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PLEASE make sure you read the FAQ (linked at the menu at the top of this page), as most questions are already answered there.
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January 20, 2020 at 9:18 am
Salutations
I am 2020AF00030902, the March VB released last week will make me current in March. I have 2 questions.
1) I am currently in Dubai and my interview will be scheduled in my home country, will it be end of March or anytime from March 1st.
2) Do I need an affidavit of support for my interview?
Thanks in advance
January 20, 2020 at 11:06 pm
1. Anytime – but ONLY if they have processed your documents.
2. Probably.
January 21, 2020 at 4:07 am
Thank you.
My documents have been processed.
January 20, 2020 at 12:30 pm
Hello Simon
Happy new year 2020. Hope you are fine.
Please I would like to understand something from you, am from Uganda Africa, if I entered in October 2019 for this Green card, when will I receive the confirmation Letter that am selected.
What do you mean with 1NL and 2NL…..?
Best Regards
Julius Makubuya
Uganda
January 20, 2020 at 11:16 pm
You will check online (the ESC page) to see if you are selected in May.
January 20, 2020 at 1:03 pm
Hi Brit,
How will I be notified for a green card 2020 interview?
January 20, 2020 at 11:19 pm
Are you a selectee. What is your case number region/range?
January 21, 2020 at 3:53 pm
HI, I’m selected, i send dhe document whith email in KCC, and I’m from Europe with number EU20XXX.
January 21, 2020 at 8:33 pm
OK – well when they schedule the interviews they send out the 2NL. Read the FAQ about what that looks like and where you get it.
January 22, 2020 at 1:29 am
Hello Brit
Pls I have been really confused about so many things.i was selected for the DV 2020 I was I Cameroon when I sent my Ds-260 form then I got my visa to Canada and had to travel.i tried writing the kcc asking for my interview to be changed from Cameroon to Canada so I got a reply dat to be able to change my address they will need to release my DS-260 form and this is only possible if I request for it to be released.because I was scared that it will make issues complicated so I did not ask for it to be released but later my uncle told me the form was released and he refilled It this time including my address here in Canada and my school address but when I got the reply with the second DS-260 I had both addresses on.it .
Pls my questions are
– is there a possibility that one person could have filled 2 DS-260 forms and if yes is it regarded as a problem??
-please I am not sure where I will get my interview weather here in Canada or in Cameroon
January 22, 2020 at 1:46 am
Login to your DS260 and check it. If it is not clear to you, ask KCC.
January 20, 2020 at 2:18 pm
Hi Brit
My CN is 2020AF23*** i was currente last VB.
But i only sent my docs on 3rd December and got the OK on 20th December (quite quick i belive for AF)
Should i expect my 2NL this month?
Thanks.
January 20, 2020 at 11:21 pm
Yes
January 20, 2020 at 2:55 pm
Hi, Simon.
Regarding sending the documents, should I add the country while naming the police and military records? I see it’s not mentioned in the email, but you refer to it in the article. So, is it subtly alluded to?
Thanks!
January 20, 2020 at 11:22 pm
Use your judgement.
January 20, 2020 at 5:24 pm
Hi Brit am 2020af27545, am current .when can I expect 2nl??
January 20, 2020 at 7:35 pm
You are deliberately wasting my time. I don’t appreciate it.
http://britsimonsays.com/ask-questions/comment-page-417/#comment-214919
January 20, 2020 at 7:25 pm
Hi,
Previously I had a sponsor and for some reasons due to his income and location, I have found another one. Please tell me, what do I have to do. Is there some procedure to cancel the first sponsor or just bring the new sponsor’s I-134/other documents at interview
January 20, 2020 at 11:28 pm
Just take them to the interview.
January 20, 2020 at 7:53 pm
Hello Mr Simon,
EU case #17700. After their document request I have sent the documents 8 weeks ago and haven’t got any feedback from them since then. An automated email said that I should wait 6 weeks and if no reply from them, then I should contact them.
I contacted KCC several times when 6 weeks period had passed but they just sent standard replies that I should wait and my DS-260 has been processed.
What would you recommend me to do? I am bit nervous right now. My friend who has case #11000 got an email confirmation for the documents even before her case became current.
Thank you!
—
Kind regards,
Almaz
January 20, 2020 at 11:28 pm
Patience.
January 20, 2020 at 8:00 pm
Hello Brit, thank you for your great page
I and my family won the lottery 2020, and we are from a travel banned country.
I have four kids, two of them hold the US citizenship and the eldest is 19 years old.
We heard a lot that there are exemptions for applicants who have American children, or high education certificates. As a result, we decided to travel and make the interview in Djibouti though we knew there was a travel ban. Moreover, I had a sponsor who is a family friend and he completed the requested forms. I am a pharmacist and my husband has great work experiences, and above all we have two American children. All of that made us sure we would get an exemption and travel to the states.
My interview was one week ago, we went all dressed up and ready, with confident smiles on our faces. We were called to submit the requested documents and pay the fees. Later on, we were called to interview the consular.
The CO greeted us with a smile and made sure we put our fingerprints and asked my child whether we’re his family or not. She did not ask us many questions as we expected but suddenly we saw her returning our passports back, and we felt that we could not make it. All she said was “Trump’s travel ban includes people from your country, but I will give you an exemption and I can’t do anything more than that, I’ll send your case to the ministry of foreign affairs in Washington and they will decide what to do next, it might take some time so you’ll have to wait for an email. Your case will be refused under Section 212(f) until a decision is made”
We were a bit disappointed because we really thought the consular could make the final decision and not make us wait. And her response made us think that she might have wanted to say no to us in a twisted way.
My question here is, we are not in our home country and we want to return back, is the case still positive and would we get a response in the near future? Or shall we just give up and return back to our country?
I would love it to know if anyone with a similar case actually made it even if the consular did not decide. And is there any email we could contact to make our case work? And how long do you expect the case to take?
Thank you
January 20, 2020 at 11:31 pm
Getting a decision on the exemption could take months. All you can do is wait – and you may not be approved. So – continue your life as normal and wait.
January 20, 2020 at 8:06 pm
Hi Simon,
So my wife was selected for the 2019 FY, we were in the US but chose consular processing, attended the interview and were denied on account of wrong country of chargeability, now we are both Egyptian Citizens, born in Dubai, and yes I understand how we screwed up the chargeability thing. However- what about the missionary exception- both her parents and mine were there temporarily at the time. I know its a long shot but the US embassy is required to hold a case for 1 year following a decision- would I be able to open a motion to reconsider under this exception or do you think its futile? Thanks- Ahmad
January 20, 2020 at 11:33 pm
Contact me at britsimon3 at gmail with more precise information.
Include at the least:
What was your region?
What country of chargeability were you?
What proof do you have that your parents were in the country of birth temporarily?
January 20, 2020 at 9:45 pm
Hi Simon!
Quick question, if I’m traveling next month, do I need to go back to my DS260 and update it once I come back?
Appreciate everything you do for us!
Thank you!
January 20, 2020 at 11:36 pm
No.
January 20, 2020 at 11:16 pm
Hi BritSimon,
OC3xx. My number is current, however I have a question regarding the police certificates.
I am from New Zealand, but live in the UK. For my police record the reciprocity page for NZ states I need an NZ Police issued police certificate, however that certificate is only sent directly from the NZ Police to the applicable consulate. My interview will be held in the UK as its my country of residence.
Have you come across this instance for Kiwi’s previously and do you know what we are supposed to do for document submission once completing the DS-260 in order to get the interview if we aren’t able to get a copy of the police certificate ourselves?
Thanks!
January 21, 2020 at 1:11 am
Kinda country specific – ask it here:
https://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2020-oceania-selectees.340767/
January 20, 2020 at 11:24 pm
Hello Mr SIMON, i have a question. On which email the KCC will send the notification that my documents sent are in conformity with my case: Is it in the email on which I sent the documents or it is on the email that I registered in my DS260 ?
January 21, 2020 at 1:07 am
DS260 probably – but you can just email them.
January 21, 2020 at 1:20 am
Thanks for your help
January 21, 2020 at 4:19 am
Greeting Mr. Simon
I am DV 2020 winner Africa, Egypt ,
my questions are
1- Is 2020 most likely to 2011 in numbers and consequences ?
2-By common sense I can see that the expected cutoff number for Africa is 68000 , and cutoff number for Egypt is 58000 , is my prediction true or not?
Thanks
January 21, 2020 at 6:24 am
1. One year has nothing to do with another,
2. That is unfounded.
January 21, 2020 at 1:44 pm
So what is your own point of view for the current situation related to Africa and Egypt?
January 21, 2020 at 6:50 pm
I don’t have a projection. I’ll wait and see.
January 21, 2020 at 4:34 am
Hi Simon,
I have been following your website since I was selected for DV2020
As an Iranian born / Canadian living in Canada for 20 years; I continuously Implementing your advice through the process including early submissions of the document and forms, unlock DS-260s to fill social media questions, follow the new document procedure tagging, etc.
Considering the current situation with Iran, there is still a huge risk for AP status that might drag until this year selection expires.
Is there any other suggestion for rare cases like mine as part of being over prepared for the interview day and afterward?
Would it be possible to submit some documents to CO beyond the requirement such a valid Canadian secret clearance, American professional Engineer license, etc. or trying beyond normal document requirement might trigger extra suspicious?!
All the lucky winners owe you big time, for running this blog.
Regards,
January 21, 2020 at 6:25 am
There is no harm in taking/presenting those extra documents.
January 21, 2020 at 4:38 am
Hello Simon, thanks for your help!
One more question regarding financial proof:
Can I use account statement from my broker in order to show assets of shares that I own and can potentially use as a proof that I can support myself in the USA for some time?
Or it has to be an official document signed by an expert like I would do in order to estimate the value of my car for example?
—
Kind regards,
Almaz
January 21, 2020 at 6:26 am
They only care about liquid assets (bank savings etc).
January 21, 2020 at 5:26 am
Hi Brit,
When you’re heading over on your activation trip, because you have to go through a POE, does this mean it is best to schedule your flight on a weekday, rather than a public holiday or weekend? Or because the POE is the airport and inspection process is conducted by US customs and border security; is any day of the week fine because the staff is there all the time? Thank you as always for your help!
January 21, 2020 at 6:27 am
24/7
January 21, 2020 at 5:27 am
Time of first entry and absences from USA
Hi BritSimonSays
Firstly, thank you so much for this site – it’s invaluable, you’re a treasure. My question relates to time of first entry and absences from the US.
I am a LPR / Green Card holder from Australia. My activation entry was 13 February 2019, and I flew out of the US on 20 February 2019. I will soon fly back to the USA, after staying longer in Australia to spend invaluable time with an ailing grandparent. My questions are:
1) Is it advisable that I reenter the US before 13 February 2020, or should I theoretically have until 19 February 2020?
2) Will it matter that my POE isn’t my final US destination? (I.E I was planning on spending a few days getting some sun in Hawaii, before flying on to the US mainland. I was not planning on booking a ticket onward from Hawaii until I am there)
3) Do you recommend holding any documentation other than my valid Passport / Green Card / Social Security card to ensure things with the IO go as smoothly as possible at the POE?
Thank you very much!
JD
January 21, 2020 at 6:29 am
1. 2/19
2. No problem.
3. No need to overthink this. The IO might ask why you have been out of the country so long, but you can explain it was your trip after the activation trip.
January 21, 2020 at 11:24 am
Thank you so much for the prompt reply, that’s an enormous help.
Final question – assuming I was to enter the US successfully as an LPR on the trip discussed above.
If I returned to Australia soon after US entry to spend time with my unwell family member… in your knowledge / experience, how long would it be viewed by US immigration officers as too long / unreasonable to stay out of the US on the compassionate trip back to Australia before reentering the US as an LPR?
Thank you.
Kindest regards,
JD
January 21, 2020 at 5:01 pm
Read the FAQ about timeline of entries and exits
January 21, 2020 at 5:44 am
Hi Simon,
I told the case officer who interviewed me that I have to go back to work soon as i dont work in the country where my interview was scheduled and he offered to process in 1week but its been 2wks and CEAC says my case is ready. Do you think its ok to email to see if it can be expedited as i need my passport to travel out of the country for my work.
January 21, 2020 at 6:30 am
No harm in trying.
January 21, 2020 at 8:39 am
Dear Brit
VB for my case no. Fell on January,but due to my current address provided while filling ds 260 form on 26 sep 2019 I made a mistake. Instead of mentioning as a SEAMEN ( On board/vessel STAR CRUISE) I mention the address of CHINA MARINE SHIPPING AGENCY, GUANGZHOU. As u said before I was expecting my 2nl on late December 2019. I mail to KCC for the enquiry, in return their mail said I need to submit all the required documents. Now the problem is I’m not able to obtain Chinese PCC. I ask China Embassy in KATHMANDU, NEPAL if they can provide me a PCC? What the embassy reply was they are not issuing the PCC from Embassy and the important thing is I was working on board vessel /STAR CRUISE. How can I get an CHINESE PCC coz I was working on board.
Please suggest me what to do next.
Can I unlock the DS 260 and change the current address.
My case no. AS20200005649
THANKS!
January 21, 2020 at 4:50 pm
Have you read and followed the instructions in the China reciprocity page??
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/China.html
January 21, 2020 at 5:18 pm
Thank you for the response. As a seamen working on board still need a police report? The address I include in ds 260 form is a shipping agency. My Chinese Visa was only 1 month validity. Agency received me there and send me to board, I hardly stay there for 2 hours and send me to join on board( Star Cruise)
January 21, 2020 at 9:13 pm
Have you read the instructions? Do that, and see if you met the minimum time period in the country or not.
January 21, 2020 at 10:27 am
Hello Brit! Thank you for all the information that you are giving to us!
My case number is current in March.I received an e-mail to wait for a date for my interview. But the status for my case number is still ”at NVC”. Should I be worry about that ?
And the second question: I don’t have that much savings. Should I prepare that form I-134 just I case they want it. They did not require it in any of their e-mails so I am not sure if they will need that or not.
January 21, 2020 at 4:52 pm
1. March interview 2NLs will be sent by the end of January.
2. Yes
January 21, 2020 at 10:58 am
Hey Brit
There is other names section in ds-260 form and i added there my FB name which is slightly different than that in the passport.
Can that be an issue for visa refusal? Coz i heard a story where a guy put in his different version of name and could not provide legal doc for that and was refused. Pls comment
January 21, 2020 at 4:54 pm
No problem.
January 21, 2020 at 11:00 am
HI MR
My cn AF 22k,i have already recieved a email on dec 14 telling that they are satisfied with my
documents when do you expect the 2nl to be sent.
THANKS
January 21, 2020 at 4:54 pm
January.
January 21, 2020 at 11:05 am
Hi Simon,
My case number is AS 14XXX.
I believe (and hope) my number would be current at next VB.
Anyways, I was double checking my DS 260 again, and found out my divorce date was wrong.
Do you think I should unlock my DS 260?
I actually unlocked my DS 260 several times every time I found mistakes, and now I’m afraid if unlocking too many times cause some trouble.
Would you please reply at your convinience.
Thank you.
January 21, 2020 at 4:58 pm
You don’t need to correct that, if the date itself is not significant in terms of some other date (such as remarriage). Really – just use common sense.
January 21, 2020 at 11:29 am
Hello Brit,
I sent my documents to KCC on 03 Dec 2019. But I realized mistake on my birthdate certificate . So can I resend my documents to KCC?
January 21, 2020 at 5:01 pm
Yes.
January 21, 2020 at 11:48 am
My sponsor provided the following as stated in the instructions at USCIS webpage:
A. Statement from an officer of the bank or other financial institutions with deposits, identifying the following details
regarding the account:
(1) Date account opened;
(2) Total amount deposited for the past year; and
(3) Present balance.
B. Statement(s) from your employer on business stationery showing:
(1) Date and nature of employment;
(2) Salary paid; and
(3) Whether the position is temporary or permanent.
However I am concerned because he didn’t provided the W2 nor 1040 forms. Would this be a problem?
January 21, 2020 at 6:36 pm
I can’t say for certain. The CO might still want the W2/1040.
January 21, 2020 at 6:08 pm
Hi Brit, I sent the DS260 three times. Do I have to bring the printed DS260 to the interview? if yes, only the latest version or all the previous ones? Thanks Brit
January 21, 2020 at 9:12 pm
Last DS260 confirmation/printout only.
January 22, 2020 at 8:21 am
Thanks Brit 🙂
January 21, 2020 at 6:17 pm
Good day Mr Simon , i have write the KCC as you said ,i just receiver to two different mail from them, this is the first one
Thank you for your inquiry.
In order to continue processing your case, all documents should be submitted as attachments to your email to ensure they are properly received. We ask that you use the following method to name and attach your files:
* Your DV case number;
* The full name of the applicant whose document you scanned; and
* The document name or form number.
the second mail is
Thank you for your inquiry.
Your DS-260 has been processed. You should have received, or will soon receive, an email from the Kentucky Consular Center giving you instructions to complete in order for your case to continue processing. Please follow the instructions in the email. Interviews are scheduled numerically based on case numbers that have completed processing. Interviews for the DV 2020 program will begin in October 2019 and conclude on September 30, 2020.
Please i just want to know if i can go on and send the documents ,they are asking on the first mail
January 21, 2020 at 7:13 pm
Good morning Mr. Simon. I need your advice because I’m over thinking about my family and my situation of the lottery. I live in California with my husband and my kids and we have pending asylum case since 2015. We’re from Egypt and my husband won DV2020. I contact with our attorney and he said your CN is very high and your won’t have a chance to adjust your status but, I believe in God to adjust my status. My case number is 2020AF00069254 when I filled DS260 for my kids I chose another travel document because of their passports are expired and I can’t renew it because we have asylum case.1. Is it ok? Or I have to renew the passports and unlock DS260 to update the passports?
2. If I fill I-485 form, I will pay a lot of money. We’re 4 persons ” my husband, I, and two children. What is your advice to me? Should I fill I-485 or wait? How long have I wait? is there any way to expedite our case?
I’m very over thinking and worry because it will take a lot of money for adjustment of status and I don’t want to waste my money and I don’t want to lose my chance to adjust our status. I need you advice please. sorry for disturbing you.
Have a wonderful day
January 21, 2020 at 9:19 pm
Your number is high, and particularly because you are from Egypt you may not get current. If you do get current, time will be short to adjust status. If your lawyer doesn’t know DV processing, he/she will probably not be able to process it correctly. So – you are at risk.
2. You have no choice but to wait. You cannot file until/unless your number is current. As soon as you see your number goes current (maybe mid June or mid July) you could file the I-485.
I suggest you take some time to learn about DV lottery AOS. You can read all about it here:
https://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2020-aos-only.340762/
January 21, 2020 at 7:43 pm
Hello Brit! Thank you for everything! Do you maybe have information, did the 2NL for march have started being sent? My CN was current even for february and everything is processed and i am ready to be scheduled, however still nothing…
January 21, 2020 at 9:09 pm
I haven’t heard of any. Be patient. They can send them until the end of the month.
January 21, 2020 at 9:39 pm
Thank you, i really hope so!
January 22, 2020 at 9:59 am
The same situation as yours, everything has been processed, and current in February. We are just waiting for the interview email.
January 21, 2020 at 8:25 pm
Hi Brit,
I have docs from my sponsor such as i134,W2 and 1040.Do I need to have details of his bank account and employment details too????Thanks in advance.
January 21, 2020 at 9:08 pm
Not normally.
January 22, 2020 at 12:15 am
Hi Mr.Simon,
So we’re AS17XXX, we filled our DS in May, sent documents in Oct, and unlock & resubmitted in Dec to fill new additional information.
In Nov we tried to call KCC to asked if they satisfied with our docs or not & if our DS has been processed, and they told us that they don’t have access to see if there are docs or not.
And 2 days ago, we emailed them to ask the same thing, and we got like an automatic reply like this:
“After sending documents to KCCDVDocuments@state.gov, you will receive an automatic reply to your email. ……………………… Please allow time for processing of your documents.”
I read one case that post in Jan 16 that AS22xxx case have been verified, why is our case still have not?
Is that because we submit anything late Mr.Simon?
We know we’ve to wait but just follow up to make sure our case processed in time.
Thank you sir.
January 22, 2020 at 12:43 am
Their response means they are not ready. Either they are still processing documents OR they have not got a full set of documents for your case. I suggest you chck your documents again, make sure you have everything and that the documents are named correctly. You may need to resubmit everything.
January 22, 2020 at 6:54 am
Hi Mr.Simon,
After we read your reply we immediately check our email sent to KCC and we’re pretty sure that we’ve provided all required documents.
This is what we sent them:
Dear KCC,
Below are our documents attachment required for our DV 2020 case with case number 2020AS000171XX.
Passport Biographic Page : Attach below.
Birth Certificate : Attach below.
Marriage Certificate : Attach below.
Marriage Termination Documentation : -N/A-
Military Records : -N/A-
Police Certificates : Attach below.
Court Record : -N/A-
And each file name with this format, e.g : “2020AS000171XX_Full_Name_Passport.pdf”
Should we resubmit everything by forwarding the email?
Or is this simply they haven’t process our documents?
What should we do to make sure that our case not going to missed out this chance Mr.Simon?
Thank you sir.
January 22, 2020 at 5:24 am
Hi brit , am a success story of DV2019, am already in the US few months now, you guided me through well with info and thanks so much, be blessed more.
I have one main problem though ,me and my son below 5 years came here but it was tricky for me to start working with him around so he went back after a few weeks time , my question is.
1. how long should he stay away from the US he already has the permanent residence card too?
2.is it right for me to have him come before the period expires and stay for a few weeks and i take him back to my country until i feel like am settled ?
January 22, 2020 at 5:29 am
Hi Brits, please advise the current travel ban that Trump want to extend to more 7 countries including my county TANZANIA will affect my DV process am 2020AF66***, am feel heart broken at the moment
January 22, 2020 at 6:24 am
Hi Mr. Simon,
My case number is AS 22 xxx
after submition of my document I found a mistake on marriege certificate that all data written to marrige certicate is as it is in our National Identity Card ( NIC ) except a mistake that my wife NIC general number is 1433 but it is wrote (1432) wrong number to Marriege certificate,
it is also verified by our forign ministery.
1. should I apply for new Marrige Certificate to correct it and resend the new one to KCC or it is ok and do not cause any problem?
Thanks in advance
January 22, 2020 at 9:55 am
Hello. I had the interview on January 9 and my visa was approved (I shared my story in the interview experience session). In the first entry the main applicant (my husband) made the mistake to mix the place of name and surname but the consul officer didn’t say anything to us so approved the visa. The next day we took the passports with the visa and after we check, they printed my husband’s visa with the same mistake he did in the first entry. He went to embassy and asked to reprint another one. The embassy asked to my husband to return back all the passports. They explained that since the mistake was made on the main applicant they have to reprint all the visas for all members of the family. We brought the visas. But today when I checked the status on CEAC i saw that was changed from Issued to Ready. Please can you explain why they have changed the status ? Is this a problem for us to take the visas again?
January 22, 2020 at 12:04 pm
Hello, my CN EU47xxx. What is your opinion, how much maximum (month) to wait to send ds260. I have not sent ds260 yet, due to the inability of the non-immigrant visa application,if my number is not current
January 22, 2020 at 1:07 pm
Hey Simon, I read the conversation on forums.immigration.com where you said people who got their DS-260s submitted before social media questions were added may want to update their forms.
My question is, for someone who’s got both their DS-260s and documents processed – may there be a risk in unlocking & resubmitting DS-260, as considering the current uncertainty around checking docs, KCC may delay processing the resubmitted DS-260s?
January 22, 2020 at 2:11 pm
Helloooo
Has anyone from AF current in the last VB got the 2NL? Seems they are taking long to send them out.
Why?!