November 2004  Diversity Visa 2006 Lottery Registration to begin   The State Department announced on September 29, 2004, that the registration period for the Diversity Visa (DV) 2006 visa lottery will run from November 5, 2004 to January 7, 2005. Registration will be exclusively on-line. No paper entries will be accepted. We urge everyone who wants a green card to review this section to see if they qualify. It is designed to provide legal permanent residence (green cards) to regions of the world with lower rates of immigration. Whether you are in the US currently or not, you can still apply. For more information, please refer to the ‘Online Resources’ section of this newsletter. If you need assistance with the on-line application, please contact us at 603-228-1277 or via e-mail at info@goffandwilson.com .     2005 CGFNS Exam Dates The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) has announced the dates of its Qualifying Exam for 2005. Application deadlines listed below cannot be extended. The dates and deadlines are as follows: Examination Date Deadline for NEW Applications Deadline for Re-Applications Location/Test Date Change Deadline March 9, 2005 December 08, 2004 January 05, 2005 December 29, 2004   July 13, 2005 April 13, 2005 May 11, 2005 May 04, 2005   September 21, 2005 June 22, 2005 July 20, 2005 July 13, 2005   November 9, 2005 August 10, 2005 September 07, 2005 August 31, 2005     For more information about the CGFNS Qualifying Exam you may visit http://www.cgfns.org/cgfns/programs/examdates.html     Updated NAPLEX Blueprint & New Passing Standard   The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) announced that it has concluded its most recent analysis of the practice of pharmacy. The analysis consisted of an evaluation of current educational outcomes and competency statements, and an expert review of the current North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) blueprint content. The updated blueprint and passing standard will go into effect simultaneously in May 2005.   To read the full announcement and review the FAQs, please see the 'Online Resources' section of this newsletter.     Change in projected cut-off date for asylee adjustment cases   The President has recently signed Presidential Determination No. 2004-53, authorizing refugee admissions for FY2005. Therefore, USCIS can resume approving asylum adjustment applications. Based on an analysis of the number of applications pending by receipt date, the Nebraska Service Center (NSC), which is responsible for processing these applications, has determined that during this fiscal year, they will be processing cases received on or before March 31, 2000. The impact of the Ngwanyia lawsuit has not been factored into this calculation since no final order in the case has been issued. When a final order is issued, they have stated that they will revise the cut-off date. According to the NSC, their web site will be updated to reflect the current projected schedule as soon as possible.     Vermont Service Center News   It appears likely that the Vermont Service Center (VSC) will revert to directly taking telephone calls again from the public. This means that you will be able to call the VSC and speak directly with an immigration officer. They are also considering instituting an email inquiry system. This is good news for all of us as the National Customer Service Center has been totally ineffective in assisting people with their immigration cases.  Theoretically, the direct service telephone line should be operating before January 2005. We will be sure to notify you when this important change occurs!     Did you know?   African immigrants have the highest high school completion rate of 95 percent.     - U.S. Census Bureau, 2000   Best Lawyers in America 2005-2006       Every two years, the National Polling Firm Woodward-White performs an exhaustive search for the country's top Attorneys and publishes their names in its comprehensive volume "The Best Lawyers in America".       The 2005-2006 list has just been completed, and Attorney John R. Wilson has been selected under the "Immigration Law" category.       Congratulations John! We are very proud of you! To register for the DV Lottery, please visit http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/36613.htm   For more information about the updated NAPLEX blueprint, please visit http://www.nabp.net/ftpfiles/NABP01/Updatedblueprintinfo.pdf If you have any comments on our newsletter, any topics you would like to see reviewed or if you have news, events or other items of interest that you would like to share - please forward your comments and suggestions to abouley@goffandwilson.com. Copyright 2003 Goff and Wilson Professional Association - www.goffandwilson.com - unsubscribe One Capitol St., PO Box 347, Concord, NH 03302-0347 v: 603.228.1277    f: 603.226.0791    info@goffandwilson.com