entries sent to the old address will be

disqualified.

The lottery, mandated under a 1990 immigration law, makes up to 55,000

permanent resident visas available to residents of countries underrepresented

in the U.S. immigrant population.

Q: My friends have been telling me about a toll-free number for the

Immigration and Naturalization Service. What is that number and what hours does

it operate?

A: The INS National Customer Service Center can be reached at 800-375-5383,

according to the agency Web site. People can get automated information through

that number 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Live assistance is available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

The only exceptions are callers from Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam and the

U.S. Virgin Islands. The center offers information in English and Spanish.

The center provides automated information on such topics as basic filing of

forms and how to order forms, the Web site explains.

The center also allows naturalization applicants to report their changes of

address and will accept requests for an emergency rescheduling of an INS

appointment.

Q: I petitioned for permanent residency for a relative abroad. I have also

submitted all the applications necessary for him to receive his visa. I would

like to find out the status of the application. How can I go about doing so?

A: For visa applications processed through a U.S. consulate abroad, start

by calling the Visa Services' Public Inquiries Branch at the State Department.

That number is 202-663-1225.

This is an automated number that also provides the option for live

assistance during most regular business hours.

The Visa Services office in Washington does not sway consular officers'

decisions on an application, State Department officials explained. But the

office can assist people in finding out the status of an application.

Officials there can also explain the legal grounds for any application that

has been denied and explain the applicant's options.

Q: My parents have returned to our native country and they are thinking

about renouncing their U.S. citizenship. How do they go about doing so?

A: They should go to the U.S. consulate nearest them. There, they will be

required to fill out documents so that their request can be processed,

according to State Department officials.

Send questions to: Newsday, New New Yorkers Page, 80-02 Kew Gardens Rd.,

4th Floor, Kew Gardens, N.Y. 11415. Questions also may be e-mailed to

mae.cheng@newsday.com or faxed to 718-793-6422.

Please include a daytime telephone number. Questions will not be answered

personally but can only be answered in this column.