dv lottery F1 Student - DV Lottery - Expiring Visa and Passport

[LD182 0]

Hi!

 

I'm an international student and I entered the DV Lottery this year and I want to be prepared when I win. My F-1 visa expires in December 2018 and my passport expires in October 2018. My I-20 is valid and I will still be in status. Will that affect the process of getting a green card? Will I need to send copies of my passport and visa with the documents needed?

 

Thank you.

[Boiler 45,418]

Do I take it you won?

[Coco8 1,042]

You won't get a green card immediately. There are more people who win that the number of green cards that they give away. First, you have to act quickly if you get selected, because the order in which you present your paperwork matters. Second, there is a thorough process of selection and not everyone who won can actually get a green card (though if you have an F1 then it means you studied something, so your chances are good).

[CheeseMonstah 87]

51 minutes ago, LD182 said:

Hi!

 

I'm an international student and I entered the DV Lottery this year and I want to be prepared when I win.

Kudos on the confidence! 

[arken 4,197]

“When I win” is pretty optimisitic, but if you win, you are still not guranteed to get GC. Your selection will be provided a number. Each month starting Oct 2018, USCIS will realease the quotas for specific region or country for that month. If your number falls below the allocated number for that month, you can go for GC application process. So technically, even if you are selected, you could be eligible to file for AOS in Oct 2018 or as far as Sep 2019 or may not get chance to file for AOS at all. You have to be in status (valid I-20, F1 visa is useless) to be able to file for AOS.

 

If you want to be prepared with your so much optimism, plan to be in valid status till Sep 2019.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

Come back when you win, you’ll have plenty of time to sort it out.

 

and if so sure you’ll win why are you asking about extending your student visa on another thread...? By the way you know you need a valid passport at all times as a condition of the F1, right? So whether or not you win DV make sure you renew that in time.

Edited April 8, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Jeanne Adil 1,651]

This is for the 2019 dv lottery

 

DV-2019 Entrants may enter their confirmation information through the link below starting at noon (EDT) on May 15, 2018. The DV-2019 entry period opened on October 18, 2017, and closed on November 22, 2017. Only confirmation information for entries submitted during this period are valid for checking your status. DV-2019 Entrants should keep their confirmation number until September 30, 2019.

 

you have time but you can at the end of each semester get a transcript of your classes and grades/ you will also need criminal investigation report from US and Morocco but they can expire in 90 days so do not do until asked // you would have to get the US one before going to morocco for the DV interview

i am saying you will need to return (in case someone says you can do the interview here)  as you are the only one who can get the 2 criminal reports in Morocco as. they are the documents a family member can not get for you / you have to apply in person for them

but good luck

i personally am hoping my aunt wins

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

11 minutes ago, adil-rafa said:

you will also need criminal investigation report from US and Morocco but they can expire in 90 days so do not do until asked // you would have to get the US one before going to morocco for the DV interview

i am saying you will need to return (in case someone says you can do the interview here)  as you are the only one who can get the 2 criminal reports in Morocco as. they are the documents a family member can not get for you / you have to apply in person for them

but good luck

i personally am hoping my aunt wins

You don’t get police reports from the US, the fbi background check takes care of that.

 

and anyway all of what is required is clearly explained to those who get selected.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[LD182 0]

10 hours ago, arken said:

“When I win” is pretty optimisitic, but if you win, you are still not guranteed to get GC. Your selection will be provided a number. Each month starting Oct 2018, USCIS will realease the quotas for specific region or country for that month. If your number falls below the allocated number for that month, you can go for GC application process. So technically, even if you are selected, you could be eligible to file for AOS in Oct 2018 or as far as Sep 2019 or may not get chance to file for AOS at all. You have to be in status (valid I-20, F1 visa is useless) to be able to file for AOS.

 

If you want to be prepared with your so much optimism, plan to be in valid status till Sep 2019.

Thanks for the answer! I just got my associates so I'm transferring to another university to get my Bachelors then Masters so I will definitely be in valid status

[LD182 0]

8 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

Come back when you win, you’ll have plenty of time to sort it out.

 

and if so sure you’ll win why are you asking about extending your student visa on another thread...? By the way you know you need a valid passport at all times as a condition of the F1, right? So whether or not you win DV make sure you renew that in time.

I am optimistic and hope that I will win but not sure, only time can tell  As to the passport being valid as a condition for maintaining F1 status, I did not know that! Thanks for telling me.

[LD182 0]

7 hours ago, adil-rafa said:

This is for the 2019 dv lottery

 

DV-2019 Entrants may enter their confirmation information through the link below starting at noon (EDT) on May 15, 2018. The DV-2019 entry period opened on October 18, 2017, and closed on November 22, 2017. Only confirmation information for entries submitted during this period are valid for checking your status. DV-2019 Entrants should keep their confirmation number until September 30, 2019.

 

you have time but you can at the end of each semester get a transcript of your classes and grades/ you will also need criminal investigation report from US and Morocco but they can expire in 90 days so do not do until asked // you would have to get the US one before going to morocco for the DV interview

i am saying you will need to return (in case someone says you can do the interview here)  as you are the only one who can get the 2 criminal reports in Morocco as. they are the documents a family member can not get for you / you have to apply in person for them

but good luck

i personally am hoping my aunt wins

Thank you for replying! It is not mandatory to return in case you win. You can apply for Adjustment of Status from the US! Good luck for your aunt!

[kzielu 1,149]

18 hours ago, Coco8 said:

You won't get a green card immediately. There are more people who win that the number of green cards that they give away. First, you have to act quickly if you get selected, because the order in which you present your paperwork matters. Second, there is a thorough process of selection and not everyone who won can actually get a green card (though if you have an F1 then it means you studied something, so your chances are good).

No, the order in which he presents his paperwork does not matter almost at all.  Each winner gets a number, and they can't apply for AOS / go for embassy interview until his number is below cut off published in the visa bulletin. In the unlucky event of having really high number and numbers in VB progressing real slow, he may not get it at all, regardless of how quickly he returns his paperwork after winning.

 

One thing to remember with doing AoS though is - it typically takes much longer than consular process. If his number becomes current towards the end of the fiscal year, he likely will not be able to adjust status before end of September - once that's passed, he's out of luck. Anyway - all moot point, needs to win first.

[Coco8 1,042]

2 hours ago, kzielu said:

No, the order in which he presents his paperwork does not matter almost at all. 

 

No, it says this everywhere (here from AllLaw.com):

 

Another reason to hurry is that the U.S. government selects twice as many winners as there are green cards available. It assumes some of these will either not qualify or will decide not to immigrate after all. If all the winners do, in fact, mail in applications, the green cards will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s possible that even though you win the lottery, if that year’s green card allotment is used up before your own interview is scheduled, you will not receive a green card.

[kzielu 1,149]

1 minute ago, Coco8 said:

 

No, it says this everywhere (here from AllLaw.com):

 

Another reason to hurry is that the U.S. government selects twice as many winners as there are green cards available. It assumes some of these will either not qualify or will decide not to immigrate after all. If all the winners do, in fact, mail in applications, the green cards will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s possible that even though you win the lottery, if that year’s green card allotment is used up before your own interview is scheduled, you will not receive a green card.

You need to understand how lottery system works. It is not first come first serve, it is based on cut off numbers. You can be first person in the world to turn documents in but if your number is high enough and cut off numbers in the bulletin for the region high enough, that person will never get a green card. Please, again - your VJ veteran - read about how DV works.

Yes, they select more winners than visas are available, hence my example above a not everyone will apply so they want to make sure they give out all available visas in a fiscal year. The fact that he has to turn his documents in to get visa, is obvious, timing is fairly irrelevant unless he's terribly late. 

Note that winners are announced in May, interviews start in October and last through September of next year. Whether he sends DS-260 on May 30th or September 15th makes zero difference.

[EmilyW 1,428]

11 minutes ago, Coco8 said:

 

No, it says this everywhere (here from AllLaw.com):

 

Another reason to hurry is that the U.S. government selects twice as many winners as there are green cards available. It assumes some of these will either not qualify or will decide not to immigrate after all. If all the winners do, in fact, mail in applications, the green cards will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s possible that even though you win the lottery, if that year’s green card allotment is used up before your own interview is scheduled, you will not receive a green card.

 

This is completely incorrect and should not be repeated.  You are allocated a case number and, each month, the Visa Bulletin will state which case numbers are current and ready for interview.  I know because I'm a Diversity Lottery Winner.  I submitted my paperwork rather quickly but had to wait until my case number was ready before I was called for an interview.