Entry bubble Visa Lottery

By: Joanne | October 27, 2009 | Category: General

statue of liberty

Would you, or someone you know, like to become a U.S. citizen? Then you should know that the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is accepting applications until November 30, 2009. Some call it the Green Card Lottery, but the official program name is the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Each year, this program makes 50,000 diversity visas available to people who want to be U.S. citizens. Winners are drawn by a random selection among all entries.

The eligibility requirements are strict, and to qualify, there are work experience requirements, education requirements, and a prospective immigrant has to come from a country that has low immigration rates to the United States. Still, it’s a great opportunity.

Over the years we’ve seen many websites posing as official U.S. government websites that charge a fee to help people enter the Diversity Visa Program. Don’t be fooled, you can apply for free.

Good luck!

| Post a Comment | View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: card   citizen   diversity   green   immigration   joanne   lottery   visa  

 

Entry bubble Play the Green Card Lottery

By: Joanne | October 07, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

the statue of libertyEach year lots of people interested in immigrating to the U.S. send us email about the Diversity Visa, also known as the Green Card Lottery. There are many types of Visas, but what makes the Diversity Visa different is that it awards permanent resident visas to people who meet the basic eligibility requirements, and the recipients are chosen by a computer-generated random lottery drawing.

The U.S. Department of State is now accepting applications for the 2010 Diversity Visa Lottery and you can apply until Noon EST on December 1, 2008.

When people write to us about the Diversity Visa Lottery, they often ask about third parties that offer to “assist” with the application process for a fee. We know that there are scammers that operate fraudulent and impostor websites so I want to point out that the U.S. government is the exclusive operator of the Diversity Visa Lottery. Any third parties, like agents or brokers who offer assistance, are not affiliated with the U.S. government, and if you decide to use an agent or a broker, chose carefully and remember that you probably can complete the process on your own at no charge.

For the lucky winners, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service has a great guide for new immigrants, and prospective immigrants can learn a lot about various parts of the U.S. by contacting state travel and tourism offices.

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: card   diversity   green   immigrant   immigration   joanne   lottery   visa  

 

Entry bubble National Library Card Sign-up Month

By: Colleen | September 03, 2008 | Category: General

"Having fun isn't hard when you have a library card..."library

Scanning my home bookshelves recently, I realized that I've spent an awful lot of money on books. Granted, my shoe collection is a much more frivolous expense, but I probably don't need to OWN some of the chicklit (cringe!) that is overcrowding my shelves.

Since I still need to drive my car, and prices for everything else aren't going down, I need to economize. Off to the library I go.

Sad but true, the only library card I actually have is for the library in my hometown. I believe I got this when I upgraded to the "adult" library at age 13 (another cringe!). My college library card is no longer activated, and I'm still angry with them after a minor scandal involving a copy of Moby Dick returned slightly later than its due date and an unreasonable fine attached to my diploma.

Running home to Pennsylvania to check out a book defeats my whole "cutting back on driving" philosophy, so getting a new, local card is my new mission for the week. It's an appropriate time, seeing as September is National Library Card Sign-up Month.

In my completely non-credentialed opinion, nothing makes you a better writer than reading. While I had some great English teachers over the years, I credit my perfect "A" average in "General Writing" to having my nose stuck in books and picking up on different writing styles and techniques.

With school just starting back up, now is the perfect time to get your kids interested in reading and into the library. Start them young! Most public libraries offer "story-time" and other activities to keep kids' attention. Show them the movies and music libraries have to offer, along with the books. And remember, free is good.

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: books   card   colleen   library   reading   school  

 

Entry bubble Credit Card Offers

By: Colleen | May 07, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Few things are consistent in life. The alarm clock doesn't always go off when it's set. The Patriots ruin a perfectcredit card season by choking in the Super Bowl. A bright and sunny Saturday can turn to thunderstorms in the blink of an eye.

As far as I can tell, I can guarantee only two things:

  • If I am wearing white to dinner, something with spaghetti sauce will be served.
  • At least three times a week I will find a credit card offer in my mailbox.

Wearing white will never stop me from eating spaghetti, but I can help eliminate the seemingly endless stream of credit card offers.

Receiving these offers makes you a target for identity theft. To prevent your information from falling into the wrong hands, you should "opt out" of pre-approved offers.

You can opt out for five years or permanently.

Eliminating these offers helps protect your identity and is also eco-friendly. You're saving paper and creating less waste. It is reported that my generation is in an endless cycle of post-graduation credit card debt—so the fewer offers you get, the less temptation you have to add another card to that bulging wallet.

| View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: card   colleen   credit   identity   mail   offers   theft  

 

Entry bubble The Hassles of a Stolen Wallet

By: Nicole | April 25, 2008 | Category: Money

Purse Theft

A scary thing happened to me Tuesday night. I was shooting pool with some friends when a stranger tried to snatch my purse. I couldn’t believe it. My purse was a mere five feet away. The guy quietly swiped it, hid it beneath his sweatshirt, and sauntered toward the door. I was lucky. I noticed almost immediately, and the guy was apprehended.

For a few terrible moments, I thought he had gotten away. I began to imagine the hassle of replacing my credit cards, my driver’s license, and my ATM card (not to mention the songs on my iPod). What a mess. So, today, I’ve decided to post a few things you should do, just in case:

  • Keep a list of all of your credit, debit, and ATM cards. This list should include card numbers as well as customer service phone numbers. You might also want to include the fraud hotlines of credit reporting agencies, so you can place a fraud alert on your credit report. You should keep this list somewhere safe and easy to access (but not in your wallet!).
  • Because your Social Security number is a gold mine for identity thieves, never keep your Social Security card in your wallet. If your driver’s license has your Social Security number on it, you should contact your state motor vehicles office and ask for a replacement that doesn’t display your Social Security number.
  • Never keep PIN numbers in your wallet or with your credit or debit cards.

If your wallet has been stolen, the FTC provides a quick list of what to do. And of course, there are lots of other things you can do to avoid identity theft.

Do you have any tips for how to make life difficult for purse snatchers?

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: card   credit   purse   replace   robbery   security   social   theft