How I won the green card, and what happened next

Photo from the personal archive of the author

First about the green card itself. Every year the US State Department holds a diversification lottery (Diversity Immigrant Visa) - draw green cards and provides 55 000 visas. What is a green card? This is a residence permit in the United States with the right to live and work in the territory of America. All information on green cards, including applications for participation - all on a single official Online.

Part of 1. Introduction

In 2012, at the end of November, we applied for the lottery. We lived at that moment in St. Petersburg. In truth, we served for the company with friends. We thought we won together and we will move together. So it will be more fun in a new country ???? The application for participation is filling out the application form on the lottery website. The application is registered and you are assigned a case number. It is for him in the spring will need to check the results. That is, before November 1 you need to submit an application, and in the first days of May check the results.

At the beginning of May 2013, when it was necessary to check the results, we rested in Finland and did not remember the green card. But again, our friends with whom we served, reminded us that we need to check the results. So 2 May 2013, we learned that we won the green card. We didn’t believe then, and it seems that we still don’t fully believe in it.

Who does not know, we are two people - a husband and I. At the time of application we lived in St. Petersburg. I served from Russia, Ruslan from Azerbaijan, since he was born in Baku. I won. Our room was 22 ***. Then they acted according to the standard procedure - they collected all the documents and sent them to Connecticut (the date of sending 17 in May of 2013). If I'm not mistaken, there were questionnaires, copies of passports and our photos. For me, this was the most exciting moment - there was no hope for the post office, and certainly no guarantees.

Maya Buriakina with her husband. Photos from the personal archive

It is worth noting that when you win a green card - it does not mean anything. Because America allocates 50 000 immigration visas, and 125 wins 000 people. So the most important thing is to be invited for an interview.

But apparently, all the documents came in an excellent way, because in March 2014, we learned that we are invited to an interview on April 23. We learned about it again by going to the site. The interview, if anything, is held at the embassy in Moscow.

As soon as they found out the date of the interview, they wrote a letter to the medical center and signed up for a medical examination. Medical examination is a mandatory procedure that must be completed before the interview at the embassy. To eliminate all risks, we signed up for an 21 test on April. In general, survey results are usually given on the same day, but there are exceptions.

Part of 2. Medical examination

April 21 arrived early in the morning by train from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Immediately from the train jumped on the station. m. 1905 street of the year in IOM. There we took the documents, we paid 420 dollars + approximately 20 dollars for one vaccination (since I did not have a certificate, more on that below) and went to Art. m. Library named after Lenin undergo a medical examination. Approximately about 10: 30 we arrived at the scene.

They came to the 250 office, presented passports and some other paper, and the center administrators began to prepare us for registration. First you need to donate blood, then do a fluorography, then go through a therapist. Here I had a second exciting moment, since I did not have a certificate of vaccinations. But his absence only threatened me with a vaccine against diphtheria and tetanus in the same place. After all the manipulations in the 12: 45 area, we left the medical center, planning to return there to 15: 00 for a ready package of documents. We returned closer to 16: 00, because while we were driving we went to the hotel, while we were having lunch, while we were going back - it took a lot of time. By our return, the staff of the medical center had already changed, and they told us that they were already looking for us.

Two important points about the package of documents, which is given in the medical center. Give three units of documents:

1. A sealed envelope - in no case can not be printed and need to carry with you to the embassy for an interview. A guarantee that the envelope is not printed, are printing on the gluing site. It so happened that they forgot to put the print on my envelope. But it is good that we saw it at the time of the transfer of the envelope in my hands, and did not find it at the interview. The seals, of course, immediately set. Therefore, check these little things on the spot. And then try to prove that you did not open anything and did not replace))

2. Fluorography - it is not necessary to carry it in for an interview, but you need to take with you on a plane in your hand luggage. The administrator of the medical center said that she would not necessarily be asked at the border, but it is better to take it, since they say someone is asked, but someone is not.

3. A copy of the results of medical examination (such as a medical card) - and this, according to the administrator, must be taken in hand luggage.

Maya Buriakina with her husband. Photos from the personal archive

Part of 3. Interview at the embassy

The embassy needed to come to 8: 30. When we got there, there was a huge line of people who applied for American visas. We asked all the guards whether it was our turn, and, having received an affirmative answer, stood up amicably. Inside the embassy, ​​they handed over their mobile phones, went through a search of personal belongings and received a green piece of paper on the check-in window, on which was written the “212 window”.

We went up to the second floor, showed an invitation, got a receipt and went back to the first floor to pay a fee. With a paid receipt, they waited for an invitation to receive documents. Waited for minutes 10.

We took the following set of documents:
1. Prints with the address where to send documents
2. Passports (+ copy page with photo)
3. Birth certificates (original, copy, translation)
4. Marriage certificate (original, 2 copies)
5. My diploma (original, copy, translation; my husband did not take a diploma)
6. Military card of the husband (original, copy, translation)
7. Copies of employment records (+ translation)
8. Reference from the bank account (original)
9. Certificate of ownership of the car (original, copy, printouts with ads for the sale of such a car)
10. Certificate of ownership of real estate (original, copy, translation, printouts from sites for the sale of such an apartment)
11. Certificate of no criminal record (original, translation)
12. Questionnaires - we have clarified the address of residence and data on parents. We took only the first sheet of questionnaires.
13. Envelope with medical commission
14. Receipt of payment of duty

Photos are not taken, although some take; all translations of documents Ruslan did himself, nothing is not assured anywhere.

After that we sat down to wait for an invitation. Together with us in the hall sat: a young couple; two couples of retirement age; young man; mother with boy Sima (also from Petersburg); family - mom, dad and two children; a woman of pre-retirement age (together with her we passed a medical examination); two young girls.

Personally, we did not expect it was very difficult. Of course, I wanted to quickly find out the verdict, but inside it was somehow easy and calm. And in view of the fact that we donated our mobile, we didn’t even know what time it was. Unusual sensations, to be honest. And at that moment, when I already wanted to start suffering, that everything was so long, the show began in the waiting room. An employee of the consulate approached one of the windows and invited a young couple to approach. And he told them that now they will have a cross-examination. First, a girl sat down at the window, and the young man stepped around the corner into the corridor. 15 asked her questions on the topic of where they met, what they were wearing at that moment, what color the doors in the stairwell, how in the apartment where they live, furniture, where someone sleeps, etc. Then the girl went into the corridor and all the same questions were asked to the young man. He regularly answered them, all the while saying "men do not distinguish colors" ???? After individual questions they were called together, they said something and let go. And minutes later, 10 was called to the consul.

And almost immediately, the speakers in the ceiling pronounced my surname in a male voice and invited me to the 214 window. In a separate room behind the window a man in a black suit was waiting for us, who immediately after the greeting gave us the originals of our documents. And then he asked if we spoke English. And it started ????

All interview took place in English. We sat opposite the consul and smiled full-length, answering his questions. And they were as follows:

1. What are your plans in America?

2. What is your job? (I and the husband answered the question)

After printing a little, the consul asked us one more question:

3. Is this your first marriage?

Then I printed a little more, turned to us and said: your visa has been approved. We smiled even more, although we’ve much more thanked and left. And it seems to me that the people sitting in the hall immediately understood whether they gave us a visa or not. Although when we sat and waited, it was extremely difficult to understand the result of the interviews of those who left - their faces did not express anything at all. We did not hesitate to smile, hug and kiss. And they could not stop doing it, even when they left the consulate. We are very pleased that we have been given visas and were enthusiastically looking forward to this wonderful adventure in our life.

On the day of the interview, after returning from the embassy, ​​we also checked the status of visas for Onlinewhere you need to enter your case number without zeros. For example, 2014EU12345. On that day, our visa status was Administrative processing. Ruslan was upset all night, believing that for no reason at all, we were assigned an administrative check, which was not even reported. As it turned out later, after a day, the status changed to Issued, so it was some kind of intermediate status.

Photo from the personal archive of the author

Part of 4. How is it over

We received our passports with visas on Tuesday, 29 of April.

The most amazing thing is that Ruslan and I received them at the same time, although everyone was in different places in the city — I was at my job, my husband — at my own. But the documents brought to us at the same time. I do not know how they did it, but it turned out to be very funny!

Actually, after receiving the documents, we paid a fee of $ 165, and our life began to spin in an incredible cycle. We planned a departure date, collected things, organized parties. May 7 bought tickets, and May 30 already flew on the route St. Petersburg - San Francisco.

Read also on ForumDaily:

When next time you can apply for a lottery green card

The Russians who won the green cards talked about how moving to the USA changed their lives.

From 15 May you can check the results of the green card drawing: how to do it and what's next

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