Over the last few days I have been asked to clarify the importance of Marital status and the DV lottery. This point should be simple, but rules vary from country to country – so there is some potential for mistakes which (on marital status) are extremely important to the case. Even though the entry period is over for DV2016, this is important information to clarify to make sure you have not made a crucial mistake.
On the eDV registration (the original entry) you have to indicate your marital status. Making a mistake on these can end your DV lottery dream instantly – so it is critical to get these right! The choices are
- Unmarrried
- Married
- Divorced
- Widowed
- Legally Separated
So – what do those choice mean – here you go…
Unmarried
This means single at the time of the eDV entry and never previously married. This could also mean engaged (because engaged to be married is not married). If you select unmarried and are discovered to have been previously married or married at the time of the entry you will be disqualified.
Married
This means married (in which case you must list your spouse on the eDV entry). If you are separated from your spouse (but that separation is not documented by a court) or estranged or just grumpy with your spouse on the day you enter the lottery then you are married.
So – what do you do if you are married but haven’t seen your spouse in 10 years. Well you still list your spouse, including a photo that meets the requirements if needed. If you win, you simply don’t submit an application (DS260) for your spouse.
How about if you plan to be married shortly after the eDV entry, should you save time and enter married. NO, NO, NO! If you are not married on the day you enter the lottery do not enter as married. If you marry later (during the DV process) there are ways to include your new spouse (as described here) , so don’t make the mistake of claiming marital status without being married – there is no need to risk that (as the risk is disqualification) .
Just a point about “marriage”. The US government recognizes the various forms of marriage around the world. The rough rule is that if the marriage is recognized by the civil authorities in the area where the marriage is performed, and that recognition confers typical rights and privileges of marriage on the couple, then the US government will recognize that marriage for immigration purposes. That applies to any form of legal marriage including same sex marriages.
Divorced
This means you were married previously, got a divorce (legally recorded through a divorce court) and have not yet remarried – you are currently single. You will need to supply your marriage and divorce documents. If you cannot show the divorce documents you might be assumed to be still married, and in that case you could be disqualified.
Widowed
This means you were married, your spouse died and you are not currently remarried. You will be asked for proof of the marriage (marriage cert) and the death (death cert).
Legally Separated
This is rarely used so you should only select this option if you are certain you are LEGALLY separated. Under this option of the eDV form is the following text:-
“Legal separation means that a court has formally declared that you and your spouse are legally separated. Legal separation means that your spouse would not be eligible to immigrate as your derivative.”
This means you have gone to court and had a separation agreement accepted by the court. This happens when people do not want to divorce yet but need a formal agreement covering things such as who pays for the shared expenses during the separation, access and custody to any children and so on. You will need to show the legal separation document during your interview.
This is not the right option if you have simply separated from your spouse but have not yet divorced. It is my belief that choosing this option when you are not actually legally separated will result in disqualification (because you omit your spouse who should have been on the form.
But I won and my marital situation has changed – is that a problem?
No – life goes on after the eDV entry. You may have got married, divorced, or whatever – so when you submit your DS260 you will do that with your new marital status. However, they will look to prove that you correctly entered your marital status at the time of registration, so you need to make sure your documents are available for the interview and establish the correct timeline.
May 6, 2016 at 20:51
Hi Simon.
I would kindly like your help I applied for DV 2017 i applied as single but I didn’t include my daughter and fiancée in form because I didn’t have their photos. I was selected and would like to add them in my Ds260 now since we are planning to get married now. Kindly will it affect our visa issuing and interview ?
My case number is 39***
Your feedback will be highly appreciated.
Thanks.
Hanifah.
May 6, 2016 at 21:53
Is your daughter your child or the child of your fiancée. If she is your child you have ruined your case and will be disqualified.
May 7, 2016 at 07:26
Thanks Simon she’s my child.?
May 7, 2016 at 18:19
Then you have ruined your case because you broke a fundamental rule of the process. The instructions are very clear on this point. You will be disqualified.
May 7, 2016 at 07:39
What if I don’t fill her in the form Ds260 will I be able to bring her there once I get my permanent residence in US and how long do I have to be there in order to bring her? Kindly help.
May 7, 2016 at 18:18
If you don’t reply to an existing conversation I have no idea what you are talking about (no context).
May 7, 2016 at 18:20
No I understand the previous conversation.
No you cannot do that. It is fraud and you would be deported. There is no solution.
May 13, 2016 at 12:03
I have randomly selectded to dv lottery, and submitted the DS 260 as a single person. I am a indian , now i work in dubai. My interview also held in dubai.But if i win green card i want to marry my girlfriend in india and go with her. The reason i am unable to marry before submit the ds 260 is i am currently live in dubai not in india. What should i do?
May 13, 2016 at 12:13
What you should do is get married and unlock your forms. “How” you plan that – I don’t know – that is your decision.
May 15, 2016 at 20:27
Hi Brits,
Thanks for the good work. I registered the DV as married because I had done customary marriage which is legal in my country. After I was selected I did the church wedding which gave me a certificate.
My question is, which date should I use on the ds260 form as marriage date (the date of customary marriage) or the date of wedding.
Should the date of the wedding certificate match the date on the form?
May 15, 2016 at 21:06
Customary marriage date.
May 15, 2016 at 23:34
OK. Thank you for your prompt response.
October 4, 2016 at 14:30
Hi. I am going to apply for the DV but tye problem is I am not married. What sjould I do on the apllication? How can I list my partner and my 2 childrens?
October 4, 2016 at 14:56
You can apply without your partner. If you win, you will have to get married to include your partner. Your children MUST be included.
May 15, 2016 at 22:15
Hey BritSimon ,
First of all , great website with lots of useful info for folks like us .. It is highly appreciated.
I have a strange case , not sure if you can assist but wanted to give it a shot …
Here it goes ,
My wife has won the lottery , yes we were so happy to see that .
Then we started to fill the DS 260 form , it was all good until i saw that part about previous spouse ,
Now , for my wife there is no problem because she does not have one . But for me there is an issue
because I got married 15 years ago in the U.S while i was a student . Then my “wife“ started asking money from me all the time to give me the documents so I could apply for the green card . Then I realized i made a mistake marrying her .
I refused to give her money for that , by the way we were living in different states then . Long story short,
she never gave me the documents and since my visa was expiring I had to leave the U.S and went back to my country . Before doing so , I never applied for a green card or any type of visa because i was married . Basically immigration had no clue i got married in the states . And also that marriage was never really honored as one .. No living together,no joint bank account whatsoever … And at the time i was a kid and didnt care about getting a divorce or annulment ( also didnt have much finance to take care of that either )
Anyway , after Ieaving the states and going back to my country i had to go on with my life and met my wife and we got married .
its been 10 years , last year i applied for u.s visa and i got a 10 year visa! And this year my wife won the green card…
Now i am very much confused about what to do… There is a chance that i may still be a married person in the u.s .. but i think if it was the case , when i applied for the visa it would come up ?Now i am trying to locate my ex spouse to find out if she divorced me or got it annulled so i can fill out the DS 260 accordingly or i dont fill it out at all so at least my wife and kids get the GC ….
Any advice or comment is highly appreciated ..
Best regards,
May 16, 2016 at 00:20
You need to find out about your previous marriage. If that marriage still exists then you are not legally married to your current wife.
May 27, 2016 at 11:07
hi, I am not sure if I filled the edv as married because when I was fillinng the ds 260 form my spouse’s name was not listed I had to add it. is their a way could check if the edv form was filled as married before I go for the interview? pliz help.
May 27, 2016 at 13:45
No.
May 27, 2016 at 16:50
Thanks, Am really scared now, is the name of your spouse supposed to be listed in the DS260 if you pre-filled as married in the edv or are you supposed to add it when filling the form?
May 27, 2016 at 16:58
Well you filled in your form – right?? So why is there doubt!
May 27, 2016 at 17:16
Thanks for your help, am in doubt because if i did not fill the edv as married that could mean disqualification since I was already married.
May 27, 2016 at 18:29
Yes I am aware of that, but that is only a problem IF YOU lied on the eDV.
May 27, 2016 at 19:12
I only got my doubts when I was filling the ds260 and found that my spouse’s name had not been automatically pre filled on the form as mine and so I had to add it. my challenge is that I can not recall vividly what I filled in my edv as I was also filling these forms for several other people. if someone can confirm to me whether her name should been automatically pre-filled on the ds260 or not I could have got my answer.
May 27, 2016 at 19:14
Hi BritSimon,
I am 2017 dv winner. My case number is 2017AS10xx. I entered the dv lottery as single. I got paper marriage and registered the marriage in registrar in order to to fill the ds form quickly by hearing from people that it must be done as quick as possible . And I Completed the ds 260 just 4 days ago. I included the date of marriage as registered. But i heard that paper marriage is not acceptable. So i am getting again married according to our custom rituals after a month. I am so much worried about disqualification if my form get processed early and i don’t have much marriage related evidence except the marriage certificate. Do i have to update the marriage date again or let it be the same as previous ?
Does it takes more than month to process the form by the officers who handles these form ?
May 27, 2016 at 19:21
Yes you will probably wait 3 or 4 months for the DS260 processing, so you have time to get the ritual marriage.
June 1, 2016 at 16:06
Hi Brits greetings. My boyfriend and were to get married this July. But cause of the fact that I entered the edv as single. We didn’t want to jeopardize this chance as I am a 2017 winner. So I have already filled in the ds260 form and submitted as single. Yes we are not married and have no legal documents and we didn’t want to take the long process so we decided to push the wedding until after the interview. Now my question is.
1) after getting married when do you think I can process his documents after I enter USA. As currently he is in Europe and I am in Cameroon.
2) is it also right that as I enter the country at the embassy I can present our marriage certificate such that it can change my status and also in ds260 form. Thank you
June 1, 2016 at 22:24
You are making a mistake. You can marry prior to interview and have a simple process or you can do it later and make that process cost more money, be much more complex and last around 2 years.
https://britsimonsays.com/faq/dv-process-versus-family-based-immigration/
June 14, 2016 at 18:51
Hi Brit ,
I am married at the moment but in the process of getting a divorce. Only I am not sure as married but won’t submit for my spouse.
– If I get the divorce before the interview , can I modify the ds260 and change my marital status ?
– If not , would it be a problem if I don’t submit ds260 for my spouse ?
– if I get the divorce I ll need to renew my passport too , so at the interview ,would it be a problem ?
– my case number is 2017EU9xxx and will submit my ds260 by 25 th of June , when should I expect to be interviewed ?
Thanks for your time
June 14, 2016 at 19:10
1. Yes
2. No
3. No
4. https://britsimonsays.com/dv2017-basic-questions/
June 15, 2016 at 02:19
Me and my girlfriend plan to get married in a weeks time and i filled my marital status as single,so how exactly do i unlock the Ds260?
June 15, 2016 at 03:44
Use the search above for “unlock”
June 15, 2016 at 11:27
When asking for unlocking do you state the reason or you just ask for unlocking?
June 15, 2016 at 13:42
Search on my site for “unlock”
June 16, 2016 at 02:26
Is it necessary to attach the marriage certificate in the email asking for unlocking of the Ds260?
June 16, 2016 at 03:15
No.
June 16, 2016 at 06:18
Hello Bri Sir,
I Hope u will be OK with good health.
I am from Sri lLanka and now I am living in Dubai
When I applied D-260 I did not get marry. Now I am marred and pregnant also. So I want to add my husband. I requested to unlock my D-260 form but their said that now cant edit.
please find the bellow reply from KCC. ( I copy from mail )
[Your case number is now current for interview processing. Once the interview date has been scheduled, you will receive notification via email to check http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. If you need to make changes to your DS-260 you should contact the consular section where you will be interviewed, or bring the information about your changes to your interview appointment. Because your case is ready to be scheduled, KCC can no longer unlock your application.]
So my question is as above information form KCC can I add my husband when my interview time? Otherwise if need to submit his detail before interview what kind of document he has to provide?
I sent to mail Abu Dhabi(UAE) embassy couple of week ago and I did not receive any reply. So what can I do now. Shall I visit & ask from Embassy or I will go directly interview all document with husband?
Please answer. I got tension. Thank you.
July 7, 2016 at 05:04
If I’m With This guy and he is saying he is married back home but his green card say single.. How will I know if he is really married ?
July 7, 2016 at 05:14
That is not the sort of question I answer…
July 7, 2016 at 05:35
Ok thanks
July 25, 2016 at 09:36
Im divorced since july 2013,and custody of my single child is with my ex wife,so during dv submission,I chose divorced and didn’t mention my wife’s name as well as my child’s name.because my child is not living with me too,but during DS260 form fill up,I have to fill my previous wife’s name as well as detail about my child who is not living with me.does it matter in my further processing.my case is AS20…
July 25, 2016 at 14:42
So you left your child off your original entry?? In that case you will be disqualified. The instructions are very clear about that.
https://britsimonsays.com/easiest-way-to-get-disqualified-from-dv-lottery/
July 25, 2016 at 16:15
Thank you,so there is no way out…
July 25, 2016 at 19:09
No.
July 28, 2016 at 22:52
Hello Mr. Simon
My then girl friend who is a university (now my wife) entered the dv lottery in october 2015 as single. We had the plan to marry after her university education. But she became pregnant just one month after the entry into the dvl. So we changed plan and got married in january 2016. We have the m. certificate and the pictures. I may 2016 she was selected as one of the winners. She gave birth in june 2016.
I have once traveled the USA on B1/B2 visa in 2012 and my boss told me to say i was married then so i would be given the visa. I did that. I am sure they have my data as married earlier.
1) Is it good to fill the DS260 for we three and go for the interview?
2) Or can my wife fill the DS260 for herself and the newborn? Can they attend the interview?
3)Or my wife can travel alone and return later for me and the kid?
July 29, 2016 at 00:34
1. Yes
2. NO!!!!
3. Why on earth would you do that?? It will be expensive and slow (2 years) to bring you and the child, whereas the DV route is fast and cheap!
July 29, 2016 at 05:29
Hello Mr. Simon,
Thank you so much for the clarity and the quick response.
One problem is that, before our marriage in January 2016, we had been referring to ourselves as married. And we filled our passport data as married, but we were not actually married we were only engaged. Her school documents all were filled as married. I also have my data for the B1/B2 visa as married earlier. So I am afraid they will think we were couples before Jan. 2016.
My wife(now) filled unmarried in the dvl because she thought they would ask for marriage documents which was not available because we were not actually married.
We married earlier than planned because of the pregnancy.
Please what is your advice on this situation? Do we stand the chance of getting the visa?
July 29, 2016 at 15:52
You are adding information now that makes me doubt your story. Earlier it was your boss who said you should say married on the B1/B2, now that “lie” is on passports, school forms and so on. So – it sounds to me like you were married, she entered as single and the marriage in January is an attempt to cover that up. It doesn’t really matter what I think – I am not the CO – but I managed to form that opinion based on two posts. A CO, with you in front of them will probably form that opinion faster. So – if my suspicion is correct, you stand a good chance of being found out, and disqualified. If my suspicion is incorrect, then there is a lot of evidence (passport, school info, B1 and so on) that you are comfortable telling lies to officials to get what you want. So – that won’t make the CO comfortable either!
Based on this – I would say you will be wasting your money in proceeding – but its your money, your decision, and you know the truth.
August 5, 2016 at 01:21
Hello
I am selected for DV 2017 and my case number is 3xxxx. I got engaged after applying for the dv lottery but when I got selected I decided to marry my fiancée before submitting the DS 260. the problem is the rituals of marriage in my country take time (2 to 3 months), knowing that we are in august already and I still haven’t submitted the DS 260.
– Should we get married before submitting the DS 260 even though the marriage will take time (in which case I will submit by september 2016) ? or am I already running late?
-Should I sumbit DS 260 as single, get married after, then ask them to unlock it and change my marital status?
– Iif we get married by the end of august let’s say 23 august, can I submit ds 260 on 24th august or is it going to be little weird?
-is paper document a proof of marriage or do they need to see ceremony pictures?
Thank you
August 5, 2016 at 04:36
1. Submitting in September is fine.
2. Either way… doesn’t matter
3. No that isn’t weird.
4. Pictures of the ceremony PLUS proof of the relationship existing prior to the DV win.
August 10, 2016 at 22:14
if i have included my spouse in my Dv entry, until the interview get separated but not legally divorced, should i unlock my case and remove my spouse before the interview? If i don’t do that is there a chance i will be disqualified?
August 10, 2016 at 22:33
You cannot remove a derivative once added, their DS260 stays on file. Since your marital status hasn’t changed you still apply as married (unless you divorce). However, you may decide not to take your spouse to the interview, and then he/she won’t get a visa.
September 2, 2016 at 00:08
Hi Mr. Simon, you share your good knowledge with me few days ago, which have to do with my step child birth certificate. Like I told you, my step child is using my name on the birth certificate, since she was disown by father, from the date the child mother was pregnant. He run away from the community, almost 9 years ago. I was wanted to adopt the child, but you advise me not to do so, which I got you right. This child also use my name on the entrance dv 2017, we play as family. My question here is! do I need the father consent? If yes, this man can’t be fine what will I do? My fear have is, I have been denied 2013 on visiting visa that happened before I got married to my wife. I was asked for child, but I didn’t say yes because her mother and I was not married at that time and was not staying together . Please I need your help, this is an opportunity and we don’t want to lose it.
Thanks God bless you
September 2, 2016 at 01:28
I answered this before. You are a step parent. Your spouse is the mother. You said before the father could not be found. So – the embassy will generally assume the mother has rights to take the child abroad.
As for you, you were not married during the previous case – so that is not a problem.
September 2, 2016 at 16:01
hi brit, i have won the 2017 dvlottery, but during the edv i submitted as married and i have a daughter with my husband, so i included my daughter too but we married the local type where by things were not documented at the court. now i want to find out if am disqualify. thank you
September 2, 2016 at 16:52
No you won’t automatically be disqualified, but I would strongly recommend you perform a legal marriage prior to the interview.
September 2, 2016 at 19:11
in this case what date should i use on my marriage cert because we have married the local way already and we now doing the court type of the marriage for the marriage cert.
September 2, 2016 at 23:49
It doesn’t matter.
September 5, 2016 at 07:10
Hie BritSimon
I plan to apply for the DV2018 next month, I wonder how I should answer these questions as my situation is rather complex. But I want to do it right from the beginning.
1) I was customarily married, the marriage is recognised in my country but there are no legal papers whatsoever to support it. Right now we are separated and I am not sure if we will reconcile or not (reconciliation or not, if I win I intend to go to the US), how to do I classify my marital status? and will I require his photos in either case?
2) we have 2 children together but he also has children from previous relationships, I am aware I have to disclose the step children too even if they will not join me in the US, but I have no way of getting the required digital pictures of those children who are not mine, what happens then?
September 5, 2016 at 13:52
1. Answer the truth. It sounds like you are married (if the marriage is recognized in your country) and in that case will need a photo for your spouse.
2. You need photos of the children – without that, you cannot enter. However, if the children will not appear for interview and will NEVER seek to emigrate to the USA, there is an obvious solution…
September 6, 2016 at 06:43
Do not disclose the children… got it. Thanks
September 6, 2016 at 15:17
NO!!! – that is not what I am suggesting.
The rules say you must list all the children. YOU MUST do that.
The rules say you must provide a photo of each person. YOU MUST do that.
…. the point is the children on the photos will not appear at the interview to be compared to the photo you provided….
September 7, 2016 at 13:31
oh! ok. thanks
September 15, 2016 at 08:26
My sis doesnot have marriage certificate or she didnot regestered her mariatel status. But in edv process she fill the form with married. Now she wants to go single or new husband. What should we do plz help me ?? On the email id
[email protected]
September 15, 2016 at 13:30
If she put married she will need to explain why she put that. If she does not want to take her husband she doesn’t complete a DS260 for him. To re-marry she would need to show divorce paperwork for the first marriage. So – she has created a mess for herself.
September 22, 2016 at 08:16
Court has decided for baby’s case at the time of divorce that the total rights given to mother on baby and there is also not mentioned any time length for the rights on baby in the divorce paper. That means, it could be clearly understood that the rights for baby is always in favor with mother for all time. I have not been given any access to meet with baby and also not been given any responsibility of baby’s take care in the court decision paper. Now I am just biological father but no legal rights on baby and legally could not keep the baby with me. So that point of time I excluded the baby from my 1st DV entry form as i did not have any baby with me so my question is that, am I done right or wrong for excluding the baby from DV entry form. Brit, I want your view for the same.
September 22, 2016 at 15:20
You did wrong. The form asked you to list all children, it did not mention whether you visit them or not. Read the link.
https://britsimonsays.com/easiest-way-to-get-disqualified-from-dv-lottery/
September 24, 2016 at 19:06
Hi
I am a dv 2017 selectee and my appointment time is scheduled, in November… I am single right now and have planned to get married to my bf… Now we don’t know what the best option is, getting married before or after the interview?!
I searched your website and read the useful posts related to my situation but am confused! We have only one month until the interview date! My fiancé and I believe that getting married after the interview is better as we have enough time to get prepared for the marriage ceremony but we are not sure about that!!
The reason we delayed our marriage was my case number (around 200) as we didn’t want to unlock my file in order not to delay the process…
Thank you so much
September 24, 2016 at 20:42
Well your bad ideas have made the situation more complicated. You should have married before the 2NL and unlocked. Now your only option is get married immediately, and then contact the embassy and hope they will advise you how to process your new husband.
September 28, 2016 at 18:12
What if my same sex partner and I married in the US where it is Legal but we are not married in our country where same sex marriage are not recognized. Should we apply as married or unmarried ?
September 28, 2016 at 22:33
Married.
October 4, 2016 at 23:30
Hi Simon,
Is it possible to play twice both as a single person and as a couple during the dv?
October 4, 2016 at 23:32
Each person can apply once. A married couple can each apply, listing the spouse on their entry.
October 7, 2016 at 22:05
I indicated in the DV Lottery application ‘Unmarried’. The truth of the matter is that I am not and have never been married in real life. I have had a chance of going to the United States twice in 2012 and in 2016 – both times in my Visa application I indicated Married and provided same information as for both information. I have some legal marriage papers which are authentic, but they are just papers since, I am not married to anyone. Will it be a problem in my 2017 DV Lottery application, just in case i get selected? Do the US Embassy confirm marital status from previous visa applications or they just concentrate on the information provided on the DV form.
October 7, 2016 at 22:31
You seem to be struggling with understanding the concept of “telling the truth”.
You have never been married, but you previously told the US embassy you were married.
You have some “authentic” legal marriage papers, but they are just papers. How are they authentic then?
Yes the embassy could access your previous applications – so you have significant risk if you get selected.
October 10, 2016 at 03:31
Hlw Simon,
My father is going to fill dvlottery form. We are three brothers and all above 21 years age. My father, mother and we brothers are living together. There is also the proof of Marriage Registration of our parents but my father wants to fill the form as a single. Is it possible????
October 10, 2016 at 04:04
If he is married he must say he is married.
October 11, 2016 at 02:42
Hi BritSimon,
Thanks for all the awesome information!
I am going to apply for the DV-2018. My husband and I are separated (though not “legally”) and I understand that I need to include him, plus a photo, in my application. If I use a photo of someone else, and then he one day down the track wants to apply for the dv as well, will this effect either of us? Will they pull up my application when processing his?
October 11, 2016 at 02:59
Yes they could pull up that application. It could you problems down the line. So – use an older photo of him, but make it him.
October 11, 2016 at 03:09
Perfect, thanks!
October 12, 2016 at 09:07
Hi Mr BritSimon
Thanks for all the effort you are affording,
I want to apply for DV-2018, I am married with one baby girl, can we fill two applications one for me and one for my husband seperately? and including spouse and wife in each application?
October 12, 2016 at 18:17
Yes.
October 13, 2016 at 14:57
Somebody played for me during the DV 2017 and entered that I am single and with no child, but actually I am married before entry with a child. I want to put my husband and child name when applying for the visa, and states if am ask that I was played for by somebody who didn’t confirm those two infos. What is the possibility to include my husband and child ? Thanks
October 13, 2016 at 15:28
https://britsimonsays.com/easiest-way-to-get-disqualified-from-dv-lottery/
October 13, 2016 at 15:36
Good day sir, i applied for the dv 2017 on the 30th of october 2015, during this period i had done traditional marriage with my wife planning to get court mariage in a month time, and we applied as marriage couple and we finally got married on the 26th November 2015, we were selected and we have fill the Ds260 form stating the date of marriage as 26th November, meanwhile my wife was pregnant before we played and she putt to bed on 30th may 2016, while filling the ds260 form, we included the child , i wish to find out if there is any problem considering the above information
thanks
October 13, 2016 at 16:22
No problem.
October 17, 2016 at 13:16
Hi Simon,
What can I do if I am applying for dv lottery and I do not have photos for my step children. They are living with their mother in another country.
October 17, 2016 at 18:26
You must list the children and you must have photos.
October 18, 2016 at 16:51
Hi Simon
I would like to apply for green card lottery…but still I’m single..my wedding will be held on December..so how could I apply for that..as single or married..
October 18, 2016 at 19:19
Single. Because you are single.
October 18, 2016 at 22:27
Shall we apply separately as single??if either one won lottery shall take spouse???coz we will marry after two months….so how can I change marital status??
October 18, 2016 at 22:57
You will change the marital status if you win. For now, just both apply as single.
October 19, 2016 at 00:07
Thanks sir
October 19, 2016 at 00:28
Hello there!
I live with my boyfriend. I am divorced and he is single. I have just applied for the lottery under (of course) “divorced”. If I happen to win,
1. will I be able to include him somehow?
2. Do we have to get married in order for him to enter the country with me?
3. Should he apply on his own, separately in order to double our chances? We live together, so even though we are not married, we are part of the same “family”.
Thanks in advance!
Silvina
October 19, 2016 at 02:56
1. Yes – if married.
2. Yes
3. He can apply himself, yes.
October 19, 2016 at 11:18
Thanks!
October 19, 2016 at 11:39
Do they select equal number of candidates from all eligible countries regardless the number of applications were made from these countries?
October 19, 2016 at 14:03
No. It is a random draw, so the chance is the same for everyone in the region. However there are some countries that have so many entries that the draw process disallows the winners from that country after there are “enough” winners from that country.
October 19, 2016 at 09:23
Hi Brit, I have applied for the 2018 DV Lottery as married because I have made my cutomary marriage which is legal in my country but still planning to make the statutory wedding which I will have a married certificate. Hope there will be no problem in case I win.
October 19, 2016 at 14:07
No problem.
October 20, 2016 at 15:10
hi i`m trying to register for lottery green card for my brother ,he is being married my question is i have to register his wife on separate registration they can have 2cases or not one time is enought for both of them thank you for your help.
October 20, 2016 at 16:41
They can have one entry each.
October 22, 2016 at 10:23
Hi simon
My full name is,,
Abdul Hameed Alisha Nuwaira
Abdul Hameed is my fathers name.(family name)
Alisha Nuwaira is my name
So I can fill dv application
What is my middle name?? First name??
October 23, 2016 at 14:11
https://britsimonsays.com/faq/name-confusion/
October 26, 2016 at 02:06
Me and my girlfriend are going to marry but we entered as married. What can we do now?
October 26, 2016 at 03:25
Get married.
October 27, 2016 at 20:06
Hi Simon.
Thank you so much for your help.
I do have 2 main questions:
I was (and still am married) wehn i applied and earned the dv lotery, but now i am getting divorced (it will take time before i get divorced)
I have just requested for divorce.
What is gonna happen with my case? Should i submit my ds 260 for both of us or only for me? (and change my status to my ds260 even if i dont have my divorce yet)
Also i have a question for a friend of mine:
His sponsor in us is told him (after he already had submited the ds260) that he doesnt have the neccesary tax returns (salries) to support his case and now he must change the sponsor. What can he do? Should he just go with a new sponsor at the interview or he should contact the Kentucky for his case?
Thank you in advance
October 27, 2016 at 20:35
Complete the DS260 just for yourself (but listing your spouse). Do not complete a DS260 for your spouse.
No need to contact KCC – just change at the interview.
October 28, 2016 at 07:15
Thank you 🙂
October 30, 2016 at 13:41
Hi Simon
I am supposed to accompany my wife who got immigration visa family type, I had a previous marrage, separeted unofficially, do not have divorce/ separation documents. I wrote the word SEPARATED about my previous marriage. What I must do to process my DS 260 form, it is pending because of that, yhey need document.
please may I have your reply urgently.
October 30, 2016 at 14:34
I don’t advise on cases other than DV lottery.
November 4, 2016 at 15:47
Hello Simon,
My current wife and I applied for DV Lottery 2018, on the moment of application, we both listed each other as a spouse to increase our chances. Unfortunately currently we have emotional difficulties and we are going to separate, she moves to another country, however we still have hope that eventually we may get back together after contemplating for a while, maybe a year, so we do not legally divorce. In case if one of us is selected, do we still get a chance to move to US together?
November 4, 2016 at 18:29
Yes. As long as you are not divorced.
November 4, 2016 at 20:52
Wow! Even despite the fact that we live in different countries and perhaps will take interviews separately in different countries?
November 4, 2016 at 22:15
Well, you would need to process together as a married couple.
First of all – you need to be selected!
November 5, 2016 at 22:08
i submitted my application, Can my wife send my picture as a husband same picture which i sent through myapplication?
November 5, 2016 at 23:53
Yes
November 6, 2016 at 10:09
300 Horizantil and vertical is 300 dpi is that oky
November 6, 2016 at 14:48
Read the instructions.
November 7, 2016 at 21:57
Greetings sir,
i was randomly selected for dv2017 and we both entered with my husband as married meanwhile we had done the customary marriage planning for the court marriage in a month time as customs demand ,we finally got court married with certificate on the 26th November 2016, during this period i was two months pregnant in which i finally putt to birth on the 30th May 2016, the dv lottery result came out on the 4th May 2016 ,my husband and i check but no result found as a result of bad network connection, in September we check again and found out that we have been randomly selected
Now,
we have fill the ds260 form including our child, but the child didn’t have a passport and the space was left blank, is there any problem consedeirng that
again, when can we be expecting feedback regarding our appointment at the embassy. we submitted on September 20th
again,which medical test is being carry out during the medicals, inorder for us to check our self before going to do the medicals
Also,will there be need of any doubt considering our marriage with the presence of our child, because from your previous discussion with others concerning marriage you stress more on proof of marriage
pls sir advise me on the above information
best regard
November 7, 2016 at 22:04
You should apply for a passport for the child and update the DS260 as soon as you have that.
I don’t know the specifics of the medical in your country.
I would normally recommend legal marriage before interview as customary marriage is not always recognized.
You haven’t mentioned your case number (which drives interview timing) but considering your late DS260 submission you will have to wait at least a few months anyway. Patience.
November 8, 2016 at 18:55
thanks sir for the advise
so how then can we update the ds260, meanwhile is there any way we can attend the interview without updating the ds260,we use the child birth certificate during the registration and his passport came out yesterday
November 8, 2016 at 22:46
You can do that – it’s up to you.
November 9, 2016 at 21:31
Hi Brit.
I would like to know if I should be worrying about a little mistake I’ve made when I entered the Lottery. I chose married in the marital statue but the fact I were not married at that time ( but I was planning to in the same year, which the day meant to be-innotentionly after the results).
Thank you for your time.
November 10, 2016 at 00:07
Similar cases have been approved. If you win, get married before submitting your application.
November 10, 2016 at 00:41
Thank you brit
November 17, 2016 at 16:39
hi
I made a mistake in the registration form of DV Lottery 2017 and chosen I’ve married, But I didn’t and filled spouse fields with my information again!
I corrected my mistake in DS-260 form and chosen single option
what’s your opinion about my case? may I disqualified?
November 17, 2016 at 23:49
Technically, that mistake could be forgiven. But if they assume some sort of fraud they could deny you anyway.