Against All Odds : Immigration: This year, U.S. visa lottery allows only one entry per person instead of an unlimited number. About 3 million are expected to enter the drawing for 40,000 spots.

Toshi Inoue is banking on his luck one more time.

A Japanese national who wants to live permanently in the United States, Inoue spent $1,500 and sent 400 applications last year to a government lottery that granted permanent residency to foreign citizens as part of a program meant to diversify the U.S immigrant pool. Despite his efforts, the 34-year-old furniture salesman, who works in Los Angeles under a temporary visa, didn’t win one of the 40,000 grand prizes: a coveted “green card” that paves the way to U.S. citizenship.

This week, Inoue is entering the second round of the lottery--but just once. Under new rules, lottery participants are limited to submitting one application.

The change came after a chaotic first-year lottery in which people were allowed to enter as a many times as they wanted. Some hopeful immigrants sent hundreds, even thousands, of applications. Nine million applications were mailed during the one-week filing period; in all 19 million were submitted. Hundreds of applicants camped out in front of the Virginia post office that processes mail for the government, hoping to get a leg up on the competition.

In response, Congress passed the new law limiting prospective immigrants to one application, which must be sent between now and Aug. 28. Those who send more than one application will be disqualified. In addition, applications will be selected at random. This year, the lottery--which was established by the Immigration Act of 1990--will grant 40,000 visas to nationals of 36 countries that federal officials say are underrepresented in the immigrant pool. Up to 3 million applications could be received this year, a state department official said.

Some experts and immigration rights advocates say the program is unfair because the lottery is limited mostly to citizens of European countries.

But for others, such as 27-year-old Christian Gotschiam, an unemployed actor from Austria who won a visa last year, the lottery is the only way to fulfill the American dream.

Gotschiam, who has lived in Los Angeles for more than two years, said, “Before, as a European, it was close to impossible to get in. You either got married, or you had outrageous skills that an American couldn’t match.”

Maria, a 40-year-old Canadian model and fashion designer who lives in Los Angeles, said the lottery is one of the few ways she can legally stay in America. But Maria, who asked that her last name not be used because she is not a legal resident, said she has mixed feelings.

“I feel like I’m at a slot machine in Las Vegas,” she said. “This is my life. They should be more thoughtful in how it affects people’s lives.”

In numbers, the impact of the visa lottery is likely to be minimal: 40,000 visas will be issued each year from 1991 to 1993 and 50,000 each year from 1994 to 1999. Last year alone, nearly half a million people immigrated to the United States legally, while hundreds of thousands more crossed the border illegally, according to government officials.

But as one immigration expert pointed out, the significance of the visa lottery is symbolic.

“It reflects a new philosophy in our immigration policy and that is how we can reinforce desired national identities,” said Arthur Helton of the New York University Law School. “It is a euphemism for encouraging immigration from Northern and Western European countries.”

Helton acknowledged that, in real numbers, the lottery’s effects on the immigrant stream will be marginal. At a time of economic downturn, he added, “it is not surprising to see race factors emerge in policy-making, particularly immigration policy-making.”

But a State Department spokeswoman said that over the course of three years, the lottery will make a difference as immigrants send for their families. This is especially true for the Irish who, with the political influence of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass), were able to win a special provision in the 1990 law setting aside at least 40% of the visas for them.

Sean Benson of the New York-based Emerald Isle Immigration Center said that before the lottery, almost 100,000 undocumented Irish had been living in the United States with little hope of becoming legalized.

“It was the intent of Congress to bring fairness to immigration policy because some groups had been unfairly excluded,” he said.

Last year, Irish applicants won about 20,000 visas, followed by the Poles with 12,000 and Japanese with 6,000.

Niels Frenzen, a Los Angeles immigration attorney, said that although undocumented Irish should be given legal status, a similar program should be established for others who come from countries where economic and political conditions are worse.

“It’s no surprise that people regard illegals from Ireland differently than Mexicans,” he said. “They are seen as strengthening the country rather than weakening it.”

The first permanent immigration program in the nation’s history based solely on luck, the visa lottery is open to those who the government says have been disadvantaged by the immigration law of 1965. That policy favors those with immediate relatives living in the United States and those with specialized job skills.

Starting in 1994, the visa lottery will be open to nationals of most countries, except high-admission nations like Mexico, China, El Salvador and Haiti.

For Inoue, the issue goes beyond the government’s rationale for the program or its detractors’ complaints. Taking a break at the Little Tokyo furniture store where he works, he said he is hoping his luck won’t fail him again. “I felt awful last year,” he said. “I contribute to the United States. I like the United States and I want to stay.”

Who Is Eligible? Natives of the following nations are entitled to apply for the visa lottery through 1993. Albania Algeria Argentina Austria Belgium Bermuda Canada* Czechoslovakia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Gibraltar Great Britain Guadeloupe Hungary Iceland Indonesia Ireland Italy Japan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Monaco New Caledonia Netherlands Norway Poland San Marino Sweden Switzerland Tunisia * added to the list this year SOURCE: U.S. State Department