# 2013 DV Lottery



## jen300

Hi all

I'm really excited because I was selected for further processing in the 2013 DV Lottery. I feel like I waited forever for the results, but good things come to those who wait.

Anyhoo.
Once I have mailed DSP 122 and DS230 to the KCC, how long is the wait until the next stage (which I guess is the visa interview)?

I'm really sorry if this question is posted somewhere else!

Oh, and if anyone has any tips/advice for me regarding the process from this point, please let me know.


Cheers!!


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## cheeser

It all depends on your selectee number, you'll need to start looking up the Visa bulletin so you can figure out when your case will be coming up for processing

Visa Bulletin

I've just been through the process for DV2012 so if you have any questions, flick me a PM


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## jen300

I think I got a little confused by reading that site.
How do I know when my case is coming up for processing?

Do you mind shooting me a PM with details etc?

Cheers!


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## cheeser

Done and done


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## jen300

I can't reply to your message 

So my question is...will the KCC advise me of my appointment when my case is up?
That is what I am understanding from what I have read and what you've told me.

I just want it to be a crystal clear process, so I am not confused and understand 100%.

Cheers!


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## cheeser

Yes, you should get an email. I also got a letter from the US Consulate in Auckland confirming the appointment and listing all the paperwork that they wanted to see BEFORE our appointment.


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## Djack

cheeser said:


> Yes, you should get an email. I also got a letter from the US Consulate in Auckland confirming the appointment and listing all the paperwork that they wanted to see BEFORE our appointment.


Thanks for your reply. How long does it take after you submit all the forms to KCC to receive this letter informing for appoitment with the embassy or consular?


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## Djack

Thanks for your reply. How long does it take after you submit all the forms to KCC to receive this letter informing for appoitment with the embassy or consular?


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## EVHB

Depends on your number. Low numbers = this fall, high numbers = spring/summer 2013.
Follow up on the monthly visa bulletin: 

April: African numbers up to 39 000
Visa Bulletin For April 2012

May: African numbers up to 50 000 (so everyone with a number between 39000 and 50000)
Visa Bulletin For May 2012

June: all the African numbers are current:
Visa Bulletin For June 2012


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## Djack

Thanks, your answer is really helpful.


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## Chc

Hi Cheeser, thank you very much for your posts - they have been very helpful! I am a fellow Kiwi who just won the Lottery and have a few Kiwi-specific questions (I hope this is OK!)... 

- Do you remember how much the medical examination cost and was there any additional vaccinations aside from the standard ones most Kiwis get?

- Your interview sounded pretty informal and easy! Did you have a job or an affidavit of support (I intend to only provide proof of funds)? 

- You mentioned in one of your posts that you got a letter from the Auckland Consulate before your interview - how soon before your interview did you get the letter?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you very much for your help in advance!


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## cheeser

Chc said:


> Hi Cheeser, thank you very much for your posts - they have been very helpful! I am a fellow Kiwi who just won the Lottery and have a few Kiwi-specific questions (I hope this is OK!)...
> 
> - Do you remember how much the medical examination cost and was there any additional vaccinations aside from the standard ones most Kiwis get?
> 
> - Your interview sounded pretty informal and easy! Did you have a job or an affidavit of support (I intend to only provide proof of funds)?
> 
> - You mentioned in one of your posts that you got a letter from the Auckland Consulate before your interview - how soon before your interview did you get the letter?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions and thank you very much for your help in advance!


Hi there, 

Sorry I didn't see this post till now.

*Medicals *
We chose Remuera Doctors in Auckland, who do the medical side, then send you down the road for chest X-Rays and then around the corner for the blood work.

The charges will vary, My wife and I paid around NZ$410 each. We needed no vaccinations, but they gave us a Tetanus shot anyway, as the shot is cheaper than testing for it.
*
Interview*
Nope, we didn't have a job lined up or an affidavit of support, and our bank statements were only briefly skimmed by the interview guy. I assume the lady that organised all our paper work went over it all with a fine toothed comb.

*Letter*
We got the appointment confirmation by email 6 weeks before the appointed date, and the letter from the consulate a couple of days after that. We were advised to have the medical at least 3 weeks prior to the interview and to mail in all our documentation as soon as possible, which we did about 4 weeks prior to our interview. In the time after we sent off our paperwork, we obviously had more updates on financials and such, but they didn't ask for anything new.

Hope that helps

.. and congratulations!


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## Chc

cheeser said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Sorry I didn't see this post till now.
> 
> *Medicals *
> We chose Remuera Doctors in Auckland, who do the medical side, then send you down the road for chest X-Rays and then around the corner for the blood work.
> 
> The charges will vary, My wife and I paid around NZ$410 each. We needed no vaccinations, but they gave us a Tetanus shot anyway, as the shot is cheaper than testing for it.
> *
> Interview*
> Nope, we didn't have a job lined up or an affidavit of support, and our bank statements were only briefly skimmed by the interview guy. I assume the lady that organised all our paper work went over it all with a fine toothed comb.
> 
> *Letter*
> We got the appointment confirmation by email 6 weeks before the appointed date, and the letter from the consulate a couple of days after that. We were advised to have the medical at least 3 weeks prior to the interview and to mail in all our documentation as soon as possible, which we did about 4 weeks prior to our interview. In the time after we sent off our paperwork, we obviously had more updates on financials and such, but they didn't ask for anything new.
> 
> Hope that helps
> 
> .. and congratulations!


Thank you very much! This has been extremely helpful. I have a very low case number so I expect to be interviewed in October! I have already ordered my birth certificate and a copy of my University transcript / confirmation of my degrees. 

Have you moved over yet - I am still trying to decide where I want to move to!


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## EVHB

Do you have professional relationships in the US? If so, that might be a place to move to.
If not: look at job boards, and see where they are looking for people with your qualifications.
If you don't have a lot of monney, you better expensive places like New York City, LA, Santa Barbara, ...
Do you like hot summers? Very cold winters? Also something to keep in mind!


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## cheeser

Chc said:


> Thank you very much! This has been extremely helpful. I have a very low case number so I expect to be interviewed in October! I have already ordered my birth certificate and a copy of my University transcript / confirmation of my degrees.
> 
> Have you moved over yet - I am still trying to decide where I want to move to!


We move mid to late November, so in the process of selling everything on TradeMe and living with family for the next few months

I have a couple of friends who live an hour or two out of San Fran, so we might head that way, at least initially.

May stay in that general area seeing as the IT jobs look to be pretty solid at the moment, but haven't ruled out heading further north to Portland or Seattle.

... or we might just change our fickle minds completely and go somewhere else.


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## Chc

I'm in the IT industry myself (developer)! I work for a very large American company who have many offices all over the states so I am hoping to get a transfer once I get the visa approved! I have friends in Seattle, New York and Houston so they are all options


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## Djack

Thank you all for your posts. Thanks to these posts I am gaining more knowledge about the DV lottery stuff. I now know approximately when my visa interview will take place. Due to my large number, I won't be scheduled for interview until january or february 2013. I will keep you posted on the progress.

Cheers!


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## jen300

What would be classed as a high case number and what would be classed as a low case number?

I am so terrible at waiting.
Horrendously impatient person!


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## Djack

According to what I read from here and there, you should look the number given to you on your confirmation letter. If you are coming from Africa, then your number will look like this 
2013AF followed by 8-digit numbers (ex. 2013AF00000011 or 2013AF00011111)
As per the examples above, the fist number is a small one while the second is a large number. So the first person to receive the notification for interview will be the one with 2013AF00000011 while the second will have o wait until his number appears on the visa bulletin which displays, for every month, the number of visas issuance. These persons will be notified approximately 4 to 6 weeks prior to the interview. This process will depends on the region you are from. For Asia the number will begin like this 2013ASXXXXXXXX.
I hope this helps


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## Djack

*Need your advice ASAP!!!!!*

Hi Gys,

I am one of the lucky winners of DV 2013. But I am afraid that the mistakes I made on my entry form, DSP 122 and DS 230 would disqulify me. Please advice me about this issue.
The first thing is that I chose a wrong country of chargeability (my father's country of birth) instead of where i was born; both countries are located in west Africa. Should I let KCC knows about it or let them discover the mistake when they process the forms I submitted?
Second, I wrote my name and these of my derivatives (2 kids) as they appear on our passeport (Family name follow by all the surnames) instead of distinguishing between family name, first name and middle name. Do I need to correct this now or wait to make the changes at the embassy/consulate?
Your answer will be very much appreciated and will avoid your fellow to go crazy.

Thanks in advance.


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## jen300

Is it necessary to read visa bulletins, or can I just wait for the KCC to contact me?

Call me blonde, but I can't understand the visa bulletins at all.


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## cheeser

jen300 said:


> Is it necessary to read visa bulletins, or can I just wait for the KCC to contact me?
> 
> Call me blonde, but I can't understand the visa bulletins at all.


Well you don't HAVE to read the bulletins, but it makes the wait more bearable, and gives you a little better idea of when you will get the email. Instead of checking your mailbox, inbox and spam box 5 times a day... 

not that I did that... honest.

I think the current bulletins are still for the DV2012 intake, so they probably won't start making sense till they are for the DV2013 intake.


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## belgarath

Djack said:


> Hi Gys,
> 
> I am one of the lucky winners of DV 2013. But I am afraid that the mistakes I made on my entry form, DSP 122 and DS 230 would disqulify me. Please advice me about this issue.
> The first thing is that I chose a wrong country of chargeability (my father's country of birth) instead of where i was born; both countries are located in west Africa. Should I let KCC knows about it or let them discover the mistake when they process the forms I submitted?


How do you expect them to "discover" the mistake ? KCC will process the data as written.

Send them the corrected data and do not forget to include your case number. If I were you, I would send re-filled DSP 122 and DSC 230 and ask them to destroy the previous ones.


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## Djack

belgarath said:


> How do you expect them to "discover" the mistake ? KCC will process the data as written.
> 
> Send them the corrected data and do not forget to include your case number. If I were you, I would send re-filled DSP 122 and DSC 230 and ask them to destroy the previous ones.


Thanks a lot for your advice. I will go ahead a send them the correxcted forms. Would you recommend me to write my name as it appears on my passport (family name followed by all the surnames) or distinguish family, first and middle names.

Best,


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## Djack

"Follow to join" and "accompany" what is the best choice for derivatives?
What are the cons et pros of these 2 options. 
Please help me to sort it out. I am sending new DSP and DS and need your help.

Thanks


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## twostep

Djack said:


> "Follow to join" and "accompany" what is the best choice for derivatives?
> What are the cons et pros of these 2 options.
> Please help me to sort it out. I am sending new DSP and DS and need your help.
> 
> Thanks


a) Please do not post the same question over and over. Thank you.
b) Posters live and work in different time zones and may or may not have time to respond asap.
c) Why do you not rephrase your question? Explain what you are trying to do. I personally have no idea what you are saying.


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## Djack

Thank you for your reply and I apologize for cross posting. My concern is about question # 31a and 31b of the DS-230 form of the DV lottery. One have to chose if his derivatives (family members will accompany him (31a) of follw fim at a later date (31b). So, I amd looking for more information about the cons and pros of these choices before deciding. If one choses 31b, will it be a delay on the visa processing for the derivatives? Or if it is 31a, is it mandatory for the principal applicant and his derivatives to enter the United State at the same time?

Thank you for taking your time to advice me.


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## twostep

Djack said:


> Thank you for your reply and I apologize for cross posting. My concern is about question # 31a and 31b of the DS-230 form of the DV lottery. One have to chose if his derivatives (family members will accompany him (31a) of follw fim at a later date (31b). So, I amd looking for more information about the cons and pros of these choices before deciding. If one choses 31b, will it be a delay on the visa processing for the derivatives? Or if it is 31a, is it mandatory for the principal applicant and his derivatives to enter the United State at the same time?
> 
> Thank you for taking your time to advice me.


Family members on 31a have to go to the interview together and activate their green cards together. 
I have never herad of a case where the family followed later.


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## Chc

jen300 said:


> Is it necessary to read visa bulletins, or can I just wait for the KCC to contact me?
> 
> Call me blonde, but I can't understand the visa bulletins at all.


I assume since you are an Aussie that you will case number will be 'OC' region, i.e. 2013OC0000XXXX - where XXXX is your rank number. 

So, what is important to remember is that your rank number determines what number you are in line, so if you are 2013OC00000950 you will be processed 950th in the Oceania region.

I've made a small table to help you out based on the 2011 DV Winners (since 2012 had a few 'issues') which should give you an idea of when your interview may be:

October:350
November: 650
December	: 700
January: 775
February: 810
March: 900
April: 1000
May: 1175
June: 1300
July: 1400
August: Current (Any remaining interviews)
September: Current (Any remaining interviews)

So, if your rank number was 950 then you interview should be sometime in April next year.


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## Chc

Woohoo! I have received my 2NL with an interview date in October! However I am slightly worried about how much money by bank account should have... I have read that it should be at least 125% of the poverty guideline - ~14K US for a single applicant - does anyone know if that is correct ?


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## cheeser

Everything I read before my interview said around 10k US per person was what they were looking for. 

I went in with less than 5K and a list of all my assets I was going to sell (which was a pretty pathetic amount) and they just didn't care, or at least they didn't seem to care.

I think it comes down to the discretion of the interviewer on the day, if you look to have a fairly decent ability to earn a living once you get there and don't act like a raving lunatic, you ought to be fine. 

YMMV, of course.


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## Chc

Thanks Cheeser!


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## Chc

Hey Cheeser, sorry mate one last question ! (I promise!)

I got my 2nd notification letter from Auckland (which arrived about 2 weeks after the online one) and I'm just about to submit all my documents... Do I need to submit all my originals along with copies now and then at the interview I just arrive with the the notification letter? Or should only copies be submitted now and originals provided at the interview? 

Thanks!


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## cheeser

Ah yes, the ole confusing consulate letter with every second word either bolded, underlined, italicized, or a happy combination of all three.

From memory we gave them originals and copies of pretty much everything, except our passports. We got them all back at the interview.

If you need clarification just call them, I did, and they were very friendly and helpful. 

Good Luck!


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## Chc

Awesome! Thank you very much for you help dude, you've really put my mind at ease... It has been a somewhat stressful experience!


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## cheeser

I'd be interested to hear how your interview goes. 

Ours was very laid back and easy (much like the medical). Hopefully yours is too.


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## sergip800

Hi, all
I am also a winner for the DV Lottery 2013
I just want to ask whether it is possible to find an employment in the USA now, which could help me immigrate easily by sponsoring me. How?
Looking for an answer...


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## Chc

Hi all - I had my interview a few days ago and my visa was approved!

In the end everyone at the consulate was very friendly and helpful - I spoke to my case manager by phone a few times and she was really nice and made the entire process significantly less stressful.

cheeser - thank you so much, I really owe you a beer or two!


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## Minark

*Big case number*



Chc said:


> Hi all - I had my interview a few days ago and my visa was approved!
> 
> In the end everyone at the consulate was very friendly and helpful - I spoke to my case manager by phone a few times and she was really nice and made the entire process significantly less stressful.
> 
> cheeser - thank you so much, I really owe you a beer or two!



Dear Sir

I am 2013 DV lottery winner but my case nuber is 2013AF000xxxxx which is abig number.
I have followed the archieved bullitin in the previous years and I found out that the maximum number reached for Egypt (my chargability country) was 35,000.
My number is away too far beyond that number .
My question is are they going to contact me for an interview or I have no chance or they contact all the selectees despite of their numbers if it is big or small ??

Or there is something I dont understand??

I appreciate your quick reply

Thanks


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## Minark

*Big case number*



cheeser said:


> I'd be interested to hear how your interview goes.
> 
> Ours was very laid back and easy (much like the medical). Hopefully yours is too.


Dear Sir

I am 2013 DV lottery winner but my case nuber is 2013AF000xxxxx which is abig number.
I have followed the archieved bullitin in the previous years and I found out that the maximum number reached for Egypt (my chargability country) was 35,000.
My number is away too far beyond that number .
My question is are they going to contact me for an interview or I have no chance or they contact all the selectees despite of their numbers if it is big or small ??

Or there is something I dont understand??

I appreciate your quick reply

Thanks 
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## cheeser

Congratulations, welcome to the craziest 6 months ever!

Look me up when you hit stateside, I'll be living under a bridge near you!


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## Minark

cheeser said:


> Congratulations, welcome to the craziest 6 months ever!
> 
> Look me up when you hit stateside, I'll be living under a bridge near you!


Dear Sir

I am 2013 DV lottery winner but my case nuber is 2013AF000xxxxx which is abig number.
I have followed the archieved bullitin in the previous years and I found out that the maximum number reached for Egypt (my chargability country) was 35,000.
My number is away too far beyond that number .
My question is are they going to contact me for an interview or I have no chance or they contact all the selectees despite of their numbers if it is big or small ??

Another question
How you have been notified with your interview appointement?

Or there is something I dont understand??

I appreciate your quick reply

Thanks 
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LinkedIn


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## sergip800

Dear all,

Your posts about DV lottery are quite interesting and this is why I also want to ask some questions. I hope you'll answer...

I am also a winner for 2013DV Lottery and my case number is between 2013AF00062000 and 2013AF00063000. Since approximately 55000 visas will be issued, I simply want to know whether my case will be processed or not. I also want to know when I can hope to have my interview scheduled. One last thing is that I sent my file on September 14. Is it late or not? Or will this affect the processing of my case?

I hope to read from you soon;

Thanks


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## taatus

cheeser said:


> Congratulations, welcome to the craziest 6 months ever!
> 
> Look me up when you hit stateside, I'll be living under a bridge near you!


Thats good and am happy for you. could u please tell a summary of the questions they asked you during the interview?


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## cheeser

In my case there weren't many at all, after the initial person made sure all our paperwork was in order, we were sent to the second person for the interview he asked us where we thought we would move to, and whether we'd get health insurance. That was it. He then told us to have fun in the US. 

We kinda stood around and watched him leave the window, wondering 'is that it?'. When he didn't return we left.


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## Chc

I was asked almost exactly the same questions as cheeser - I can't remember the specifics but it was something like: 
Where do you intend to move?
When are you moving?
Do you have a job lined up?


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## sergip800

Very cool... Congratulations
Now could you please help me for my case?
Thanks


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## belgarath

@ sergip800, your question does not have a definitive answer. I'd say your case will likely be processed, based on recent statistics.

Regarding your application date, better late than never  Check visa bulletin every month to see which numbers have been processed. This month Africa is at 8.000, next month will be 13.900.


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## sergip800

Great!!!
Many thanks for your answer, Belgarath. It really helped me. I've also checked visa bulletins for previous years to have an approximative idea for my schedule and I think it will be after May. I will then just have to wait even though I think it's too far.
Thanks again, guy.


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## belgarath

Good luck then!!!

Do your homework and start collecting paperwork. Start thinking about when and where to move, but remember, don't burn any bridges yet (don't sell house/car etc.)


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## sergip800

belgarath said:


> Good luck then!!!
> 
> Do your homework and start collecting paperwork. Start thinking about when and where to move, but remember, don't burn any bridges yet (don't sell house/car etc.)


Lolll!!!!
Ok for your advice. they're good ones and I'll consider them. 
Bye bye!!!


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## NSM

I have not selected in May 2012 announcement for DV lottery 2013, but it says more entrants will be selected in Oct, and still nothing!!!
Should I keep checking the website?


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## taatus

NSM said:


> I have not selected in May 2012 announcement for DV lottery 2013, but it says more entrants will be selected in Oct, and still nothing!!!
> Should I keep checking the website?


base on the instructions on-line it is stated to keep your confirmation number till september 2013. i would advice you do exactly that because no one knows when they would reply you.


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## NSM

Thank you for your reply. Do you have any information about the date they are going to announce more entrants?


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## taatus

sorry i have no idea.


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## sergip800

NSM said:


> Thank you for your reply. Do you have any information about the date they are going to announce more entrants?


In my opinion, additional entrants might have been selected on 10/01/2012. If you checked your status till now and the answer is still negative, you just have to abandon. There will be no more selection I think. I hope you tried your chance for the DV 2014. If you did so, just pray for your result to be positive on May 01st, 2013


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## bellyrox

Hi everyone!

Hoping to have my question answered, as I am a little confused! I think I am understanding how the case numbers work, and my number is very low, it's under 50.

However, I had been travelling overseas for several months after the lottery was drawn, so I was only able to complete my forms and send them in last month.

Because of this, is there any way for me to roughly work out when I might be able to expect a visa appointment?

And should I be organising my police check now, or wait until I get an interview? Police checks here can take up to 6 weeks, so I'd be worried about it not arriving in time if I did get an interview.

I'd really, really appreciate any advice!


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## cheeser

You should be OK, they don't typically give out all 55,000 visas in any given year, so you shouldn't have missed out.

Definitely wait till you get an interview date, they will give you plenty of time to organize the various paperwork.


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## bellyrox

Okay, good to know!

Is there a way for me to work out when I might have the interview? Or if I called them in Kentucky, could they tell me?

I am meant to be heading back to the State in June to work at summer camp, and really nervous that it could clash with the appointment!!


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## belgarath

Kentucky guys would not know about the interview date, but they can tell you whether they received & processed your forms or not.

For a possible date, try calling the embassy in Sydney and maybe they can assist and/or reschedule an appointment.


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## bellyrox

I just woke up to see an email waiting for me to say that I have updates available! Very exciting.

However I just tried to log on, and this error came up:

'The system is unable to process your request. Please try again later. ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve the connect identifier specified'

Has anyone had this come up before?


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## cheeser

Sounds like an Oracle database error at their end. Best you can probably do is try again later.


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## bellyrox

Thanks for that, cheeser. Took two days, but it is finally up and running.

And yep, it's a confirmation for my visa appointment for March.

Does anyone have any advice for the visa appointment? And, if it goes successfully, roughly how long after that would I get the green card and be able to work in the US? 

And just one final question, on the info page for the medical check, it says that it needs to be valid at the time of entry into the US. If I get the check done in February, and then go to the States June-August, but don't officially move over until February next year, is that still allowed, or would I just need to get another medical check done next year?


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## belgarath

After visa appointment, you should get your visa label in the passport within a couple of days (provided that there are so skeletons in the closet & medical is OK)

Once you get the label (visa), it will have an expiry date on it, you must enter US before that date. Your actual green card will be shipped to you later. However, you can start work as soon as you enter (and apply for an SSN)

You don't need another medical check.


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## bellyrox

Alright, two more questions!

I am applying for the police check tomorrow - and I am so confused by what kind of check I need. Do I go through the State police or the National, and am I meant to get the one with fingerprints?
The DV instructions say it will cost about $170, but the most expensive one the National Police site has is $139, would that be the same? It's a National Police Check and fingerprints.

Second question.
I need to bring old passports to my interview, however I can only find my most recent old one (2004-2009) and then I have my current one. I should have one for before 2004, but I can't find it anywhere, and my parents are unsure - will this matter at all?


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## bellyrox

bellyrox said:


> Alright, two more questions!
> 
> I am applying for the police check tomorrow - and I am so confused by what kind of check I need. Do I go through the State police or the National, and am I meant to get the one with fingerprints?
> The DV instructions say it will cost about $170, but the most expensive one the National Police site has is $139, would that be the same? It's a National Police Check and fingerprints.
> 
> Second question.
> I need to bring old passports to my interview, however I can only find my most recent old one (2004-2009) and then I have my current one. I should have one for before 2004, but I can't find it anywhere, and my parents are unsure - will this matter at all?


EDIT: Got the police check part mostly sorted, but do the results get posted back to me or do they get sent straight to the embassy? The police man I spoke to when booking my fingerprint appointment thought they got sent to the embassy - but he wasn't positive.

And I've just realised I have one more question. For the proof of education, I completed my HSC. I have a certificate that says I completed my year 11/12 courses, and I am eligible for the HSC. Does that count? Otherwise I have my final Year 12 report, and also an Achievement Certificate from my high school that says I have successfully completed my HSC studies. Which of those three would be the most suitable to bring along?


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## beaner99

hi all,

Can I ask a quick question about entering the US for the first time since being issued with the DV visa? We have the temporary visa in our passports and we plan to travel next week for a couple of job interviews etc. This will also 'activate' for the actual green card to be issued. 

My question is, do we need to apply for the ESTA authorization in order to enter the US, or are we ok with our temporary DV visas? One of the questions on the ESTA application is 'Do you intend to look for work' which we do, and answering Yes doesn't allow you to proceed, so I'm a little confused...

Any advice would be great.. thanks in advance!


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## belgarath

If you have the brown envelope and the visa, you dont need ESTA at all.


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## beaner99

great, thanks for the reply!!


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## Lisavdb

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for this thread - the information is so helpful.

I'm believing to be be selected for the DV2014 (results out in 2 weeks - eek!)

Can anyone give me a list of the documents I would need to obtain? It can take ages to get them from my country of birth, so I need to get started as soon as the results are out on 1st May.

Thanks so much 
Lisa


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## cheeser

Depends on your situation really, If you are selected (let's for the sake of this game assume you are) and you want a spouse to tag along for giggles, a Marriage Certificate is needed.

The only other things I can remember that took any time was a Passport that will still be valid at the end of the process (so if it's going to expire in 6 months, get a new one now) and your Police record.

With the police record, we supplied our own but the US consulate had access to one that had more information than the one we could get our hands on, so it was a waste of time really.

There's no point doing the medical until you know you have an actual meeting as that's when it starts getting expensive.

The process is generally glacial enough to give you plenty of time to get all the required documents in order with plenty of time to spare, which you can use endlessly checking your email, letterbox and googling where you're going to live and what massive truck you're gonna drive, of course your mileage may (literally) vary.


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## Lisavdb

*Thanks so much*

Thanks so much for your reply Cheeser. I'll go about getting what I can for the moment and then carry on from there after 1st May.

Have a great day, Lisa


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## nyclon

Lisavdb said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> Thanks so much for this thread - the information is so helpful.
> 
> I'm believing to be be selected for the DV2014 (results out in 2 weeks - eek!)
> 
> Can anyone give me a list of the documents I would need to obtain? It can take ages to get them from my country of birth, so I need to get started as soon as the results are out on 1st May.
> 
> Thanks so much
> Lisa


What's your country of birth? If it's the UK, you're not eligible for the diversity lottery.


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## Lisavdb

Hi Nyclon

It's South Africa, but we're living in the UK now. So, based on SA, we qualify


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## Arturo Siew

hey, any singaporean apply for green card lottery ? are the chances for singaporean to win the green card lottery high ? I was told this many times by singaporean immigration lawyer as well as green card agent. If you are singaporean, do reply.


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## cheeser

There were only 31 Singaporean winners of DV-2013, so the chances seem a little low. 

Check here for the break down of winners Diversity Visa Program (DV-2013) - Selected Entrants

There used to be a page somewhere that would give you the total number of entrants and you could work out a (very basic) percentage chance you had of being chosen but I can't remember what that web page was

Maybe one of the pro posters around here can find it


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## ina

Here is the link that shows the number of entries received: http://travel.state.gov/pdf/DV_Applicant_Entrants_by_Country_2007-2013.pdf


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## bago

Hi! I've been chosen as a selectee for the DV Lottery 2014. Based on what I read, do we start submitting the forms etc. between Oct 1, 2013-Sept 30, 2014? Or can we send them as early as now? We may not be able to move permanently right away but would like to have the green card for the future. Is that possible to do? Can someone also advise the total cost to apply? Thanks.


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## ina

You can submit the forms right away. No need to wait until October. After you have your interview and you get the temporary immigrant visa sticker in your passport, you have 6 months to move to the U.S. If you don't enter the U.S. within this timeframe, you lose the green card. Also, the actual green card will be sent within 1 month after your arrival in the U.S. to the U.S. address that you provide. What you can't do is keep the green card and live outside of the U.S. Having a green card requires permanent residency in the U.S.


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## bago

Thank you for the information. A hard decision to move abruptly. Any tips and advice on where it's best to relocate to in terms of safety, affordable houses and good schooling?


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## cheeser

Hey congrats bago!

Affordable housing is kinda subjective. We moved to San Fran where the housing is very expensive, but the higher salaries more than compensated for it. 

In fact, as a percentage of our income we're paying (slightly) less for our downtown SF apartment than we were for our flat in Mt Roskill, Auckland. Granted, it was a 3 bedroom house with off street parking for 3 cars in Auckland vs a 1 bedroom apartment with no parking in SF.

The approach that worked for us, was pick some cities that you think would be cool to live in, then research the housing costs vs the average income for your kinda work, and work in the commute times / costs etc. 

What kind of work would you be looking for? 

The application costs vary too, the medical can be expensive, depending on how many of the vaccinations you need, If you can show proof of all the required vaccinations you can save yourself some money. 

The medical fee was about NZ$410 each from the medical center in Remuera, Auckland (there aren't many to chose from)

I think the US Consulate processing fee is US$330 each (_don't believe the NZ consulate website's fee of US$420, it's an old figure_)


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## probo.uoc

*Mistake on DV lottery application*

Hi,
I made a mistake in my green card lottery application, which is i entered my wife's birth district instead of birth town. Is that occur problem to me if i win green card lottery.

Thanks,
Danushka


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