Up to now, Adu has done everything right, a credit to his mother, who won an immigration lottery and brought him over from Ghana when he was 7.

After 1996, some refugees from Sierra Leone were able to enter the United States with immediate legal residence status, as beneficiaries of the immigration lotteries.

Through vigorous organization, the Irish did well in the two previous immigration lotteries.

Maybe u can win the immigration lottery and be lucky enought to clean my toilet.

"They democracy, I work," said Mr. Hassan, who has lived in Astoria, Queens, since he won a visa in an immigration lottery a year ago.

A1 An immigration lottery of sorts, which will prompt would-be immigrants to mail millions of applications for green cards, is the product of a 1990 law.

For instance, they won a third of the 10,000 non-preference visas in a recent immigration lottery intended for people from 36 countries who were "adversely affected" by the 1965 immigration law.

A1 An immigration lottery to distribute 40,000 green cards, which offer permanent legal residence, is set to begin.

In 2000, Zotinca won a United States Green Card in an immigration lottery, and left Romania for America.

"The Irish had that immigration lottery, we'll be seeing more of them," Mr. Ortiz said.