DV Lottery Is Back
06 October 2015Author: Alena Shautsova
It is that time of the year again: pumpkins, corn and fall mums mean that it is fall, and the Department of State again reopens its internet portal for the DV lottery players: www.dvlottery.state.gov.
A few reminders for those who are considering trying their luck:
1. Read the Instructions Yourself, do not rely on anybody else to repeat the instructions for you. The instructions are available in many languages in addition to English language.
2. If you participated in previous DV lottery "games", remember to update your photo and photos of your children. You will be denied an Immigrant visa if the photo will be found to be older than the specified in the instructions acceptable range.
3. List correctly all of your family members such as children and spouse(s). You will be denied a visa if during the entry process your "failed" to mention all of your children. I hope you have only one "legal" spouse. Otherwise, you might face more serious issues than an Immigrant visa denial.
4. Do not forget about necessary qualifications (in addition to being a national of a specified country*): “High School Education: A high school education means successful completion of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to completion of a 12-year course in the United States. Work Experience:>/p>
If you are qualifying with work experience, you must have two years of experience in the last five years, in an occupation which, by U.S. Department of Labor definitions, requires at least two years of training or experience that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher”
To find the relevant occupations, use this link: www.onetonline.org/find/family.
5. Do not submit more than one entry on behalf of the same person: the person will be disqualified for submitting multiple entries. However, the spouses can both submit separate entries.
Finally, it is worth it to play if you are in the U.S. and your status has already expired. For example, if one overstayed a F or a J visa, he/she will not be subject to 3/10 years bar for unlawful presence if leaves the U.S. Some people may be eligible for the “grandfathering” exception, and some a waiver.
The submission period for DV lottery 2017 will be closed on November 3, 2015. Good Luck!
Natives from the following countries are excluded from participation in the Green Card lottery program this year:
- Bangladesh
- Brazil
- Canada
- China (mainland only)
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- India
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Peru
- Philippines
- South Korea
- United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland)
- Vietnam