DV Lottery – Treat With Care!

Introduction

Hi everyone. Trodvies once again. I decided to write this post, having interacted with quite a few DV selectees who were in search of solutions to a number of problems. A careful review of the issues revealed to me that they all had a common root cause.

By means of this article, I intend to propose to future entrants a measure which will avoid them having similar problems others are currently facing, putting them one step ahead in their quest to obtain a Diversity Immigrant Visa. The measure I would like to speak about here is HONESTY.

A true life account

Consider this story. An acquaintance of mine entered and won the EDV Lottery. He went through all the necessary “formalities”, and eventually received his NL2. During his interview, all was going quite well until this happened.

Just when he felt that he was about to be asked by the visa counselor to hand over his passport (handing over one’s passport indicates that he/she has passed the interview, and will need to return on another day to pick it up with visa in it), an embassy staff rushed in repeating the words, “wait a minute!” She was carrying a folder which she handed over to the visa counselor who opened it, while the lady continued. This time, addressing my acquaintance.

“You’re married, with kids. You should enter (the Lottery) with your family.” The once peaceful atmosphere give way to commotion. Argument ensued between my acquaintance and the lady who had interrupted the interview. She had been using social media to do background checks on interviewees of the day when she discovered photos of my acquaintance along with his wife and children. Whereas he had entered the Lottery as unmarried and without children.

Why the story

So many people take the DV Lottery for granted because it is a lottery. Like my acquaintance, some are married, but decide to “give it a try” as unmarried. Others are unmarried, but carelessly enter with just anyone as their spouse, using as “justification”, that the person may be lucky, and that they want to “ride on” his/her luck. Some even tend to use their selection as a means to conduct “business”.

That is not what the Lottery is meant for. It is rather meant to allow you immigrate to the USA “intact”, i.e. in your actual civil status. With your entire family, if you do have a family. Alone, if you are indeed single. And with children, if they actually exist.

The Reality

Unfortunately, I have dealt with selectees who are quite fearful of their visa interview simply because they can’t imagine how they would prove information they provided when registering for the Lottery. That’s the Number 1 cause of anxiety among prospective Diversity Immigrant Visa interviewees. It is true that there are many who are anxious simply because they have to sit the interview (people are just naturally anxious about interviews), but a lot more are anxious or possible afraid that hidden information concerning them would be exposed.

How do you provide a certificate of marriage when in fact you are not married? Or present a certificate of divorce when you had never been married, and are actually not divorced? Or acquire any other legal / administrative / civil document for that matter, after you have claimed a certain status which does not represent your reality? Only they themselves can answer the above questions.

And this constitutes an undeniable source of anxiety. Doesn’t it?

My Take on the Issue

Instead of creating problems where there should naturally be none, simply do the right thing. Take the DV Lottery seriously. It is more than just a lottery. When registering, be honest with yourself. Provide information that fully represents you; i.e. use your actual information. In so doing, you would have no headaches when it comes to gathering your documents, or sending copies of them to KCC, since in fact they would already be in your possession. You wouldn’t have to bother about any piece of information being misleading.

And at your visa interview, you may just have a casual conversation with the counselor and be asked to return to pick up your visa. This was the case of a number of my acquaintances at their visa interview. They just had a chat with the counselor, about their everyday life, their ambitions upon arriving in the U.S. or something similar.

One account even had it that the counselor told the applicant (both of them females) that she liked the suit worn by the latter, and asked her whether she could get one for her from in town. Once the interviewee consented, the counselor asked her for the price and handed her the amount the suit would cost. And that was it. End of interview! Outcome: successful. Length of time it took: less than two minutes.

Just another hint to the wise…