Accepting applications for the Green Card Lottery ends in 2 week

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Exactly 2 weeks are left before the end of accepting applications for the Green Card 2017 lottery. All applicants must send documents before November 7, 2016. This lottery remains one of the most popular methods of immigration to the United States for many residents of the CIS countries. In many ways, winning requires luck. But a lot also depends on the applicants - first of all, the correct filling out of documents and the correct deadlines for submitting papers.

Detailed instructions about how to fill out a form on the Green Card, ForumDaily gave recently, but this time we decided to remind the main points that should be considered by those who want to participate in the lottery.

Where and when to register

Registration is already underway and ends on November 7 2016 of the year in 12.00 New York time. From 2 May 2017 to 30 September 2018 can check the results of the drawand on the official lottery website: https://www.dvlottery.state.gov. Fill out the application form for participation in the draw must ONLY on the official website of the US Department of State www.dvlottery.state.gov. Please note: the site must have the .gov extension - sites with similar addresses have already appeared on the Internet, but with the .com and .org extensions. They are intermediaries or fraudsters.

Filling in the form

You can find it on the website detailed instructions by filling out the questionnaire in English. There are currently no Green Card-2018 translations into Russian. However there is Ukrainian translation и Uzbek. There is Russian translation of instructions from past yearsHowever, some minor changes were made to the application for 2018, so we do not recommend using the outdated version.

It usually takes 15-20 minutes to complete a questionnaire, it is quite simple. But it should be borne in mind: if you do not have time to fill in an hour, the system will reboot, and all entered data will disappear - you will have to fill it all over again. In addition, you can send only one form per year. If you fill it in twice, you will be disqualified. Detailed advice on filling out the questionnaire State Department representatives gave quite recently.

Sample of filling the questionnaire

Cost of participation

Participation in the lottery is FREE. Until you win, you don't have to pay for anything. Only if you win a Green Card, you will need to pay a consular fee for processing documents. It should be noted that the cost of participation is one of the most asked questions. Not long ago ForumDaily made compilation The most popular questions with competent answers.

Countries that participate in the lottery

Applications for Green Card 2018 are not accepted from those countries from which more than 5 thousand people immigrated in the previous 50 years. These are countries such as Mexico, Pakistan, China, Colombia, India, Great Britain and others. A total of 50 thousand green cards will be issued. A small part of people are eliminated during the application for an immigration visa, so more than 50 thousand people are always selected, and as a result, there may not be enough visas for all. Therefore, if you receive notification of your winnings, it is important to begin the visa process as soon as possible. If you win the Green Card 2018, the visa must be obtained from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018. After this date, even if you are selected, you will no longer be able to obtain a green card.

Who can participate in the lottery

Main requirements:

• be born in a lottery country (all countries of the former Soviet Union and Israel participate in the program);

• have completed secondary education or 2 years of work experience during the last 5 years in a specialty that requires 2-year vocational training.

Documentary evidence of education or work experience does not need to be attached to a registration application, but they will need to be shown to the consular officer during an interview for an immigration visa.

If you are unable to prove education or work experience, your application will be disqualified even after winning.

If there is no completed secondary education (not finished school)

If there is no completed secondary education, then you need to prove that there is work experience. Moreover, you need to work in a profession that requires at least 2 a year of prior professional training. To determine whether your level of education or training meets these requirements, you can use the US Department of Labor database. O * Net OnLine. In it, all specialties are divided into 5 groups (Job Zone). If you do not have completed secondary education, you need to show that at least 2 of the year for the last 5 years you have worked in a position that corresponds to the 4 or 5 group, and also that you have a level not lower than 7.0 in vocational classification (SVP - Special Vocation Preparation ).

The check algorithm looks like this:

1. Select Find Occupation, then click on the Job Family.

2. From the list that appears, select a profession category and click Go.

3. Choose a specific specialty.

4. In the Job Zone section, see the group number and SVP level.

For example, select Computer and Mathematical. In the Job Family list, click on your specialty, for example, Computer Programmers. In the Job Zone section you will see Job Zone Four, SVP Range 7.0 to <8.0. This means that the Computer Programmers specialty allows you to participate in the Green Card-2018 program.

Family participation

In the questionnaire it is necessary to indicate a husband or wife, regardless of whether you live together or not, and whether your spouse is going to go with you to America. No need to specify only the deceased and former spouses.

You also need to specify all unmarried children under the age of 21 of the year - relatives, adopted children and children from previous marriages of the spouse, even if they do not plan to move. Do not include only children who are already permanent residents or citizens of the United States.

Parents, as well as brothers and sisters, do not need to be included in the questionnaire - the lottery still does not allow them to be taken to the USA.

If you do not indicate any of the closest family members, you will be disqualified during your visa application - neither you nor any of your relatives will receive a green card.

Exception - if the replenishment in your family happened already after you sent the application. For example, you have a baby or you are married.

In this case, both family members can submit a separate questionnaire, if each of them meets the requirements. Thus, a couple can increase their chances of winning. If one of them wins, the spouse receives a green card as a member of the family.

How not to get caught by scammers

The US State Department is urging all participants not to allow outsiders to send a questionnaire to you for the green card. Moreover, a person can fill it, even with a minimal level of knowledge of the English language, especially with detailed instructions ForumDaily. Numerous intermediaries, who everywhere offer their services to fill out forms, can create many difficulties, or even simply deceive. Even if you decide to use their services, remember: you must be present during the process of filling out the questionnaire and be sure to get a unique confirmation number. On it you can later check to see if you were selected to participate in the program or not.

If the confirmation number is left to the intermediary, the consequences may be very different: you may not know what you won at all, or if you win, you will begin to extort a considerable amount to tell you the necessary code.

How to learn about the results of the lottery

From 2 May 2017 to 30 September 2018, using your confirmation number, you can check the status of the application on the website www.dvlottery.state.gov. This is the only way to learn about the results of the lottery.

The State Department will not send any electronic or regular letters.

The only email you can receive from the US Department of State is a reminder to check your status after the lottery. Moreover, the official institution never asks to make money transfers. Be especially attentive if you submitted an application through an intermediary.

If you won the green card

The first steps to take after you know about winning a green card.

1. Fill in the form DS-260.
2. Get a medical examination. Its cost is $ 150-215 (depending on the country and age). Necessary vaccinations are paid separately. You need to undergo it only in the clinic, which is approved by the US Embassy in your country. Their addresses are on the website of the embassy. For example, for Ukraine it is International Organization for Migration in Kiev, For Russia - International Organization for Migration in Moscow. The results of the medical examination for the interview must be brought in a sealed envelope.
3. Collect the necessary documents relevant to your situation:

• Certificate of education or confirmation of the required work experience;

• birth certificate;

• marriage certificate or official evidence of the name change;

• divorce certificate;

• court decision on adoption;

• a certificate of good conduct from all countries (including the former Soviet Union) where you have lived for over a year;

• military ID;

• all decisions of courts and penitentiary services, if you were detained, arrested or served time;

• documents explaining staying in the USA for more than half a year and documents about deportation;

• two color photographs of 5x5 cm taken no earlier than six months before the date of the interview;

• proof of residence in the country at the address indicated in the questionnaire DS-260;

• Evidence that in the United States you will not be in state content. These can be documents confirming the existence of property, savings, an invitation to work in the United States or a document of financial support from a relative or friend from America (Form I-134).

4. Pay a $ 330 visa fee.
5. Pass the interview.

All additional information needs to be found only on the website of the US Embassy in your country.

More information about the preparation for the meeting with the ForumDaily migration officer писал. Here are some tips on collecting the necessary documents.

Read also on ForumDaily:

How to fill out a form on the Green Card

How can a green card holder move a family to America

How to extend the validity of the green card

Rights and obligations of the green card holder

How can I get a green card for work

Immigration to the USA: five stories of people who won the green card

How can I get a green card

10 about honest ways to stay in the USA

One step before the green card: medical board, interview, work permit

New rules for changing migration status published in the USA

Rules of traveling abroad for green card holders

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