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May 24, 2024 at 11:43
Hi Simon!
I am chosen for the DV 2025 (AS9xxx).
I visited the United States on a J1 visa for 2 weeks in July 2023, and I am subject to Section 212E (2-year home residency) What should I do? Please advise.
May 24, 2024 at 12:01
I give up.
May 24, 2024 at 13:03
LOL
May 24, 2024 at 20:02
Well then your 212E (2-year home residency) expires two years after you departed the US (I think in a previous post you said July 13, 2023 so it will expire on July 13,2025).
If you have a CN low enough to get an interview but not high enough to get it in August or September 2025 (which seems very possible with your CN) just contact your embassy whenever you receive your 2NL and reschedule your appointment at the earliest availability AFTER July 13 (like late July or August) and possibly provide evidence that you have a 212E and that it expires mid-July.
It is extremely unlikely that visas will be exhausted in July or August so relax.
May 25, 2024 at 04:36
Thank you so much for the information 🙏
May 24, 2024 at 11:24
Hey Brit, thank you for your efforts!
Should we fill an university we didn’t finish in the ds-260, it says – Provide the following information on all educational institutions at a secondary level or above you have attended. Or just high school is enough? Sorry for asking maybe it’s clear but the overthink makes everything to double check. Thanks alot.
May 24, 2024 at 11:36
List the education either as a Uni attendance you did not complete OR it is current occupation if it is ongoing.
May 24, 2024 at 11:03
I am chosen for the DV 2025.
I visited the United States from June 29 to July 13, 2023 on a J1 visa for 2 weeks, and I am subject to Section 212E (2 year home residency) What should I do? Please advise.
May 24, 2024 at 11:35
I have answered you several times. It seems pointless to keep answering when you ignore my responses.
May 24, 2024 at 19:42
My apologies, I missed your previous response but I got it now. Thank you 🙏
May 25, 2024 at 04:40
Thank you 🙏
May 24, 2024 at 09:51
Do u think there will be a chance for 2024AS221** ???
May 24, 2024 at 11:15
Maybe
May 24, 2024 at 09:27
Hi brit Simon!
Thank you for all of your efforts!
Could you please answer some questions
1 The ds260 in the work section I Don’t know the Name of the previous employer what should I enter? But I worked as a courier in an groceory store for a company simmilar to INSTARCART. Basicaly a third party company does ALL the documentation so. If for example lets say I worked as a INSTACART courier can I enter the Name of the CEO of INSTACART and address of the company Phone number etc.?
May 24, 2024 at 11:14
You list your employer. It’s possible you were actually self employed.
May 24, 2024 at 11:16
If lets Day I was self employed what do I have to write in the work history sdction of ds 260?
May 24, 2024 at 11:36
“self employed”
May 24, 2024 at 04:55
Hello Mr.Simon
I’m from sudan and I have been randomly selected for Dv2025 .
1- I’m Sudanese and I was born in Saudi Arabia and my case is started by ( AF ) is there any problem in this ?
2- I have translated my documents in the country and the interview in another country is that acceptable ? Or I have to translate the documents in the same country that have scheduled to interview ?
May 24, 2024 at 11:10
Your country of birth is normally your country of chargeability. Why did you choose Sudan?
Are you married to someone from Sudan? Are your parents Sudanese, and were only in SA on a temporary basis?
May 24, 2024 at 04:41
Hi Simon my case no is 24019 as .
Can we get current?
Do I have chances to get 2nl?
May 24, 2024 at 11:07
No year, so no idea.
May 23, 2024 at 23:51
Hi Britsimon – hope all is well. My CN is DV24 EU57K
-In May 2023 I competed my DV 2024 DS260 with a passport/number that was set to expire in Mach 2024.
-In December 2023 I renewed my passport and received an new passport/ number (new passport expires in 2033)
-In April 2024, I unlocked my DS260 to include the birth of my baby girl and resubmitted. I did not make any other changes, keeping the expired passport number as originally submitted on my profile. However when inputting for my baby girl’s passport, I inputted my new passport/number as she didn’t have her own passport as a newborn and I didn’t want to input my expired number.
As of now, the re-submitted April 2024 DS260 has my old expired passport number (which is no longer correct), but my baby daughter has my new passport number. This mismatch hasn’t sat right with me.
Should I unlock my DS260 to update my passport number and replace the expired one? Should our passport numbers match? Or is this not necessary since the passport number I submitted for myself was accurate back in May 2023?
Thank you in advance for your input
May 24, 2024 at 11:06
No need to unlock. If you were to get an interview (which seems extremely unlikely), you could correct these things at the interview.
May 24, 2024 at 21:00
Wonderful – thank you so much for your quick reply!
May 23, 2024 at 20:21
Hi Brit,
In the DS I wrote all countries I’ve been to (all more than 5 years ago, last one in 2017). Is this considered lying in the DS as they wanted within 5 years?
I was told that one would give oath that DS content are true, is this considered lying? Do I edit it in the DS? Or make note of it in the interview day if any?
Thanks.
May 23, 2024 at 22:35
It’s not a problem
May 23, 2024 at 18:13
Hi Simon,
I just submitted DS-260 for dv lottery. However it seems that there is no option for me to make any visa processing fees payment (shows N/A). Is that normal or do I have to wait until KCC processes my DS form first? Thanks
May 23, 2024 at 22:32
You pay fees at the embassy on the interview day.
May 23, 2024 at 17:24
Hi Simon,
First of all, thank you for your great work. My husband and I were DV2024 winners with case number OC40XX. We were very sad to understand that our case number will most definitely not become current. However, we won again this year and our DV2025 case number is OC17XX (we completed your case number survey and saw from your videos that we were not the only ones to be selected two years in a row!).
We are glad to have a much better case number this year. However, it seems like we are just at the cusp of the case number range that you consider to be safe (it seems from your videos that you said case numbers below 1900 (halfway point) might be safe, but the safest case numbers are those below 1500). My questions are as follows:
1) When the data about the number of selectees becomes available in July or August, will we have much better certainty about whether our case number is safe or not? Since we travel to the US often to visit friends, I’d prefer not to submit form DS260 if our case number is likely not to become current again. But if we have a good chance, we would submit form DS260 ASAP, to avoid delaying our interview.
2) When the data about the number of selectees becomes available in July or August, will we be able to roughly estimate in which month our case number will become current or is that not possible at all?
Thank you again for putting high-quality information out there!
May 23, 2024 at 22:31
1. Yes,for OC we will have a very clear picture. However, a clear picture always has some +/- range to it, so you will likely be at the low end of that.
2. Yes
May 24, 2024 at 10:04
Do you mean at the low end of the case numbers that are at risk?
That’s great to know that we will have a very clear picture for the OC area and that it might even be possible to estimate in which month our number might become current. We will make sure to tune in to YouTube channel once the data become available!
May 24, 2024 at 11:16
1. Yes – but it’s just a guess at this point – we need the selectee numbers to be more sure.
May 24, 2024 at 15:12
Okay, thank you!
May 23, 2024 at 16:31
Hello Brit Simon!
There is a gap greater than a month in the dates you have provided since the date you turned sixteen. Please include ALL addresses where you have lived since the date you turned 16 years old.
Could you please tell us how to solve this problem?
May 23, 2024 at 22:25
Don’t leave a gap in the dates.
May 23, 2024 at 15:33
Hi Brit Simon. It’s it possible that the Visa office or KCC sometimes tell a particular embassy or consolate to hold on with issuing DV visas within a certain period?
May 23, 2024 at 22:18
Embassies have the power to make their own policy.
May 23, 2024 at 14:39
Hello Brit Simon!
I am living in a foreign country if in the ds260 form I choose an address in my country of citizenship in order for the interveiw to be held there. Is there any risk that I wauld be denied Visa?
Thank you for your time!
May 23, 2024 at 15:27
Not for that.
May 23, 2024 at 11:15
Please is annulment of marriage considered as unmarried or divorced?
May 23, 2024 at 15:17
Annulment of marriage is usually considered the same as divorce.
May 23, 2024 at 09:46
I regret filing the DS-260 this early. Now immigrant intent is gonna be on my ass and will kill any hope of me doing AOS to escape Trump.
May 23, 2024 at 09:49
why are you so sure he’s gonna win lol
May 23, 2024 at 09:55
That’s a dramatic take. Immigrant intent isn’t a problem for AOS, it’s a challenge (not a death blow, just a challenge) for non immigrant visas applications.
May 23, 2024 at 09:34
Hi Britsimon, My case number is 2024FT74— , I submitted my DS260 in May last year soon after I got married. I have a new born baby, is it possible to add her on DS260? If yes, how can I go about it?
May 23, 2024 at 09:43
https://britsimonsays.com/how-to-add-a-newborn-child-to-the-dv-case/
May 23, 2024 at 08:40
Hello Brit Simon!
Thanks for all your affort.
Could you please answer some questions
1 Regarding work section of ds260 I am currently working as a taxi driver but I don’t have any documents that proves I im actually working for this particular company. The company is simillar to UBER If I show in the ds 260 that I am a taxi driver currently. Will the officer at the interview require me any particular document that proves I was actually working as a taxi driver? Also in the past I worked as a mover, courier and so on. Again no document confirms that I worked as a mover, courier. Do I have to show these as well in the DS260?
2 Social media section I don’t actually use Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or any other platform. Is it ok If I leave this section empty?
3 Can I choose the country of my citizenship for the interview rather than where I am currently living?
Thank you very much for your time!
May 23, 2024 at 08:57
1. You are not usually required to prove you had the jobs you claimed to have had.
2. If that is true – then yes. But don’t lie.
3. You can choose that in the DS260 but they may ignore your choice and schedule you according to your address.
May 23, 2024 at 08:14
Hi, Brit. Am dv-2024 winner with case #72522 Monrovia.do you think the next visa bulletin will reach that?
My host whom I mentioned in my ds-260 form hasn’t been responding to me over 5 months or so, do you think having an alternative to send me an Affidavit of support will cause me a problem during the interview should I have the chance?
May 23, 2024 at 08:55
Might get current next VB – wait and see.
You can have an I-134 from someone who is not your host. But if your host is not responding, then you should probably change the US address you gave in the DS260 because that is where the GC will be sent. You can change that at the interview.
May 23, 2024 at 07:56
Hi Simon
Can I contact my embassy and ask them to ask KCC to send my application there asap ?
My embassy (Madrid) is not backlogged but I still haven’t received 2nl for July and I read it’s same for people from Italy and France and basically a lot of Europe, so I think there is a problem with KCC’s scheduling itself at least in Western Europe.
Thank you for your guidance
May 23, 2024 at 08:53
LOL.
You can email them, but I don’t think they will do what you say just because you asked them.
May 23, 2024 at 09:00
Any idea why they would have delays in Europe to send out 2NL?
Also, where do you guys get information on how many and how often 2NL get sent out? I’m so bad at reading all these charts 😫
May 23, 2024 at 09:03
They don’t tell me why there are delays.
https://dvcharts.xarthisius.xyz/ceacFY24.html
May 23, 2024 at 13:34
Yep. A lot of 2nls still missing in EU. Still waiting for ours. One week to go but I think they are trying to kill me 😁. My embassy always took the cases to the max number in every VB, in every year.
I hope that this month it will be no exception to that.
I send KCC an email today and got a reply that my number is current for interview proccessing ….soo lets see.
May 24, 2024 at 05:04
Haha why are you LOL ?
I thought you were advising people from backlogged embassies to contact a new embassy and ask them to contact KCC to transfer embassy on their behalf.
In my case I don’t need to change embassy, I just need KCC to forward my application so that should be less ”crazy” to do lol.
I emailed them. I’ll let you know if I have a response.
May 24, 2024 at 11:12
The LOL was at your suggestion to about asking the embassy to hurry KCC up. It doesn’t work that way, so I assumed you were kidding.
May 23, 2024 at 11:19
The same. I’m still waiting for 2NL, my case got current for July EU205xx, but still no 2NL. Meanwhile, a guy who has 2000 higher case number already got 2NL.
May 23, 2024 at 07:47
Hi brit , I hope you’r doing well.
2025AS89xx, from syria , I’m working on submitting the ds260 tmw , and I have some questions , it would be very helpful if you can help with them.
1_ is it ok if I changed the place of birth -in the ds260 to match the birth cert- from the one that I entered in oct2023 in the first application? knowing that I was born in a town and I would enter it as city!
2_ I don’t have someone in the US to get his address , so I will get a random motel address from the online and change it later at the time of the interview or on arrival to the us, would that be problem? and should I inform the motel that I intend to use the address for that purpose ?
3_due to the conflict in syria I lost my vaccination proof , and I am not sure if I took all the vaccines required , what should I say in the question in ds260? is it problem if I say yes and till the time of interview work on getting those vaccines or get my vaccines program cert ? am concerned if I said no and get denailed for that reason .
especially after COVID19 vaccine has been required and I haven’t take it yet.
4_ I have been Contributing in humanitarian work as volunteer with several INGO’s such as
UNICEF , FAO, OCHA and several local NGO’s , should I mention that in the section of work history Or the question ” have you been a part or contribute with any charitable organization” ?
4_ I am a 2ed year university student ,in the section of education, should I enter both my university and highs school information or just university would be enough? if both in which order should them be ( oldest to newest) or( newest to oldest) ?
May 23, 2024 at 08:51
1. Yes – match the birth cert.
2. I don’t like the plan, because if you forget to change it you will cost yourself a lot of money to replace the card. But it’s your choice.
3. Whether you answer yes or no makes no difference, and cannot cause denial, but clearly no is the better answer in your case.
4. Answer yes. You have to be truthful!
5. Everything from age 12. Newest to oldest
May 23, 2024 at 06:31
Hi BS?just received my 2NL on 14th May for July interviews, already booked for medical BUT when i try to book Embassy online the reply is the “case is not ready for appointment”!!what should i do or how long should i wait ??
May 23, 2024 at 08:47
You should be able to create an account on the site now. You do not need an appointment, you already have one, so choose the type of registration carefully so that the system does not try to offer an appointment.
May 23, 2024 at 10:15
The same problem with me,do we register or we continue and create an account?
May 23, 2024 at 10:35
You are only trying to create an account.
May 23, 2024 at 05:31
Hi Simon,
I came across your YouTube channel while searching for high case numbers in the GC draw. Thank you for your information on this.
I have now luckily won after the 2nd time in the GC 2025 draw.
Unfortunately, after researching and reading in, I was immediately disillusioned.
My case number is just around 2025EU00031xxx. How do you rate my chances of actually being invited to the consulate for an interview? Can I still hope to have a real chance?
And what do you mean by current case, like the years before? Were the interview dates already closed before September?
Thank you very much for your time and best regards from the north of Germany.
Daniel
May 23, 2024 at 08:31
I have answered you here several times and also tried to contact you via twitter. However, here is what I had previously answered.
“Right now we don’t have the selectee numbers for DV2025. Without that, it is impossible to say anything about your chances. We will know more in July/August.”
May 23, 2024 at 01:19
Hi Brit, thank you so much, this has all been so helpful! I was wondering if you could please tell me about whether they will be able to access all my address history? Do you know if it will look bad that I’ve moved every few years? The system crashed on me every day for a week and I emailed KCC and they just said the system was down, but when I entered less addresses (instead of every single address I’ve lived in), the addresses saved. So my question is. Should I add the extra addresses before I submit (i have 3 more left to add). Or leave it as is and print out the details of the remaining 3 addresses to take with me to the interview should they ask for them?
Also, I’m still working for an American company as a contractor since I last lived in the US in 2019. Will that be in my favor or not? I was on an O1 extraordinary ability visa. Will they look all that up before the interview and ask me questions about this at the interview?
Thanks so much for all your help 🙂
May 23, 2024 at 08:43
The addresses should be listed, and the number of addresses is not a problem.
The previous USA stay won’t be a problem or a help.
May 23, 2024 at 00:56
Hi Brit I just finished my interview few days ago i think I nailed the interview but I was asked to answer additional quiz and placed under 221g/administrave processing I am from Middle Eastern country so I can understand why but I wanted to know if I can I leave the country of the interview and request to receive my visa/drop of my passport in a different country if approved
May 23, 2024 at 08:41
Yes you can do that.
May 23, 2024 at 22:39
Brit they told me to sign up to us visa delivery (aramex) after which I had to bring the delivery info to the interview do I have to talk to the embassy or aramex or both
May 24, 2024 at 11:03
Well try the embassy first.
May 25, 2024 at 02:55
You had an interview already? I thought they didn’t start until October 1st? Was yours for the recent announcement in may 2024 or was yours for the prior year?
May 25, 2024 at 07:23
DV2024 is in progress right now.
May 23, 2024 at 00:52
Hi Brit,
This is an AOS related question that I was not helped with on the AOS form. If I enter the US and make the DV payment to the DOS in Missouri long before my CN is current then leave the US afterwards just to have the receipt ready in case in the future the circumstances allow to adjust status when the case is current. Not informing KCC of anything, not changing anything, still remaining with Consular Processing, would that negatively impact me somehow with proceeding with my case in the consulate or jeopardizing future entries?
I just want to make the payment so that if I’m able to adjust in the future, I won’t have to wait weeks for the fee to be processed. I don’t mind the possibility of losing out on the fees if I stick with CP. I understand that if AOS is to be pursued later, my case must still be with KCC and not sent to the consulate.
Summary: “Can I just enter the US, pay the fee, leave and forget about it so that if the day comes and I need to adjust, I’d have the receipt ready?”
May 23, 2024 at 01:41
What type of visa do you have? It seems like right now you have a non-immigrant visa like a tourist or business one. If that’s the case then the answer is a big NO. You cannot enter the country, pay the fees and than leave the US because whenever you reenter the country and apply for AOS, even if you wait 90 days or more to file for it, it will let USCIS know without a doubt that you had a plan to use your non-immigrant visa to adjust status when entering the country.
That is illegal and you will ruin your chances, so DON’T.
May 23, 2024 at 08:44
The fee being discussed is the DV fee – not the adjustment of status fee. So it doesn’t go to USCIS, and has no impact on immigrant intent.
May 23, 2024 at 11:15
Well then not only he doesn’t need to be in the US to pay this fee but also there is no point of paying the DV fee in advance for an AOS… I don’t think he realizes that after entering the US he will have to wait *at least* 3 months to file for AOS, which is more than enough time for the fee to process.
May 23, 2024 at 14:12
The 90 day rule does not apply to USCIS anymore and one can file for AOS as long as the CN is current. Early filing is a hit or miss with some FOs. Check the DV 2025 AOS Forums.
May 23, 2024 at 15:26
Whilst the 90 day rule does not technically apply, I tend to advise people to give “some” padding. The general advice is to leave some time to have a genuine change of mind, OR declare your intent upon entry. But of course, that advice gets less important toward the end of the year when process time is more valuable than “mind changing” time.
May 23, 2024 at 23:18
I agree on the padding part. The only saving grace for your intention changing in the eyes of USCIS is giving enough buffer for that to happen. Otherwise, it’s preconceived, just like mom would say.
May 23, 2024 at 23:26
Yeah I agree. The 90-day rule remains common sense to show change of mind cause the fact you are not to use a non-immigrant visa to enter the country for the purpose of immigration is still in the law.
You think that declaring this intent upon entry can work ? I was under the impression that it exposes to very high risk of denied entry since this not the legal purpose of entering on a non-immigrant visa.
May 24, 2024 at 11:04
I don’t personally recommend that approach (of declaring the intention), but some do. For me, waiting is better.
May 23, 2024 at 15:16
He realizes that. He is on Mom’s AOS thread.
May 23, 2024 at 08:41
You don’t have to be inside the USA to pay the fee, so the question doesn’t make sense. So you can pay the fee just to have the receipt, and that has nothing to do with whether you are inside the USA or not, or whether you do CP, re-enter the USA and so on.
May 23, 2024 at 09:36
Exactly. Awesome. I just want to pay the DV fee early on because this part takes weeks to process. I’d rather have the receipt ready in case I am able to adjust in the future and If I end up not adjusting, that’s fine.
1-Can I pay the fee by mail straight from Canada? I would imagine I need to put down a US address.
2-I wonder if I get the dv receipt but stick to consular processing, would the consulate still accept the paid dv fee receipt? (Don’t mind paying again)
3-What are your thoughts on the field office in Texas? They say it’s the worst for processing.
I found an article that confirms Muslim ban nationals won’t be affected by the muslim ban if they use their Canadian passports to enter the US so the only concern left is Trump shutting down the diversity visa applicants which is going to affect us all across the board.
If you’re curious: https://www.usentrywaiverlaw.ca/muslim-travel-ban.php
May 23, 2024 at 09:43
1. I answered that.
2. No
3. I don’t monitor those – Mom keeps a progress sheet so you can see how other cases behaved.
I was aware of the Muslim ban exceptions – but we can’t assume what the next one will do.
May 23, 2024 at 10:36
You’re right. Thanks a lot Brit.
May 22, 2024 at 21:18
Dear Brit:
Good Evening, I have one final question. We already filed my wife’s and my DS-260 but we are stuck in the final question before submitting my son DS-260. The last question is something like “Did anyone assisted you infilling this form?” My son is one year old so I think I should put “yes” and then put my name on it
Thanks in advance
May 22, 2024 at 21:00
Hi BritSimon.
My name is Ismael. I am from Somalia. I am one of the Dv2025 selectees and my case number range is AF19xxx. As you knew, there is no US Embassy in here to interview the selectees. I want to choose my interview in Djibouti Embassy. Now I am in Somalia and Ds260 form you must enter adress in there. So is there any problem to fill this adress while I am in Somalia? Thank you.
May 22, 2024 at 21:27
No problem.
May 22, 2024 at 20:18
Hi Simon
The AOS faq spreadsheet that you gave the link to, when they say that now KCC itself is backlogged and no longer schedules interviews for CP in the month it becomes current, are they referring to this year DV2024 ?
thank you
May 22, 2024 at 21:27
I don’t know, but that comment is accurate about some embassies, not all.
May 22, 2024 at 23:03
Do you know if Montreal has sent 2nls for all of their EU applicants that are current in July, or only part of them at this time ?
thanks again
May 23, 2024 at 08:37
They sent 2NLs right up to the recent VB numbers in the three large regions. That means their capacity was enough to mean there were no cases left unscheduled – no backlog.
May 23, 2024 at 11:06
Gosh, I’m starting to think I should’ve switched for Montreal. My embassy (Paris) has no backlog either but for now no 2nl… Do you think this is worrisome?
May 23, 2024 at 15:15
No. We haven’t seen the end of the month yet.
May 23, 2024 at 18:36
Thanks!
Does a 2nl sent in very late May necessarily mean an interview in very late July or there is not direct correlation between beginning/end of 2nl month and beginning/end of interview month ?
May 23, 2024 at 22:34
No correlation
May 22, 2024 at 17:40
Hi Brit, Sorry but I don´t know if I am reading well. Are they still interviewing people from DV2024? Because we are selectees for DV2025, so I am really confused here. Can you tell me if we are speaking the same year for interviews? Because reading all the comments it seems like we are one year behind, could this be possible? Thank you.
May 22, 2024 at 17:50
DV2024 interviews will continue until September 30, 2024. Then DV2025 interviews will start (for low case numbers) on October 1 2024 until September 30, 2025.
May 23, 2024 at 04:06
Hi so DV2025AF 51XXX, can yet fill the ds-260 forms later?
May 23, 2024 at 08:45
If you want, yes.
May 22, 2024 at 16:39
Hi Simon
I am currently still a dentistry student waiting for my final grades to graduate this semester, so not yet officially a dentist. I have 2 questions please.
1- Are you a graduate of a foreign medical school seeking to perform medical services……
What should I answer this? I am still not sure what I will be doing after graduating.
2-In which occupation do you intend to work in the U.S.?
should I put in the Medical Field or a Housewife because as mentioned earlier I still did not decide if I will be working, studying later on or just be a stay at home mom.
Thanks a lot.
May 22, 2024 at 16:47
1. Whether you answer yes or no won’t cause any problem – so yes is probably the most accurate answer
2. Well you can choose.
May 22, 2024 at 14:24
Hi I’m a student from Kazakhstan currnelty in NY with f1 visa, my case number is EU 19xxx, I want to know the process if I’m In the United States already, do I need to go back ?
May 22, 2024 at 16:29
When you give your case number always include the year as well. I will assume you are DV2025.
There are two methods to process your case – CP (consular processing) and AOS (adjustment of status).
AOS is for people who are in a legal non immigrant status in the USA – so you might be able to use that method assuming you will be in the USA next year.
https://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2025-aos-adjustment-of-status-process-only.348160/
There are pros and cons to each method – which is nicely detailed in the link below (linked from the first post in that thread)
May 22, 2024 at 12:05
Hello, I want to ask do I have a chance to get invitation for interwiew? My case number is 2024EU0039XXX
May 22, 2024 at 12:38
You still have a chance, but obviously quite a lot of risk. All you can do is wait and see.
May 22, 2024 at 12:00
Hello,
I am chosen for the DV 2025.
I visited the United States from June 29 to July 13, 2023 on a J1 visa for 2 weeks, and I am subject to Section 212E (2 year home residency) What should I do? Please advise.
May 22, 2024 at 12:37
I have answered you twice on this exact point. Here is my original answer again.
https://britsimonsays.com/basic-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-352723
May 22, 2024 at 08:01
Hello Brit Simon. I Will be greatful if you answer some questions.
1, I was born in a Village when filling the ds-260 you have to write place(city) of birth. Can I write the Name of the Village?
2, I don’t have acces the the email that I entered when filling the dv lottery back in october. How can I change it of I can write some other email address when filling the ds-260?
3, My Case number is 2025eu32xxx. Is there any chance that I would be interviewed? And also I am a citizen of Tajikistan but currently living abroad, can I choose the US embessy in Tajikistan in my ds-260?
Thank you Brit Simon in advance you are doing a fantastic job
May 22, 2024 at 09:43
1. Yes – although if that village is part of a larger area, then maybe choose that area.
2. Just enter an email address you can access.
3. Probably, but we will know more when we have the selectee numbers in July or August.
May 22, 2024 at 06:58
Hello Brit Simon
I am pretty sure I meet all the requirements but I have a little issue (I am current though have not received 2nl yet for Madrid). Four years ago I was a student in the US and I got caught shoplifting. The police did not arrest me but they gave me a citation and I was fined in court, but no jail time or anything. That is the first and only time I ever got in trouble with the justice system. Do you think this can be a reason for denial ?
Sylvia
May 22, 2024 at 09:22
No
May 22, 2024 at 05:19
Hi Simon,
Please help me understand. If I write my education level when I applied for a green card – Masters Degree. And if in the ds-260 form I will write University Degree, and at the interview I will try to explain that Specialist Degree(which i have) in Russia is something between Bachelor and Master in USA. It’s really true. Will this be a problem? Or is it better to write Masters Degree?
2. My case number is 10xx. I will be applying in Tbilisi. What can you say about the embassy in Tbilisi?
3. When should I send my ds form as the number is early? Thanks a lot!
May 22, 2024 at 09:22
1. Use your judgement and write the truth.
2. They have done OK in DV2024
3. Now
May 22, 2024 at 02:40
Hi Simon,
1-When should be the start date of my school certificate? 12 years ago of the date of issuance or 3 years (the high school years)? It was issued from UAE.
2- Jordanian from UAE embassy do I need I134?
Thanks
May 22, 2024 at 09:15
1. The start date would relate to the time period in the school, not the certificate.
2. I don’t know for sure. The wise thing is to prepare for that possibility.
May 22, 2024 at 01:06
Hello Brit,
What happens if want to have my interview in Kenya, Nairobi but i work and reside in Tanzania? Would filling DS260 with Tanzania been my current residence automatically allocate me Dar es salaam to be my interview location? My two derivatives resides in Nairobi.
May 22, 2024 at 09:07
Yes they will choose the embassy based on the current address of the principal applicant. So – to be interviewed in NRB – can you establish residence in Kenya?
May 21, 2024 at 23:42
Hi Brit,
Shouldn’t my 2NL be sent in November if my case goes current in January? IF Trump is elected and wants to impose another ban and my interview is in January (the month he is inaugurated), do you think he would have enough time to impose another ban, would he be able to do that immediately?
What are your thoughts on the NoBanAct? Would that help? I am very scared because it seems like if Trump wins, it’s game over for me, so much so I am running around trying to do AOS because I just cannot seem to relax.
May 22, 2024 at 06:36
well let’s hope he doesn’t get elected in the first place! To be honest I am thinking I would be reluctant to move to the USA if he is the president from 2025, the USA as we know it might no longer be there and it’s scary
May 22, 2024 at 07:12
Just my 2 cents, but honestly don’t be too scared of Trump (though he could indeed make temporary executive orders like a Muslim ban) when deciding to move to the US because people usually grossly exaggerate what he could do and the scope of the president’s power in the US.
First, the US has a lot a checks and balances in place and it is very difficult for a president to make big or long-lasting changes for that reason.
Second, there are so many *layers of powers and jurisdiction* in the US that (once you are in the country) your state legislators and your state Governor have WAY MORE impact on your everyday life that the president in Washington does.
May 22, 2024 at 09:06
I can’t say definitively what might happen if Trump gets back in.
May 21, 2024 at 23:15
Hi BritSimon
Isn’t this year very very weird in terms of how slowly they have been increasing the VB each month (much slower than any year since *at least* 2009) and they seem to be scheduling very few interviews and delaying 2NLs for all regions.
Doesn’t it seem like they’re trying to ”compensate” the over-issuance they did in 2022 and 2023, what do you think ?
May 21, 2024 at 23:21
Maybe. We have no way to know.
May 21, 2024 at 23:30
Alright, thank you!
Also in your experience, what month would you say it starts being ”extremely risky” to get 221g, July interviews or August interviews (or September) ?
Thanks you again Brit
May 21, 2024 at 23:39
Depends on the case. Iranians for instance are already seeing increased risk of 221g not completing in time.
May 21, 2024 at 22:35
Hi, dear Brit Simon. First of all thank you for helping people. I will be applying at the embassy in Tbilisi. I have such a question. I graduated as a specialist from the Moscow State Technical University MAMI (soon its name was changed to Moscow Polytechnic) (5 years of education) in Moscow. I have a diploma of specialist. In applying for a Green Card I indicated Masters degree, but soon realized that it was wrong. Could you please tell me how to enter my education level correctly in ds260? Thank you in advance!
May 21, 2024 at 23:21
I dont know your education system better than you know it.
May 22, 2024 at 09:57
You just use University degree. I’m Russian from DV24.
May 21, 2024 at 21:02
Hi Brit,
I was told one of the questions in the DV interview is: where are you initially going to stay in the US after arriving? They don’t accept the answer “on my own, “or “in a hotel”, or “a relative will rent an apartment for me”, as I won’t be having papers then, or bank account. Is that right? I have to stay with someone I know? What do you suggest to say if I don’t want to, or how does this thing go?
Thanks
May 21, 2024 at 22:00
That is not a reason for denial, as long as the answer you give is honest.
May 21, 2024 at 19:54
Hi Simon, Please please advise. You know that this is such a big opportunity for us that I don’t want to do something stupid and mess it up.
We are 2024 AF 66059 selectees. We hold South African Passports but applied while living in Canada with our Citizenship there.
In the meantime, my husband’s work organized a TN Visa for him and we have been living in Texas since June 2023.
We have found out about AOS and decided to go that way since our Case Number is so high… we can do Early Application on 1 July.
The weirdest things have happened today though…. We received an invite to an interview on 18 July in JOHANNESBURG!!! Which route is better to take at the moment ( which do you think has the bigger chance of securing our Green Card given the time line? I have sent our Payments for the DV Lottery Admin fee to KCC and was informed today that it was returned to sender? It was a Postal Money Order for $990 for the 3 of us. What is my next step? What am I doing wrong for it to be sent back? I also don’t understand how we ended up with an interview in Johannesburg when we asked for Montreal?
I am doing this without a lawyer due to funds and am freaking out…. What should my next step be?
Andrea
May 21, 2024 at 22:00
Well if you had wanted, you could have submitted your I-485 as soon as the VB was out (May 7th). That is the early filing policy. And if you had done that then your AOS case would have been quite advanced by July 18. However, if you stick with AOS and for some reason don’t file until July 1, then of course the JHB interview would be much faster, because with a bit of luck you would have the visas in hand by about July 25.
However, there are some downsides of consular processing in your situation.
1. You would need police certs (not needed for AOS)
2. You would have to book travel to SA, and you have to plan around 2 weeks minimum, 3 weeks to be safer. This is because you have to be there for the medicals and then wait for the passports to be returned.
3. If there is 221g for any reason it could be tricky to delay your return.
4. The fees you have already paid will be lost (you will pay again at the embassy) and the cost of three plane tickets.
So – AOS can be slower and more stressful (because the interview date is not set), but if I were you I would personally prefer AOS – and I would suggest you file immediately.
If you do go via AOS, make sure you are listening to “Mom” at the thread below.
https://forums.immigration.com/threads/dv-2024-aos-adjustment-of-status-process-only.346971/
May 22, 2024 at 01:29
Hi Britsimon,
How is this possible for DV AF66059 to receive interview invite whereas the case number is not current? Please explain.
May 22, 2024 at 09:09
2NLs are sent before the current month – so when the VB announced AF current up to 67500 for July, 2NLs could be sent up to 67500.
May 22, 2024 at 08:42
I clearly am missing something…. I have looked at all Mom’s writings, but I must be missing the whole early filing date thing then? I am working with her timeline and spreadsheet, but understood that I can only submit 1 July with early filing? Are you saying I can send it in now already (as soon as we get the Medicals back?) I am sorry for needing so much help… think stress makes me a complete idiot! Everything is prepared and ready to be sent off (apart from having to wait for the receipt from KCC and also the Medicals). When would you submit? I was so scared it would be too early and they would deny it?
May 22, 2024 at 09:05
If your case number is current for the month of July, why would July 1 be considered “early filing”??? That’s not early at all.
In your case, early filing means the period of time between the VB that “announced” your number as being current in July, and June 30th. July 1 is then not early at all.
Now again, YOU know yourself. If stress is going to be that much of an impact on you – then maybe Consular Processing would be better in your case – as long as the negatives I outlined are not a problem in your scenario.
May 21, 2024 at 19:09
Hi Britsimon. Its quite a delay for Oceania in terms of 2nl issuance this month. Could this signify a small or no jump in Visa bulleting next month?
May 21, 2024 at 21:48
It doesn’t really mean anything about the next VB.
May 21, 2024 at 17:26
Hi dear…
Hope you’re well,
Kindly, I would like to know if my residency in Damascus, Syria prevents me from obtaining a Diversity Immigrant Visa after I has been randomly selected or is this not a problem because the embassy interview will be in another country?
May 21, 2024 at 17:35
It’s not a problem. Yes you will interview elsewhere
May 21, 2024 at 17:49
thank you and warm regards
May 21, 2024 at 16:09
Hey man, could you tell me why I still haven’t been invited to the embassy for DV24 with #9xxx. I thought I had a good chance with my number.
May 21, 2024 at 16:41
Which embassy?
When did you submit the DS260?
May 22, 2024 at 11:16
May 12 2023, I chose the embassy in Warsaw, Poland
May 22, 2024 at 12:35
It is possible that KCC took a long time to check your DS260, and that kept you back from being scheduled. Obviously I can’t be certain – you could contact KCC and ask them if your DS260 is processed, and when you can expect to be scheduled.
May 22, 2024 at 14:05
They told me it has been processed. For this reason I have been wondering if maybe they rejected it and won’t schedule me since it has been so long. Their classic response is that cases are scheduled in a numerical order so that doesn’t help too much.
May 22, 2024 at 16:20
When did they tell you that?
Another email as a follow up couldn’t hurt, and we haven’t seen confirmed July interviews yet
May 22, 2024 at 17:34
May 15th was the first time they responded saying that it has been processed. I emailed again yesterday and got the same answer as 5/15, which is DS processed and interviews are scheduled in the order. Where do I check confirmed interviews?
May 22, 2024 at 17:52
OK, so you might get an interview in the next week, OR it could be next month.
https://dvcharts.xarthisius.xyz/ceacFY24.html
May 21, 2024 at 13:21
hello my name is kibundila rashidi i would like to ask i win my dvlottery 2017 but the did”nt call for interview until now can u please help me what to do
May 21, 2024 at 15:55
There is nothing you can do for a lottery win from 7 years ago!
May 21, 2024 at 12:07
Hello Mr. Simon. I have an interview in Nairobi in July. I have been informed that I need to provide I134 but my host and his friends are insisting that I dont need it. I have enough funds to cover the $10k per family.
1. Can I get someone else to complete the I134 if on my D260 my host name will be different
2. Can I change hosts at this point
3. With enough finances can I fill the form as a Beneficiary and not have someone fill Part 3 of the form
4. My host is in Texas and I heard your blog on not going to a “poor” state. Is Texas a good place with teenagers. Can I switch states?
With the interview in July I cannot risk having a 221g. Please advise.
May 21, 2024 at 15:53
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. It’s fine, and in some parts it is a great place to live. However, the state government is run by morons who think like people did 100 years ago. You can live wherever you want.
May 23, 2024 at 14:55
This reply made me laugh. 🤣
May 21, 2024 at 11:29
Hello, Simon, my wife is the winner of this year’s 2025 lottery. When filling out the DS we realized that there is an option to put the name in the native language and we put it as Hernándes is written with the accent, it does not appear in her passport. with the accent, however all the documents that we are going to present come with the accent, do you think that is a reason for disqualification in the interview and subsequent process?
May 21, 2024 at 11:45
No.