I was born in Russia, whose natives are not eligible to participate in the lottery this year. Does this mean that I have no chance to take part in DV-2005?
- The American visa lottery is held to diversify the ethnic composition of the United States. Therefore, natives of those countries from which immigration has been small - less than 50.000 people over the last five years - are allowed to participate. This year, Russia was among the countries whose level of immigration to the United States (based on family or employment) exceeds the specified figure. Refugees, persons granted political asylum or parole status, as well as winners of previous lotteries, are not included in this number.
Natives of countries that are not eligible to participate in the visa lottery can submit their application only if their spouses or parents were born in a country eligible for the lottery. Such persons may state that they are natives of the countries where their spouses or parents were born (item 10 of the application form).
I am currently a citizen of Ukraine, although I was born on the territory of Russia. Does my Ukrainian citizenship give me the right to participate in the lottery?
- Neither citizenship nor long-term residence in another country is taken into account. Only the place of birth is considered. There is only one exception for persons whose spouses or parents are natives of countries eligible for the lottery (see answer above).
I was born in Russia - a country whose natives are not eligible to participate in the visa lottery, but my husband was born in Ukraine. Can I, when submitting the registration form, state that I am a native of Ukraine?
- On the registration form you will find the item "Country of which you consider yourself a native, if it differs from the country in which you were actually born." You must fill in this line, writing Ukraine in it. However, if you are among the winners, you will not be able to obtain a visa until your husband receives it, and you will have to enter the United States simultaneously with him.
Can you be late with registration for the lottery?
- The website where registration takes place will work only for 60 days - from November 1 to December 30, 2003. However, you should not postpone registration until the last days, because technical failures sometimes occur on the Internet.
Whose chances of winning are preferable - those who register in early November or those who do so in late December?
- Both have exactly the same chances. It is only important to follow all the rules of the lottery.
If at the moment I do not meet the lottery's education or work qualification requirements, but I expect that in the next two years the situation will improve, can I, counting on this, participate in the current visa lottery?
- If you definitely know that if you win, by the time you file the petition you will not meet these requirements, then there is no point in participating in the visa lottery - in this case the American consulate will refuse your visa application.
I meet the visa lottery's education or work qualification requirements, but my wife does not. Will we have any difficulties if I become a winner of the visa lottery?
- No, because you are the principal applicant, and your wife is a "derivative", to whom the education and work qualification requirements do not apply.
I have two children - nine and twelve years old. Can they submit an application for the visa lottery on their own behalf?
- Although there is no age limit, your children clearly will not meet the education and work qualification requirement. Therefore, there is no point in submitting an application on their behalf.
My daughter is 18 years old, and next spring she will graduate from high school. My wife and I will include her in our applications for the lottery, as the rules require. But can she submit such an application on her own?
- Yes, because if she wins, by the time of filing the visa petition she will have the secondary education that is required from participants. Consequently, your daughter has three chances to be among the winners. However, if she submits her own application and wins, then only she will be able to enter the United States, since you and your wife will not be included in her application.
Who can send the registration application for the lottery?
- A lottery participant can prepare and send his application himself, or can ask a relative to do it for him. It does not matter where the applicant or the lottery participant lives. In addition, there are many private companies that offer such a service for a fee. However, you must use the services of such intermediaries with great caution.
Beware of persons who take significant money for "additional" services. No one has the ability to influence the outcome of the lottery and help you win. Any correctly completed application has an equal chance of success in the drawing. You only need to know the rules of the lottery and follow them exactly.
If possible, contact someone who understands digital photography. If you only have ordinary photographs, they can be converted to digital format using a scanner.
The person who will send your application will receive an electronic notification that it has been received. Be sure to get a copy of this notification and make sure that it says that your application has reached the correct address on the Internet.
Do not forget that if you trust a stranger to send your application, he will have access to your personal information. When using the services of an intermediary, give him only the information that is required from visa lottery participants. Do not share private information with strangers.
We remind you that the U.S. State Department does not charge a fee for participating in the American visa lottery.
What postal address should be indicated on the electronic form?
- Any address in any country of the world. For example, you will feel more at ease if you give the address of a friend or relative living in the United States, where the mail works more reliably than in your home country. The State Department is not interested in the actual address of the lottery participant or the address specified in the application. Just remember that notifications to winners are sent to the addresses specified in the application.
My wife and I live separately, but we are not officially divorced yet. She has two children from a previous marriage (9 and 14 years old), one of whom lives with her, and the second with her first husband. Should I include my wife (from whom I will soon divorce) and her children in the registration application, despite the fact that they will not travel with me to America?
- You must include them in the application and attach their photographs. These are the rules of the game. If you do not include all children in the application and you end up among the lottery winners, your petition for a green card will be rejected by the American consul.
My husband and I live separately, but we are not officially divorced yet. I am afraid that if I end up among the visa lottery winners, I will have to bring him to the United States if our divorce has not been finalized by that time. Can this happen?
- Although you must include your husband in the registration application, in the event of a win you are not obligated to take him with you to the United States. He will not be able to obtain a visa (unless, of course, he wins it himself) without your participation. Also note that your husband will not receive a notification that you won, and will never find out about it until you tell him.
If I, complying with all rules, submitted a registration application for the visa lottery and did not receive a notification of winning before August 2004, does that mean that I turned out to be among the losers? Can I somehow check this?
- Lottery participants who did not receive a notification at the address specified in the application before August 2004 are not winners. Unfortunately, there is no way to confirm this.
Our family is expecting a child who is due to be born right during the registration period for lottery participants. What should be done in this case? Should we apply before his birth or after?
- In your case, you can apply after the child is born, including him in the form. Of course, you should not postpone registration to the last days. If you send the application before the child is born, changes that occurred in your family after submitting the application for participation in the lottery can be reflected in the forms after receiving the first package of documents (of course, only in the event of a win).
If after December 30, 2003, when the deadline for accepting applications ends, I get married, will my spouse be able to get a visa with me, if, of course, I am among the winners?
- Yes. In that case, he (like a child born after December 30, 2004) will be able to obtain a visa.
Do I need to provide a photograph of my child together with the registration form if he is only three months old?
- Along with the registration form, you must send photographs of all family members listed in the application. Including infants - this is a requirement of the instructions.
For the preparation of this issue
materials from the
HIAS information package were used