How to Get a U.S Green Card

In this guide, we will learn the answers to some civics test questions. The civics test is an oral test which USCIS Officer will ask the applicant seeking for U.S citizenship or naturalization.

The USCIS officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test.

On the naturalization test, some answers may change because of elections or appointments. As you study for the test, make sure that you know the most current answers to these questions.

Once you attend your naturalization interview, the USCIS officer will ask you up to ten civics questions in random order. In other to pass the interview, you need to give correct answers to the questions.

The naturalization interview and test are critical steps in the naturalization process. Depending on the USCIS office that you’re in, you might take the test at an information desk in the waiting room. The most important thing for you to remember is to be prepared for your interview and test.

The purpose of the guide is to help applicants for naturalization prepare for the naturalization interview and test. This guide pertains to most applicants who are eligible for naturalization, but not pertain to all applicants.

The administration of the interview and test may also vary depending on the circumstances. The physical interview and test settings may vary based on each field office’s use of the space and processes.

This guide is only an example of what an applicant may experience at an actual naturalization interview. The questions in the guide are just sample questions and may or may not be asked in your interview. Any tests in this guide are just samples and may or may not be given at your interview.

Difference Between Naturalization and Citizenship Certificate

A U.S. Certificate of Citizenship is granted to a person who acquires or derives citizenship from his or her birth to U.S. parents.  A naturalization certificate, on the other hand, is granted to a person who becomes a citizen through the naturalization process.

Naturalization is the process to become a U.S. citizen if you were born outside of the United States.

Civics Test Questions and Answers (Naturalization Interview and Test)

Below are civics (history and government) questions and answers for the naturalization test:

Question: In what month do we vote for President of the United States?

Answer: November.

Question: Who is the father of our country?

Answer: George Washington.

Question: When was the Constitution written?

Answer: September 17, 1787

Question: Who signs bills to become laws?

Answer: The President.

Question: What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

Answer: The Bill of Rights.

Question: What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Answer:

▪ Checks and balances

▪ Separation of powers

Question: Who is in charge of the executive branch?

Answer: The President

Question: Who makes federal laws?

Answer:

▪ Congress

▪ Senate and House (of Representatives)

▪ (U.S. or national) legislature

Question: What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*

Answer: The Senate and House (of Representatives)

Question: How many U.S. Senators are there?

Answer: One hundred (100)

Question: How many members do we have in the House of Representatives?

Answer: The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population.

Question: Name the writers of the Federalist Papers.

Answer: The Federalist, commonly referred to as the Federalist Papers, is a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788.

Question: What is freedom of religion?

Answer: You can practice any religion or not practice a religion.

Question: How many amendments does the Constitution have?

Answer: Twenty Seven (27)

Question: What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

Answer:

▪ Life

▪ Liberty

▪ Pursuit of happiness

Question: What is the economic system in the United States?

Answer:

▪ Capitalist economy

▪ Market economy

Question: What are the two major political parties in the United States?

Answer: Democratic and Republican.

Question: What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?

Answer: Terrorists attacked the United States.

Question: What is the name of the national anthem?

Answer: The Star Spangled Banner.

Question: When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

Answer: April 15.

Question: Before he was president, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

Answer: World War II.

Question: What ocean is on the west coast of the United States?

Answer: Pacific Ocean.

Question: Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Answer:

▪ because there were 13 original colonies

▪ because the stripes represent the original colonies

Question: Why does the flag have 50 stars?

Answer:

▪ because there is one star for each state

▪ because each star represents a state

▪ because there are 50 states

Question: When do we celebrate Independence Day?

Answer: July 4

Question: We elect a President for how many years?

Answer: Four (4)

Question: In what month do we vote for President?

Answer: November

Checkout more of the questions and answers later…..

Note: The American Civics Test (also known as the American Citizenship Test, U.S. Civics Test, U.S Citizenship Test, and U.S. Naturalization Test) is an oral examination that all immigrants must pass to gain United States citizenship.

Disclaimer: This educational guide is for informational purposes only. The use of information contained in this article does not constitute any legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

There are several benefits of getting U.S citizenship. In this guide, we are going to learn some of the benefits of becoming a U.S citizen. Also, if you currently have your Green card and you’re considering getting U.S citizenship, this guide could also be of help to you, so make sure you read from beginning to end.

This guide will focus mainly on some of the benefits of becoming a U.S citizen.

Many people are confused about what it actually means to be a U.S citizen versus a lawful permanent resident. I hope this guide can clear some of these differences up.

Benefits of becoming a U.S citizen

Below are some of the benefits of becoming a citizen vs Permanent Resident(Green Card holder)

• U.S citizen can vote in U.S elections

A lawful permanent resident, a Green card holder, cannot vote in U.S elections. So that’s one of the benefits of becoming a U.S citizen.

• Respect to the types of family members that you can sponsor for their Green card

As a lawful permanent resident, there are certain categories of people that you can sponsor for their Green Card, such as your spouse and your children, if certain conditions are met.

On the other hand, a U.S citizen has additional classifications of people that they can sponsor for their Green card.

For example, a U.S citizen can sponsor their siblings for their Green card, if certain conditions are met, or your parents, if certain conditions are met.

• The security of your status as a U.S citizen in the United States

As a lawful permanent resident, there are multiple different ways that you could lose your lawful permanent resident status. For example, if you’re convicted of certain crimes, or if you spend too much time outside of the United States, you could potentially lose your status as a U.S lawful permanent resident.

However, once you become a U.S citizen, once you get your U.S citizenship, it’s much harder to lose your citizenship.

There are certain ways for somebody to lose their citizenship, and it’s called denaturalization.

But again, it’s much harder to lose your citizenship once you become a U.S citizen.

• Fees and expenses

When you get your Green card, when you become a lawful permanent resident, your Green card is typically valid for a period of ten (10) years. Every ten years, you have to renew your Green card, and this requires that you file an application with USCIS, and the filing fees for that application are pretty expensive. USCIS filing fees routinely increase. You can check USCIS official webpage for more information on that.

As a lawful permanent resident, you periodically have to apply to renew your Green card. However, once you become a U.S Citizen, you do not have to apply to renew your citizenship, the way you would have to if you were a lawful permanent resident.

Permanent residency or citizenship, which is more beneficial?

Many foreign nationals wonder whether becoming a permanent U.S. resident or a U.S. citizen is a better option. Applying for a Green Card does allow you to legally reside in the United States and provides you with access to certain benefits. Becoming a permanent resident can also be a lengthy process.

Furthermore, if residency is granted, you will still be considered a citizen of your home country and your residency could be affected if you travel outside of the United States for a period a year or more.

U.S. citizenship will grant you access to more rights and privileges; your residency cannot be revoked, you cannot be deported, you can vote and run for political office, and you can receive all federal benefits, etc.

However, applying and being approved for U.S. citizenship can be a lengthy, difficult process.

In Summary

Below are four benefits of becoming a US. Citizen

• U.S Citizen can vote in U.S Elections
• U.S Citizen can sponsor additional family members for their green card, including siblings in some cases and parents in some cases, while a lawful permanent resident would not be able to sponsor those classifications of family members.
• U.S Citizen doesn’t have to go through the tedious and costly process of renewing their green card or renewing their citizenship the way that a lawful permanent resident has to.
• U.S Citizens status in the United States is more secure than that of a lawful permanent resident, and how lawful permanent residents can lose their status through committing various crimes or spending too much time outside of the United States, while it’s much harder for u a citizen to lose their citizenship.

If you are a foreign national and you would like to reside in the United States for a prolonged period of time, becoming a citizen or a permanent resident ensures that you can legally reside in the country indefinitely.

Hope you learned a lot from this guide. Thank you so much for reading this guide.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. The information presented in this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship nor is it a solicitation to offer legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact me personally or contact another attorney. You should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action. Nothing herein is intended to nor constitutes a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

Recently, USCIS announced some plans that it has to improve processing times for immigration applications and to reduce the major backlogs that they currently have.

This guide will talk about some updates that USCIS recently announced about its efforts and its plans to improve processing times.

On March 29, USCIS put out a news release in terms of what steps it plans on taking to help reduce processing times. The first thing that USCIS mentioned is that it’s going to attempt to improve its cycle times.

Basically, USCIS has this internal metric, this internal figure that they track that they refer to as a cycle time, which is essentially their way of identifying how long they expect the case to take.

The way that USCIS explained how it plans to reduce its cycle times is that they’re going to create new goals for what they want their new cycle times to be. They’re going to attempt to achieve those goals by increasing staffing, improving their technology, and in general, just increasing their overall capacity. With these changes, they expect to reduce their overall processing times.

Basically, what we’re looking at here is specific forms and what they want their goals to be for the overall processing time of these forms. For example, the form I-129, they’re projecting their goal to be two weeks with premium processing.

Form I-140

Form I-140, it’s another immigrant petition with premium processing. They’re also expecting it to be at around two weeks.

The Form I-129

For the non-premium, I-129, currently for many application types, under the current processing times, it could take anywhere from six months to eight months, or maybe even more.

But under this new goal that they’re setting for themselves, they are planning to get these I-129 processed without premium processing in two months.

Again, on three month category, we have the form I-765, which is the Application for Employment Authorization.

The Form I-131

There is form I-131, which is the form that somebody would use to apply for advanced parole, and other forms which they are planning their goal is to get these processed within three months. Before now, those forms are on six months plus period.

The N-400

The N-400, this is the Application for Naturalization. This is the application that somebody uses to apply for citizenship. These cases take nine to twelve or more months for these to get processed but USCIS is planning to get these processed within six months.

The Form I-485

The form I-485, which is the adjustment of status. This can take nine to twelve to 14 or more months. USCIS plans to get these processed within six months. And there’s more really impressive goals as well.

The form I-526

The form I-526 is the immigrant petition for somebody that’s planning on applying for an EB-5 investor visa. The form I-526 right now can take 18 or more months to process. It’s one of those forms that just takes a tremendously long time to process.

USCIS has set a goal to get these processed within six months. If that can actually happen, it would be a tremendous improvement from the current processing time.

If USCIS can actually leverage technology, increase its workforce, and increase its overall capacity to achieve these goals, it would be a tremendous benefit for people that are planning on applying for immigration benefits.

Above are just one of the sections of this news release that USCIS put out.

In addition to that, in addition to its overall plan of improving its Processing Times by tweaking its Internal Cycle Time Goals, in its latest news release, USCIS announced that it plans to expand the premium processing service.

Premium processing is an optional additional service that somebody can select to do, and it’s only available for certain cases.

What USCIS is announcing is that they plan to expand the types of cases that are eligible for premium processing. So basically, if there are more types of cases that are available and eligible for premium processing, it means that more people can take advantage of this service to get their cases processed in 15 days.

So among the various case types that USCIS plans to make eligible for premium processing are the EB-1C immigrant petition, which is a green card option for multinational managers and executives.

Basically, it’s a certain case type where somebody that’s working as a manager or an executive for a foreign company can transfer to a related company in the US, and also work as either a manager or executive.

In addition, USCIS plans to eventually make the EB-2 national Interest Waiver eligible for premium processing. The national interest waiver is a special green card option for somebody that’s going to be doing some sort of work in the United States that’s in the national interest, for example, like a cancer researcher or a doctor or some other type of professional that’s going to be doing something in the United States that’s in the national interest.

Again, the goal is that by making more case types eligible for premium processing, more people can get their cases processed faster.

Another point that was mentioned by USCIS in this news release is that it plans to make employment authorization documents more available to immigrants that are applying for them.

For example, they are working to extend the validity period of certain types of employment authorization documents, also known as EADs. They plan to improve overall processing times for Employment Authorization applications, along with other steps as well.

In Summary

USCIS has announced a multi-step kind of plan or a multi-pronged plan for improving processing times for immigration cases, for reducing overall backlogs, and in general, making immigration cases move faster.

The three items that were mentioned were that USCIS plans to improve its cycle time goals, and with that, eventually get to a point where actual processing times are improved by increasing staffing, better utilization of technology, and overall increasing the capacity that USCIS has.

In addition, USCIS is planning on expanding the types of cases that are eligible for premium processing, and USCIS plans to improve access to employment authorization documents.

I hopefully you found this information very helpful.

DISCLAIMER: This guide/article and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide/article should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. The information presented in this guide/article does not create an attorney-client relationship nor is it a solicitation to offer legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact an attorney. You should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

In this guide, we will learn some red flags that an immigration officer may notice if you’re applying for a marriage-based green card. If you’re planning on applying for a marriage based green card, this is definitely an article that you want to read.

U.S Marriage-Based Green Card

So as a quick background, you should know that somebody can apply for their green card based on being married to a U.S citizen or a lawful permanent resident, a green card holder.

One of the most important parts of this process and one of the most important requirements, is that the couple needs to show that they’re in a bona fide marriage. This means that at the time the couple got married, they truly intended to build a life with one another.

So with that quick overview, let go over some red flags, i.e some things, some factors that, if present, could cause an immigration officer to raise their eyebrows and to question the case and to maybe look a little bit deeper into the case.

It is important to note that if there is a red flag with your case, it doesn’t mean that your case is going to be denied. It just means that you should be aware that this is a red flag and you should be prepared to file a strong case with strong documentation, making it very clear that you and your spouse are truly in a bona fide marriage.

Meaning that you and your spouse truly intended to build a life with one another when you got married.

Red Flags When Applying For a Marriage-Based Green Card

Below are the red flags when applying for a U.S Marriage-Based Green Card:

1. If you and your spouse have a major age difference.

For example: if you and your spouse have a 20 or more year age gap, you should be prepared to make it clear to the immigration officer that you are truly in a bona fide marriage.

Because the age gap could be a red flag that causes the immigration officer to just be curious about the case, a little bit more.

2. Not living together.

If you and your spouse do not live together, it’s a red flag. You should be prepared to explain why you don’t live together.

You should be prepared to explain that even though you and your spouse don’t live together, you’re still in a bona fide marriage.

3. If you and your spouse do not share a common language.

Think about it like this, from the standpoint of an immigration officer, if you and your spouse do not have a language that you both speak in common, the immigration officer is going to wonder, how do they communicate? If they have a hard time communicating, how could they be in a bona fide marriage?

So you should be prepared to explain this if you and your spouse do not share a common language.

4. If you and your spouse do not have strong documentation evidencing a shared life together.

As mentioned earlier in this guide, we talked about how one of the most important requirements for getting a marriage based green card is being able to demonstrate that you and your spouse are in a bona fide marriage, meaning that you and your spouse intended to build a life together when you both got married.

One of the ways that we demonstrate that you and your spouse have a bona fide marriage is through the documentation that we provide in your case.

The documentation is commonly referred to as joint documents. Some examples of joint documents are;

• evidence of a shared bank account,
• evidence of photographs together showing that you and your spouse traveled the world together maybe, or you and your spouse took vacations together, or photographs of you and your spouse spending time with each other’s family.

Other evidence of joint documents include utility bills with both of your names on them, perhaps an organization membership card with both of your names on it, a cell phone bill with both of your names on it.

Other examples are perhaps a lease with both of your names on it, or a deed to property with both of your names on it. These are all examples of joint documentation.

When an immigration officer sees these joint documents, it’s further proof that you and your spouse are in a bona fide marriage. So a red flag is if you do not have this type of documentation.

As mentioned above, it’s very important when applying for a marriage based green card to have strong documentation of sharing a life with one another, like a joint bank account.

Not to go too much on a tangent, but if you and your spouse do have a joint bank account with one another, you should actually use that bank account. It shouldn’t just be a bank account that isn’t used. It should be a bank account that you use to pay bills with and you deposit money into that account.

5. Having a weird immigration history.

For example, the situation where somebody gets their green card because their spouse that was either a U.S Citizen or a local permanent resident petitioned for them, and then once they got their green card, they divorced their spouse and then they married somebody else and petitioned for their green card.

If somebody gets married and their spouse applies for their green card, so they get their green card, and very shortly after they get their green card, they divorce their spouse and then get married to somebody else and petition for that new spouse’s green card. This scenario is a red flag.

Again, just to repeat, somebody gets petitioned to get their green card, and shortly after they get their green card, they divorce their spouse that petitioned for them, and they get remarried to somebody else and petition for that new spouse’s green card. That’s a red flag that somebody should be prepared to explain.

6. The situation where somebody gets their green card because their spouse that was either a U.S Citizen or a local permanent resident petitioned for them, and then once they got their green card, they divorced their spouse and then they married somebody else and petitioned for their green card.

Again, just to repeat, for example, is if somebody petitions for their spouse and their spouse gets a green card, then they divorce that spouse, and then they get remarried to somebody else and petition for that second spouse’s green card.

So it’s similar to example number five, but a little bit different. That can also be a red flag that the couple should be prepared to explain.

In summary

So as a quick overview, we went over six red flags when applying for a U.S Marriage-Based Green Card.

• Red flag number one was a major age difference.
• Red flag number two was if you and your spouse do not live together.
• Red flag number three is if you don’t share a common language with one another.
• Red flag number four is if you do not have strong documentation showing a shared life with one another.
• Red flag number five was the situation where somebody gets their green card because their spouse that was either a U.S Citizen or a local permanent resident petitioned for them, and then once they got their green card, they divorced their spouse and then they married somebody else and petitioned for their green card.
• Red flag number six was the situation where somebody petitions for their spouse to get a green card and then divorces that spouse and then petitions, gets remarried and then petitions for somebody else’s green card.

So there you have it, six red flags when applying for a U.S Marriage-Based Green Card.

Again, if these scenarios apply to you, don’t think automatically that your case is not going to get approved. Just know that these are just things that are going to make an immigration officer look a little bit closer into your case, and you want to be prepared to explain these situations.

I hope you found this guide extremely helpful. If you know anybody that could benefit from this information, definitely make sure to share this guide with them.

Thank you so much for reading into this guide.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. The information presented in this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship nor is it a solicitation to offer legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact an attorney.

In guide, you will learn five Tips on How To Get Your B1/B2 Visa Approved.

Benefit of the B1/B2 Visa

The B1/B2 Visa is also known as a Visitor Visa, and it can allow you to either enter to Conduct Various Business Activities or To Act as a Tourist in U.S.

Another benefit of the B1/B2 Visa is that it can oftentimes allow you to stay in the United States for Up To Six Months at a Time.

5 Tips to Help You Get Your B1/B2 Visa Approved

Let now look at the five Tips on How to Have Success with Your B1/B2 Visa Application.

• TIP 1: Make Sure That You Have Very Strong Ties To Your Home Country.

For example: When you go in for your B1/B2 Visa Interview, the Immigration Officer is required to presume that you are an Intending Immigrant. What that means is that they are required to initially believe that you are planning to go to The United States and to stay there permanently.

It is your duty to show them that You Do Plan to Return To Your Home Country. The way that you can show that you Plan to Return to Your Home Country is by showing that you Have Strong Ties To Your Home Country.

Some Examples of Strong Ties to Your Home Country include;

• showing that You Have A Home Or An Apartment In Your Home Country,
• showing that You Have A Business In Your Home Country or A Job In Your Home Country,
• showing that You Pay Taxes In Your Home Country,
• that you have Family In Your Home Country,
• that you have a Bank Account in Your Home Country.

All of these different things can help to show that you have strong Ties to Your Home Country. When an Immigration Officer sees that, they’re more likely to believe that you do Truly Believe to Return To Your Home Country and that you’re Not Planning On Staying In The United States Permanently.

• TIP 2: Make Sure That You Have Enough Money In Your Bank Account to Cover The Expenses Of Your Trip

When you’re in the United States on a B1/B2 Visa, you are not allowed to Work. So when you go in for your B1/B2 Visa interview, the Officer is going to want to make sure that you have Enough Money to Cover the Expenses of your Trip.

Otherwise, they’re going to think that you’re going to the United States to Unlawfully Work. So make sure to have Documentation showing that you have Enough Money in your Bank Account to Cover the Expenses of your Trip.

If your trip expenses are going to be very Minimal because. For Example, you’re going to be staying with a Friend or Family Member, then be sure to have Documentation to prove that.

• Tip 3: Make sure to have documentation to prove the reason that you’re coming to the United States.

For example, if you’re coming to the United States to visit Disneyland, it would be great to have an itinerary for what you’re planning on doing in the United States.

Perhaps having tickets purchased for Disneyland or having a hotel booked in Orlando, similar such documents.

If you’re planning on coming to the United States to attend a business conference, you should have an invitation for that conference or tickets booked for that conference.

Those documents are going to be very helpful to prove that the reason that you’re coming to the United States is in fact, to do that activity that you’re letting them know that you plan to do.

• Tip 4: Be prepared to explain your relationships with people in the United States

During your B1/B2 visa interview, they’re going to ask you whether you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend in the United States or whether you have a parent or a sibling or a child that could potentially sponsor you for a green card.

The reason that they’re asking you this question is to determine whether you’re coming to the United States and then that you plan to stay in the United States and have them petition, for you to have a green card.

So it’s up to you to be able to explain to them that although you’re entering the United States and that you have a relationship with somebody that could potentially sponsor you that is not your plan.

Just tell them you’re just planning on coming for that conference or for that tourism purpose, and that you’re going to be leaving after that initial purpose of your trip is accomplished.

• Tip 5: Be very careful about the information and the content that’s on your phone.

Immigration officers, particularly Customs and Border Protection, may check your phones to search for potentially problematic information. Make sure that you have nothing on your phone that could potentially be misconstrued by an immigration officer to think that you’re planning on coming to the United States for some type of an impermissible purpose.

So make sure that your phone doesn’t have any sort of problematic information that could potentially be misconstrued by an immigration officer.

Those are 5 tips to help you have a successful outcome on your B1/B2 visa.

I hope you found this guide extremely helpful. If you know anybody that could benefit from this information, definitely make sure to share this guide with them.

Thank you so much for reading into this guide(How to get your B1/B2 visa approved).

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. The information presented in this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship nor is it a solicitation to offer legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact an attorney.

How To Retrieve Lost DV Lottery Confirmation Number: Losing your Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery confirmation number can be stressful, but there are steps you can take to retrieve it. Here’s a guide on how to retrieve your lost DV Lottery confirmation number, in case you lost or misplaced it because you can’t access the entrance status check portal without your confirmation number.

Diversity Visa Lottery program

The Diversity Visa Lottery program has been present for years. The program aims at assisting individuals from different countries with accomplishing inhabitant visas for the United States of America. The Diversity Visa lottery is also called the Green Card Lottery.

To get a green card lottery (also known as DV Lottery), you must meet up the necessities set forward by the organization and apply for the lottery without any problem. The way to apply incorporates the process of filling the online form, presenting the essential records, and a passport size photo. When you apply and satisfy the requirements, you will be selected for the Diversity Visa lottery, without any problem.

If you submitted the entry for DV-2025 Lottery, the entrance status is now open. The U.S. Department of State Electronic Diversity Visa Entrant Status Check for DV-2025 applicants is available. See How to Check DV-2025 Lottery Results: A Step-by-Step Guide.

In order for you to check if you are selected for Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery, you need to have confirmation number. After you successfully registered for the Diversity Visa Lottery, you are expected to keep your confirmation number safe, because this is the only way you will be able to check if you’re selected or not.

How To Retrieve Lost DV Lottery Confirmation Number

What if I lost my DV confirmation number, what will i do to retrieve it back? Losing your DV Lottery confirmation number can be inconvenient, if you lost or misplaced your confirmation number, you need not to panic, because by following these steps below, you can retrieve it and continue with the DV Lottery results checking process.

STEP 1: Login to the U.S. Department of State Electronic Diversity Visa official website

STEP 2: Click on “Check Status.”

STEP 3: Click “Continue”

STEP 4: Click “Forgot Confirmation Number.”

STEP 5: Choose “YEAR” which is going to be 2025.

After clicking the Year button, you’re going to simply provide this information:

• Your Last name
• Your first name
• Your middle name
• Date of birth (month, day, and year) date of birth
• Email address.

STEP 6: After you are done filling up the boxes with the right details, click “Submit”.

If the information matches their records, the system will display your confirmation number. To avoid losing your confirmation number in the future, write it down and keep it in a safe place. Consider storing a digital copy in a secure location, such as a password-protected document or a secure notes app.

Note: It very important you use the email address that you used when submitted your DV application, when you registered/applied for DV lottery program. Don’t use different email address because the system will not recognize it. Make sure you use the same email address that you have used for Electronic Diversity Visa entry form and then simply type put the authentication code that will appear, and this is how you’re going to receive the confirmation number to your email.

LATEST UPDATE: How to Check DV-2025 Lottery Results: A Step-by-Step Guide

The U.S. Department of State Electronic Diversity Visa Entrant Status Check for DV-2025 applicants is available until September 30, 2025. The Entrant Status Check for DV-2024 applicants will remain open until September 30, 2024. Be sure to have the Entrant’s Confirmation Number, Last/Family Name, and Year of Birth to check the entrant status online.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. This is not the U.S. Department of State Electronic Diversity Visa official website. Please ignore any sites, organization or anyone asking or demanding any form of payment from you, for jobs or visa preparations.

Are you an F1 visa student who has applied for the OPT EAD? In this guide, you will learn what to expect after mailing your OPT EAD application to USCIS, what to do after applying for your OPT EAD and how long to get USCIS receipt notice.

If you have successfully submitted your OPT application to USCIS, as discussed in this guide (How To Apply For OPT EAD), you might be wondering what are the next steps to follow after submitting your OPT. In this guide, you will learn what you can do and what to expect after you’ve applied for your OPT.

Note: After applying for OPT, you are not allowed to start working until you have received our EAD card and the “valid from” date on your EAD card has been reached.

What to do After Applying for OPT EAD with USCIS

1. Tracking Delivery of OPT EAD Application

The very first thing to do is to track the delivery status of your OPT application. If you’ve mailed your OPT application, you should have requested the tracking number from your career service provider.

With this tracking number, you should be able to track the confirmation of delivery of your OPT application to USCIS.

If you experience any delays with the delivery of your OPT application, you should quickly contact the customer service rep of your career service provider or USPS.

Once you’ve confirmed the delivery of your OPT application on your current service provider’s website, keep a copy of this delivery confirmation for your records.

If you’ve paid for the OPT application fee using your personal check, keep an eye out on your bank account records just to see if USCIS has processed your OPT application fee.

2. Await Receipt of Form I-797C

Once you’ve confirmed the delivery of your OPT application, the next step is to await the receipt of a form called the Form I-797C Notice of Action. This form will be sent by USCIS.

Typically, you can expect to receive this Form I 797 C in about four weeks, and in some cases it might take slightly longer than four weeks.

But nevertheless, you should not panic if you have not received your Form I-797C after four weeks of the confirmation of delivery of your OPT application.

Usually, if you’ve paid for your opt application fee using a personal check, you can tell that USCIS has pre-processed your OPT application. If your bank account records can show that your OPT application fee has been cashed by USCIS.

On the top left corner of Form I-797-C, you would find your receipt number and with this receipt number, you can track the status of your case on the USCIS case tracking website. Read this guide (4 BEST Ways to Track/Check Your USCIS Case Status Online) to know the full detail about the four best ways of tracking your case status with USCIS.

3. Await Notice of Approval and EAD Card

If you’re successful with your opt application on the Case Status tracking website, your case status will indicate that your OPT has been approved.

Next, USCIS will mail you a Form I 797 Notice of Approval, followed by your Employment Authorization Document card. This Form I 797 Notice of Approval, will arrive in the mail before you receive your EAD card.

Responding to a USCIS RFE

In the unfortunate circumstance that your OPT application requires more investigation by USCIS, USCIS will send you a letter called a Request for Evidence (RFE). On this Request for Evidence, USCIS will explicitly define what documents you need to provide in order for your case to be adjudicated.

If you received a request for evidence from USCIS, make sure to contact your school’s international office as soon as possible, to proceed with next steps.

It is very important that when you respond to an RFE, make sure to submit all the requested documents by USCIS in a single mail.

4. Submitting Copies of EAD Card to your DSO

Finally, once you’ve received your ID card in the mail, make sure that information listed on the EAD Card is correct. And once that’s correct, make a copy of the front and back of the ID card and send that to your school’s international office.

You should also note that you’re not allowed to start working on OPT until the start date listed on your ID card is “Current”. Failing to do so will result in you violating your OPT status and your OPT could be terminated.

Those are what to do After Applying for OPT EAD with USCIS.

Frequent Questions About OPT EAD and Answers

Question: After getting your EAD and signing a job contract, who do you send your offer letter to?

Answer: For the OPT, you are only required to report your employment to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Usually, there is no obligation here to show your offer letter for confirmation. You simply state the employer name, address, job role, and pay for your employment.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

In this informative guide, you’re going to learn step by step everything you need to know to have a successful USCIS biometrics appointment in 2022. You will also get some really helpful tips for your biometrics appointment that no one talks about. Getting to the USCIS biometrics appointment is an important stage in your immigration journey.

If you’ve applied for an immigration benefit to USCIS, such as an application for a green card or an application for a change of status, you might be required to provide your biometric information as part of your application process.

This educative guide will teach you everything that you can expect at your USCS biometrics appointment, and also some tips that can help you have a good experience at the USCIS Application Support Center, where your biometrics are going to be collected.

What is USCIS biometrics appointment?

Some people worry about what is involved, especially when they hear the word “Biometrics”. You should not scared about the word “Biometrics”.

All this means is that during your appointment, you will be asked to provide information that would be used to verify your identity. This identifiable information to be collected during your appointment will be your fingerprints and your photograph.

By submitting your biometric information, you will be giving USCIS permission to perform a criminal background search on you. And the outcome of this background search will be used to either approve or deny your application.

What you should know about this appointment is that it’s not going to be an interview experience, not even close to that.

All the USCIS biometrics appointment is an opportunity for USCIS to see you in person and to collect some identifiable metrics, such as your fingerprints and a photograph of yourself.

How long does it take for USCIS to send biometrics appointment?

If your USCIS application requires your biometrics information, USCIS will send you a biometrics appointment notice. Usually, you can expect to receive this biometrics notice from USCIS within 12 weeks after you file your immigration application. Although, your wait time will depend on the USCIS service center processing your case.

During this appointment, you don’t have to pay a fee for the collection of your biometrics as you would have already paid this fee at the time you filed your application to USCIS.

Your appointments notice will also come with a worksheet that has to be completed before you attend your biometrics appointment. When you receive the biometrics notice, it’s going to have the location of the USCIS Application Support Center where your biometrics information is going to be collected. It’s also going to have the scheduled date and time of your appointment.

Something else to pay attention to on this form is a code number that appears on the top right corner. This code number could take the number 1, number 2, or number 3. And these numbers will decide what type of biometric information that you’re going to be required to provide on the day of your appointment.

You will learn more about the differences between these code numbers, 1, 2, 3, as you read on, but for now, let’s talk about what you should bring during your appointment.

Document Required for the USCIS Biometric Appointment

On the day of your appointment, you’re going to need to have a valid photo identification. This could be a valid driver’s license, it could be your passport, and for certain applicants, a green card could be a required form of identification during your appointment.

You’re also going to need the original copy of your Biometrics Appointment Notice that USCIS sent to you

Due to health and safety precaution, the application support center may not accept walk in appointments. As they need to limit the capacity of visitors within the building at all times.

This was compiled while the Covid-19 Pandemic is still ongoing. So in certain locations, you might be required to bring with you a face covering. Otherwise, you may not be granted access into the building.

So make sure go there with your face mask for your appointment and be prepared to keep this on at all times.

On the day of your appointment, you should plan to get there on time and preferably you should get there about 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time shown on your appointment notice (or Form I-797C).

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET TO THE APPLICATION SUPPORT CENTER (ASC)?

When you show up at the Application Support Center, you’re going to notice signs on the door that tell you that the use of electronic devices are prohibited. So the first thing you should do is to turn off your phone, if you’re going to be taking that into the building.

Once you walk into the building, you’re going to meet a receptionist who’s going to review your photo identification and will also review your biometrics appointments notice.

Once this receptionist confirms your identity and reviews your biometrics appointments notice, you are going to be handed a processing form and the ticket number.

This processing form that will be handed to you is just for the use of the Biometrics Officers and after that you will be asked to take a seat and wait for a Biometrics Officer to call your ticket number.

Once a Biometrics Officer calls you by your ticket number, you will walk up to the Biometrics Officer and hand in all your documents, including the processing form.

The Biometrics Officer will review all your documents and will then enter your information into a computer.

Codes 2 and 3

Depending on the code number that appears on your biometrics appointment notice (Form I-797C), what you’re going to be asked to do at this point is going to vary. You will be asked to scan some or all of your fingers, provide an electronic signature, or have your photo taken.

If your code number states code 2 or 3, a Biometrics Officer will ask you to take a seat where your digital photograph will be taken. And on the other hand, if your code number States code 1, your digital photograph will not be taken.

Scanning of Fingerprints

When it comes to the scanning of your fingerprints, if you have code 1, then you can expect to get all your fingerprints scanned. If you have code 2, you’re only going to have your left and right index fingers scanned. And if you have code number 3, again, just like code 1, you can expect to have all your fingerprints captured.

Don’t worry about making any mistakes with the scanning of your fingerprints as the Biometrics Officer is going to be there to make sure that your fingerprints are properly scanned into the system.

What happens after Biometrics Appointment

After your fingerprints have been scanned, you will be asked to provide your electronic signature. Once this process has been completed, the Biometrics Officer will stamp your form I-797C, marking that your biometrics information has been collected.

After that, your job is done and you may leave the Application Support Center. The total time spent during your appointment shouldn’t exceed 20 minutes. But in some cases where you have a lot of people waiting before you, or if you have few Biometrics officers, your appointment time could exceed 20 minutes.

Depending on what your USCIS application, for example, if it’s an adjustment of status application, after the uscis biometrics appointment, you’ll have the green card interview next.

Most of these biometrics offices are very professional and very polite. So you should expect your experience to be quite pleasant. You should understand that by providing your biometrics information to USCIS, you are granting USCIS permission to conduct a criminal background search on you.

If you have a criminal history and you’re worried about the outcome of this background search and how that could affect your immigration application, then it is highly recommend you seek the counseling of an experienced immigration attorney.

Thanks for reading this guide and I hope you found it helpful.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

Social Security Number for international students: In this guide, we will learn how to apply for a social security number (SSN) as an F1 visa or J1 visa international student. We will also learn how to obtain an SSN Letter of Ineligibility for someone unable to obtain an SSN as an F1 or J1 visa non-immigrant.

Social Security Numbers (SSN) are 9 digit numbers primarily used to report an individual’s wages to the U.S government through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to determine if a person is eligible to obtain a Social Security benefit.

Why You Need an Social Security Numbers (SSN)

As an international student on an F1 or J1 visa, you will need a Social Security Number or an SSN to do the following;

1. Receiving income and paying taxes on a job
2. Receiving government benefits, if you are considered a resident alien for tax purposes
3. Applying for a driver’s license or a state ID
4. Opening financial accounts, such as credit card accounts, and online banking accounts
5. Applying for loans, such as student loans, or car loans

Requirement for Social Security Numbers (SSN) on F1/J1 Visa

There are two prerequisites, either of which must be met in order to obtain a Social Security Card as an international student;

• You must be authorized for employment by your school’s designated school official for F1 student, and if you’re a J1 student, you must be authorized for employment by your sponsor.

This authorization usually occurs when F1 Student or J1 Student apply for on campus employment or off campus employment in the form of CPT or academic training.

• When you obtain a work authorization from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is the case for F1 international students who apply and are approved for the Optional Practical Training OPT

How to get Social Security Number for International Students

Applying for your Social Security Number (SSN) is absolutely free, and if you’ve met any of the prerequisites listed above, you may contact your local Social Security Administration office and schedule an appointment as a first time Social Security number applicant.

You would first need to complete an application for a Social Security card, as well as presenting original documents that can be used to prove your identity, your age, your work eligibility, and your U.S immigration status.

Documents required for SSN for F1 students

As an international student applying for your first time Social Security Number, it’s best to go along with you the following documents. These document include;

• An unexpired and most recent admissions stamp foreign passport, which could be used to prove your identity and your age.
• Foreign birth certificate (optional): If you have one, you can go with your foreign birth certificate that could be used to prove your age.
• I-94 arrival/departure record
• Form I-20 (F1 students)
• DS-2019 (J1 students)

These documents will be needed to prove your immigration status.

Supplementary Documents

• Letters of work authorization from your DSO or Sponsor (F1 students who plan to work on campus)
• Evidence of employment from your employer (This evidence of employment could be in the form of an awful letter or page stub)
• J1 students must also provide a letter from their sponsor authorizing them for employment.
• A valid EAD card (F1 students who plan to work in OPT)
• An F1 student who plans to work in CPT must present an I-20 endorsed for CPT by their designated school official

Note: Your on campus or CPT work must begin within 30 days from the date you apply for your SSN, in order for your SSN application to be processed.

Another way an international student can apply for the Social Security Number for the first time, is when an F1 student is applying for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) on the I-765 application form used to apply for the OPT EAD.

You can choose the option to apply for your Social Security Number. If you choose the option of applying for your Social Security Number when you complete your OPT application, then when USCIS approves your OPT application, you will also receive a Social Security card from the Social Security Administration Office.

Approved SSN Card

Once your application has been approved, your card containing the 9-digit SSN would be mailed to the address you listed on your application.

If you look at your SSN card, you would see an annotation on this card stating “Valid for Work Only with DHS Authorization”.

This ensures that your future employer verifies that you have received the legal authorization to work in the US before employing you.

Social Security Number (SSN) Denial Letter

F1 and J1 international students who do not have the work authorization or do not intend to work in the U.S can request a denial letter by visiting the Social Security Administration Office.

This letter is also called a Social Security Number Letter of Ineligibility (Form SSA-L676) and as the name implies, it States that the individual is not eligible to obtain a Social Security Number.

Requesting this letter does not affect your ability to obtain a Social Security Number in the future. In some. This letter may then be used to apply for a driver’s license or a state ID in some U.S States that accept this letter in place of a social security card.

In Summary

I believe by now, you have learned why you need a Social Security Number (SSN) and how you can obtain one as an F1 or J1 visa International Student. Also, I believe you have learned what you can do if you are ineligible to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN).

Thanks for reading this detailed guide on social security number for international students.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

The USCIS Immigration application process is long and requires patience. Understanding How to Get Help From Your Congressman To Speed Up USCIS Immigration Application and Sample letter to congressman asking for immigration assistance is what this guide will focus mainly on.

When you hear the word congressman, you might be saying “but I’m not a U.S citizen”, “How am I supposed to contact the congressman?” What you need to understand is that a congressman is there to represent everyone who lives in your district, be that foreign nationals or U.S citizens.

Generally, when you contact the office of your congressman, you’re going to be asking them to help you speed up your case with USCIS. Given that USCIS is a U.S federal agency that falls under the direct oversight of Congress, your Congressman has a lot of leverage to get USCIS to take action on your case.

In many cases, the process of contacting your congressman to help speed up your case with USCIS could be as easy as visiting your congressman’s website. Let’s take a look at some examples of how to do this.

How To Get Help From Your Congressman To Speed Up USCIS Immigration Application

The first thing to do is to determine the congressman who represents your district.

• To do that, visit www.govtrack.us

On the homepage of this website, click on “Legislators” and select “Members of Congress” and on this webpage under “Find your representatives and senators” enter your current address or your zip code, and in this search result you can find a member of Congress representing your district and you simply visit his official website.

On this website, navigate to services and then click on “Help with the federal agency” and on this webpage you can find detailed instructions to follow in order to get help with the federal agency from this office.

In the case of this office, all you have to do is to complete the online authorization form and once you’re done, print the filled form out, then sign it and mail or Fax it to his office.

Using city in California as an example, in the search results you can find a member of Congress representing a district. You will just go to his official website and on this website, navigate to “services” and click on “help with federal agencies” and once again you can see the protocol to follow to get help with the federal agency using this office.

In the case of this office, all you have to do is to complete and sign the consent form and then scan and email the form to the email address located at the top.

Sample letter to congressman asking for immigration assistance

• House.gov

You can also seek for congressional assistance by finding the name and contact information of the congressional representative from this website – www.house.gov. At the top right section of the screen there should be a prompt that says “Enter your zip code.” Once your zip code is entered, your representative’s name and contact information should appear.

Their contact information is usually an email address and a phone number, although email is generally preferred.

Frequently Ask Question About Contacting Congressman To Speed Up USCIS Immigration Application

Can Congressman speed up immigration?

The immigration process is long and requires patience. If you are waiting for a decision on your application and it has taken longer than the USCIS estimated processing time or if you have a strong reason to ask for expedited processing of your case, your U.S. congressional representative might be able to help.

How can a congressman raise expedite request?

They can do so since they have authority over federal agencies like USCIS. Once the congressional representative has been contacted and the situation is explained, the congressman would inform you of any form or document that needs to be submitted.

If an expedite request is being filed through the congressional office, the documents proving the reasons for expedited processing will be required by the congressional office. However, there is no guarantee a request for expedited service will be approved, even if the request meets the needed criteria.

How can a congressman help with immigration?

Once you call the right office, you can let the staff member know that you are in their district and that you need assistance with immigration processing, and ask for the best person to speak to. For privacy reasons, a congressional office cannot contact a federal agency on your behalf without your permission.

How long does it take for USCIS to respond to Congressman?

Typically, an agency responds within 30 days to a congressional inquiry.

Can Senators help immigration?

Whether you are looking for assistance with immigrant or non-immigrant visas, citizenship, asylum or refugee cases, or would like to check the status of your application, Senators can assist you in answering your questions.

These are the most effective ways to speed up your case with USCIS.

Make sure to share this guide with someone you know who is experiencing delays with USCIS. Thank you for reading.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

In this guide, you will learn the best tips to speed up your immigration case with USCIS, with guided examples, and the best part is that there are no fees involved.

So if you’re currently dealing with delays with USCIS, make sure to read this guide through to the end, as this guide will be of tremendous value to you. Tips to speed up your immigration case with USCIS.

USCIS case tracking

You’ve done an excellent job of submitting a completed application to USCS or responded timely to any request for evidence you may have received, and yet your case status is still stuck.

You’re constantly checking the USCIS case tracking tool every day or multiple times a day, hoping to see an update, and you are anxiously reading forms to find out if others are experiencing delays similar to yours.

You keep calling the USCIS customer service only to get a generic response. After waiting for an hour, you’re left in desperate thinking you just have to keep waiting for USCIS to get it together.

Well, this guide will give you in details the most effective things you can do to get USCIS to take action on your case. Most of these are rarely talked about.

How to Speed Up Your Immigration Case with USCIS For Free

Below are best tips to speed up your immigration case with USCIS:

• USCIS Processing Times

The very first thing to do is to make sure that you’ve checked the current processing time of the USCIS Service Center where you filed your petition.

To get more detail about that, Check this previous post titled “4 Best Ways to Track Your Case Status with USCIS”

So once you have determined that your case falls outside the current processing time of the USCIS Service Center, the first thing you want to do is to submit an online inquiry to USCIS.

• USCIS Case Inquiry

On the homepage of the USCIS website (i.e USCIS.Gov), Click on “Tools”; on the topics, click on “USCIS Tools and Resources”; on the “self-service Tools”, click on “e-Request” and on the case inquiry, click on “Case Outside Normal Processing Time.”

Case Information Section

For example, let’s say you file the form I-765 to USCIS as a qualified F1 academic student, and as you scroll to the bottom of this page, on the form number, you’re going to select “I-765” and your “form subtype” will be a “qualified F1 academic student.”

Here you’re going to type in your “receipt number” as contained on your form I-797C and also type in the “Date your case was filed with USCIS.”

Applicant or petition information section

In the applicant or petition information section, you just type in your “First Name”, your “Last Name” and your “Date of Birth”. And if you happen to have an “alien registration number”, type that into this section as well.

Mailing Address

Fill up your mailing address in the box provided.

Last action taken on your case Section

For example, if you receive the request for evidence from USCIS, make that comment in this section. Fill up your email address.

Filed By

If you file this petition by yourself, then you want to select “Applicant or petitioner” for this section.

And when you’re done, click Submit.

What’s most effective about sending an online inquiry to USCIS is that you get more detailed description on the status of the case, compared to what you can find on the USCIS Case Tracking tool.

Once you’ve submitted an online inquiry to USCIS, you should expect to receive an email describing in detail the current status of your case. That email might also contain the next steps to be taken by USCIS towards processing your case.

• Expedite Request

The next thing you can do is to submit an expedited request to USCIS, and here’s exactly how to do that;

From the home page of the USCIS website at USCIS.Gov, click on “Forms” and on this webpage, on the left hand side, on the forms section, Select “Filing Guidance”.

On the Filing guidance section, click on “Expedite request”, and on this webpage you’re going to find detailed instructions on how to make an expedite request with USCIS.

It is critically important to note that whenever you make any claims in your expedite request, you need to be able to back this up with support and proof.

For example, if you make claims about financial hardships, then you might want to provide documentation such as your bank statements or eviction notices to back up those claims.

• Your Congressman

The next option is to contact the Congressman representing your district. When you hear the word congressman, you might be saying “but I’m not a U.S citizen”, “How am I supposed to contact the congressman?” What you need to understand is that a congressman is there to represent everyone who lives in your district, be that foreign nationals or U.S citizens.

Generally, when you contact the office of your congressman, you’re going to be asking them to help you speed up your case with USCIS. Given that USCIS is a U.S federal agency that falls under the direct oversight of Congress, your Congressman has a lot of leverage to get USCIS to take action on your case.

In many cases, the process of contacting your congressman to help speed up your case with USCIS could be as easy as visiting your congressman’s website. Let’s take a look at some examples of how to do this.

The first thing you will do is to determine the congressman who represents your district.

To do that, visit www.govtrack.us

On the homepage of this website, click on “Legislators” and select “Members of Congress” and on this webpage under “Find your representatives and senators” enter your current address or your zip code, and in this search result you can find a member of Congress representing your district and you simply visit his official website.

On this website, navigate to services and then click on “Help with the federal agency” and on this webpage you can find detailed instructions to follow in order to get help with the federal agency from this office.

In the case of this office, all you have to do is to complete the online authorization form and once you’re done, print the filled form out, then sign it and mail or Fax it to his office.

Using city in California as an example, in the search results you can find a member of Congress representing a district. You will just go to his official website and on this website, navigate to “services” and click on “help with federal agencies” and once again you can see the protocol to follow to get help with the federal agency using this office.

In the case of this office, all you have to do is to complete and sign the consent form and then scan and email the form to the email address located at the top.

These are the most effective ways and best tips to speed up your immigration case with USCIS.

Make sure to share this guide with someone you know who is experiencing delays with USCIS. Thank you for reading.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

In this guide, we will learn how to transition from the F1 visa to the H-1B visa as an international student on F1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM OPT. This is particularly for international students who are F1 visa holders.

That’s it’s not to say that if you’re a J1 visa holder you cannot get an H-1B. But it’s just that as a J1 visa holder, your transition to the H-1B will be a lot different from someone who has an F1 visa.

This guide give you details about the most important things every F1 international student must know about transitioning from an F1 visa to a H-1B visa. For most international student, this transition will occur during the Post Completion OPT or STEM OPT.

Make sure you read this guide until the end because it’s going to give you a lot of good tips that you should keep in mind when thinking of transitioning from the F1 visa to the H-1B visa.

Basics of the H-1B visa

The first thing about the H-1B visa you should know is that this is called an Employer Sponsored Visa and that means that unlike your F1 visa, you cannot apply for the H-1B visa by yourself, only a U.S based employer can apply for the H-1B on your behalf.

The H-1B visa, unlike your F1 student visa, allows you to live and work in the U.S for up to six years.

Apart from the H-1B work visa, there are other temporary work visas that you might be eligible for, such as the E1, O1, and the TN work visas.

Checkout this guide title, How to Get a U.S Work Visa, to learn different temporary work visas that you can get to live and work in the U.S.

Generally, the H-1B visa tends to be the most common type of work visas that many nonimmigrants choose to use to live and work in the U.S on a temporary basis.

If you’ve heard of the H-1B visa, it tends to be associated as a lottery based visa, which means that you can only get the visa after you’ve been picked in the lottery. Although that’s not the only way of getting the H-1B visa.

How to Get H-1B Visa

There are two ways you can get the H-1B visa.

1. One way is called a Cap Subject H-1B visa that is limited to 85,000 visas every year.

That’s the class of the H-1B visa that you can get only after getting picked in the lottery.

2. The other class of H-1B visa is called an H-1B Cap Exempt visa.

This cap exempt visa is typically given to nonprofit organizations such as U.S universities and U.S research labs. With the cap exempt H-1B visa, you need not go through a lottery system to get it.

Getting H-1B Visa as an F1 Visa International Student

One thing to note about the H-1B visa as an F1 Visa student is that in order for you to get the H-1B visa, the job for which your employer is sponsoring your visa needs to require at least a bachelor’s degree.

So this makes the H-1B visa perfect for international students who are already in the U.S and seeking to change their status from an F1 visa to the H-1B visa without leaving the U.S.

In U.S, some companies have policies where they’re never going to hire anyone who is not at least a permanent resident of the U.S, particularly because they have certain government restrictions in the industry that requires them to only hire people who have a green card or people who are U.S citizens.

Also, there are some smaller companies that don’t want to hire foreign nationals, such as international students, because from their perspective, they don’t want to go through the cost prohibitive nature of the H-1B visa process just to hire an employee when they wouldn’t have to do the same if the person was a U.S citizen or green card holder.

So if you’re really serious about getting an H-1B visa to live and work in the U.S after you’re done with your F1 status, there’s no point wasting your time looking for jobs with these kinds of companies.

Filling H-1B

When it comes to filing the H-1B, a logical question you could have is, how much does it cost for the H-1B filing process? Typically, the cost of filing an H-1B visa on the part of your employer could be varying.

One of the keys to getting the H-1B visa is making sure that you can find a job with the U.S employer who is H-1B friendly. Because one of the mistakes you don’t want to make is to get a job with a company when you have the intention of getting an H-1B visa, and then when you request that they file for your H-1B visa, they tell you that they don’t sponsor H-1B visas.

If you’re going the route of getting the Cap Subject H-1B visa, you need to keep in mind the timeline you have to get in the H-1B visa while you’re still on an F1 visa status. The reason for this is that your chances of getting the H-1B visa through the lottery system is never guaranteed.

If you’re going to be working with a company that plans to file an H-1B Cap Subject petition for you, then you have a limited number of times that the company could try to file for your H-1B while you’re still on your Optional Practical Training (OPT) period.

This will become very important if you’re an F1 Visa student who is not eligible to get the STEM OPT. So if you’re an F1 Visa student who is working for the employer on your OPT, you only have one chance to get the H-1B visa with that employer.

On the other hand, if you’re an F1 Visa student who is eligible for STEM OPT, then you have at least three times to secure the H-1B visa while you’re working on your OPT and STEM OPT.

Something else to consider is your graduation date and when your OPT ends. For example, if you’re an F1 Visa student who’s going to be graduating in the fall semester, which is in December, this would mean that you’re going to be ending your first year of post completion OPT for ten months from December, which brings you to February, two years from the year you graduated.

On the other hand, if you’re a spring semester graduate who finishes in May, then this would mean that your first full year of post completion OPT is going to be ending in the month of July, the following year after you graduated.

Again, something else that’s important to note about the Cap Subject H-1B visa is that the lottery system happens in late March of every calendar year, and it’s only after you’ve been selected in the lottery system that your employer could then file an H-1B petition on your behalf.

If you’re an F1 Visa student who only has one chance to get the H-1B visa during your OPT, then it’s very important that your employer files for your H-1B visa within the first few months of you working on your post completion OPT.

If you’re a spring graduate who’s going to start your post completion OPT after the month of May, this means that you already would have missed the window of opportunity that opened in March shortly before you graduated. So your only chance of getting the H-1B visa is going to be in the next year shortly before your OPT ends.

As the spring graduate, if you’ve already received an offer month before you graduate in May, you can ask your employer to file an H-1B petition for you before you graduate.

This way, instead of having only one chance to get the H-1B the next year after you graduate, you can have two chances of getting the H-1B.

One advantage you have as a spring graduate who finishes in May over a graduate who finishes in December, is that you could be eligible to get the Cap gap extension if you were selected in the H-1B lottery and your employer filed an attorney petition on your behalf before your OPT expired.

So these are some considerations that you need to keep in mind if you’re going to be transitioning from an F1 visa to an H-1B visa.

For many F1 visa students who are trying to transition from the F1 visa to the H-1B visa, the fact that you have a chance of getting selected in the H-1B lottery is very worrisome.

A lottery based selection system is one thing that’s totally out of your control and the best way to navigate this transition is to always be optimistic but making sure that you have a plan B.

Read: How the U.S Visa Works | Step by Step Guide For Beginners

I hope you found this guide very insightful. Thanks for reading.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

In this brief guide, you are going to learn 16 ways to obtain a green card to the United States in 2022, without having a family member or a U.S employer.

The green card, also known as the Permanent Resident Card, allows foreign nationals to live and work permanently in the United States.

16 ways to obtain a green card to the United States

• Family Based Green Card

You may be eligible to apply under this category if you are the immediate relative of a U.S citizen or lawful permanent resident or family member of a U.S citizen or lawful permanent resident, and widow or widower of a U.S citizen.

• Employment Based Green Card

This category is broken down into five subcategories, ranked from employment based category one, known as EB1, to employment based category five, known as EB5.

Most of these categories require a U.S employer to first file a petition on your behalf. Get more about the different subcategories HERE.

• Special Immigration Green Card

Special immigrants include members of religious denominations coming to the U.S to work for nonprofit organizations, members of the armed forces, and some nationals of Afghanistan and Iraq who were employed by the U.S government.

• Refugee or Asylum Status Green Card

Under U.S immigration law, asylum and refugees may apply for a U.S green card after they’ve been physically present in the U.S for at least one year since they were granted asylum status or refugee status.

• Green Card for victims of Abuse

As a abused spouse, child, or parent, you may file an immigrant visa petition under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). An abused spouse or child of a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, and individuals in the special immigration juvenile status.

• Green Card through Registry

Certain foreign nationals who have resided continuously in the US honor before January 1 of 1972 may be eligible to register for a green card even if they are currently in the U.S unlawfully.

• Green Card through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program

Up to 50,000 immigrant visas are available annually and randomly awarded to foreign nationals from countries with a lower rate of immigration to the U.S through a lottery based system.

• Green Card for victims of Human Trafficking and victims of certain Crimes
• Green Card for Liberian refugees who have been continuously present in the U.S since November 20th, 2014.
• Green Card for citizens or nationals of Cuba provided under the Cuban Adjustment Act.
• Green Card to persons born in the U.S to a foreign diplomat.
• Green Card for an American Indian born in Canada.
• Green Card for a Lautenberg Parolee who was paroled into the U.S on or before September 30, 2012
• Green Card for natives or citizens of Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos who were paroled into the US on or before October 1197
• Green Card for dependent spouses and children of lawful permanent residents who obtain their green cards based on the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act
• Green Card for a person who entered the U.S as a diplomatic officer or high ranking officer and is unable to return to his or her home country

Regardless of which category you fall under, how you apply as a foreign national for a green card will depend on if you reside inside of the U.S or outside of the U.S.

Individuals residing in the U.S in a legal status go through an application process called an “Adjustment of Status”, in order to obtain their green cards while foreign nationals residing outside of the U.S needs to go through a process called “Consular Processing”, in order to obtain an immigrant visa.

All applications for a U.S visa are handled outside of the U.S by the U.S Department of State while all applications for an adjustment of status are handled inside the U.S by the U.S Department of Homeland Security.

I hope you found this guide very informative.

Thank you for reading this post.

DISCLAIMER: This post and guide is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

How long can you stay in the USA on a non-immigrant visa? As a U.S non-immigrant, you must know the difference between U.S visa (and its period of validity) and U.S visa Status (which determines your duration of stay in the U.S).

In this guide, you will learn how the U.S visa works, what the U.S visa status is, and understand the difference between your U.S visa validity and your duration of stay in the U.S (i.e U.S visa Status).

Many U.S non-immigrants do not understand that the expiration date of their U.S visa does not determine the length of time they are allowed to remain in the U.S, as the expiration date of a U.S visa is simply the last day to which you must arrive on U.S soil and seek entry into the U.S.

How long you are allowed to remain in the U.S on a given U.S visa is dependent on what immigration status you’re entering the U.S under, and is decided when you get to the U.S Port of Entry.

U.S Visa Guide for Beginners

The U.S visa, like all other travel visas, is nothing but the documents that allows a foreigner to travel to the U.S and seek entry into the U.S. Being in possession of a U.S visa does not guarantee a foreigner a right of entry into the U.S.

Entry into the U.S is solely dictated by the U.S Customs and Border Patrol officials who are foreigner encounters at a U.S Port of entry.

On the other hand, your U.S Visa status is a category to reach your seeking to be admitted into the U.S. Your U.S visa class, and the U.S visa status always go hand in hand.

As an example, let’s say you travel to the U.S with an F1 visa. When you get to the Port of entry, you’re going to be seeking to be admitted into the F1 status. You cannot travel into the US with the B1 Tourist visa and seek to enter the U.S into an F1 status.

For many other countries, the travel visa contains the duration for which the foreigner is legally authorized to stay in the country. This is not the case with U.S Travel Visa, as the period of validity of your U.S travel visa has nothing to do with your legal authorized state in the U.S.

Entering into U.S

When you arrive at the U.S Port of entry, which could be at an international airport, a Seaport, or U.S land border (North and South Borders) crossing, seeking to be admitted into a particular status, you will be inspected by the U.S Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officer.

U.S Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) official will stamp your passport. That stamp on your passport will determine the duration to which you are legally authorized to remain in the U.S.

This stamp in your passport is called an admission stamp, and it contains the date you were admitted, the status to which you were admitted, and the date for which you are allowed to remain in the US (called an admit until date).

In the case of a U.S Port of entry at a U.S land border crossing, a U.S Customs and Border Patrol official would provide you with a paper document called a Form I-94. This Form I-94 will contain the duration to which you’re legally allowed to remain in the U.S.

This admit until date varies according to the type of visa and visa status you wish to be admitted under. For example, a B2 tourist visa holder wishing to enter the U.S into the B2 status is generally given a maximum duration of stay of 180 days. Thus, the admission stamp would contain an admit until date that is 180 days into the future from the date of entry.

U.S Visa Stamp

There are two broad ways by which your duration of stay is determined by a Customs and Border Patrol official.

• Stamp that says Admitted until Date and
• Stamp that says DS, where DS stands for Duration of Status.

If your stamp says Admitted until Date, then the date listed in your stamp is the last day to which you are allowed to remain in the U.S. On the other hand, if your stamp say DS (duration of status), then as long as you continue to maintain your period of activity for which you’re admitted into the U.S, you’re allowed to remain in the U.S.

Different between U.S Visa and U.S Status

As an example, someone who travels to the U.S on an F1 visa who is admitted into the F1 visa status would be given a stamp that says D/S – which stands for Duration of Status. This means that as long as the person continues to fulfill the requirements to be an F1 student in the U.S, they’re allowed to remain in the U.S.

Remaining in the U.S beyond your authorized period of stay is a violation of your visa status and could result in you being deported or barred from entering the U.S in the future. You can think of the expiration date of a U.S travel visa simply as the last date to which it must arrive on U.S soil and asked to be admitted into the US.

But once you admitted into the U.S, the expiration of your U.S visa has nothing to do with your legal stay in the U.S. Your legal authorized stay in the US is based on your US status, and not your US visa. You can see how the implications of the terms U.S Visa and U.S Status are different.

Travelling outside of the U.S with an expired visa

However, with few exceptions, if you travel outside of the U.S with an expired visa, you will need to get a new visa in order to be admitted back into the U.S. While you’re in the U.S, you can file for an extension of stay or change of status.

For example, you can go from a B1 tourist visa status to an F1 student visa status.

However, you cannot file for an extension of your U.S visa while you’re in the U.S. This is because all applications for U.S visas are processed by the U.S Department of State and must be done outside of the U.S.

Changing your status in the U.S means that whenever you leave the U.S you must obtain a visa in the new status in order to be admitted back into the U.S.

As an example, if you enter the U.S on a B1 Tourist visa and later change your status into an F1 Student visa, then if you leave the U.S, you must obtain an F1 Student visa in order to be admitted back into the F1 status.

In Summary

Many non-immigrants are allowed to change their status from one non-immigrant status to another or even into an immigrant status while in the US. Upon changing your status, your duration of stay in the US will then be ultimately decided by the new status.

However, upon leaving the United States on this new status, you would have to obtain a new visa under this new status in order to seek entry back into the US.

Thank you for reading and i hope you found this guide very helpful.

DISCLAIMER: This post and guide is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

Canada Green Card Lottery? Australia Green Card Lottery?

People talk about Canada Green Card lottery or Australia green card lottery and the question is there any such thing called Canada Green Card lottery? Is there any such thing called Australia green card lottery?

This post is going to be very quick and straight to the point. The purpose of this post is to tell you the truth and avoid you getting scammed by any person. There are few and important things you need to understand, there is a big difference between United States immigration system versus Australia and Canada on the other side.

Green Card Lottery

Green card is the only official nickname of American permanent residence status. So no country in the world has the terminology as Green Card to refer as a permanent resident. So if you find any application (both online or offline) of any country that is called Canada Green Card Lottery or Australia Green Card Lottery, it’s wrong. There is no such a thing.

Only the United States has the terminology Green Card as official terminology of the country, its official nickname and obviously the card is green. If you go to Canada they refer it more as PR, just like permanent resident.

There is only one country on the planet Earth with a lottery system which provides permanent residency status to the citizen or people from other countries to go that country and the country is the United States. No other country in the world just do a random selection through a lottery system to give people permanent residence like green card lottery or the diversity visa lottery program.

When we talk Canada and Australia on one side comparing to the United States, there is a very simple reason:

• Canada, Australia and UK have what we call the points-based system or rather what we call emergency-based immigration system. That immigration system is different from American permanent residence status or immigration processes.

In the United States there is a very limited options or ways one person can become a permanent resident.

Canada does not have an immigration lottery as the United States does. The U.S has a program called the Diversity Visa that allows individuals to obtain Green Cards. Canada doesn’t have a diversity visa but has several programs that offer draws every week, allowing individuals to obtain permanent residency, comparable to the U.S Green Card.

Does Canada Offer a Canada Immigration Lottery? Canada Green Card Lottery?

No, Canada does not offer a designated Canada Immigration Lottery. Some websites will advertise that they do. Is totally misleading and some may be scams. However, this does not mean that you cannot immigrate to Canada. If you’re interested in an immigration lottery you should check out the U.S Diversity Visa.

Australia Green Card Lottery?

There’s no such thing as an Australian green card lottery. Green cards are a US thing. In Australia, there are tourist visas, student visas, 457 work visas, permanent residency and citizenship. You need to apply for each separately through the department of immigration and home affairs.

Immigration and Permanent Residency in Australia is managed by immigration officials on the basis of predetermined criteria. If you want to find out what those criteria are just check the web on Australian immigration and you can find that out.

Note: There is no law of any kind in the world like American diversity visa program, DV program. Canada does not offer an immigration lottery. Australia does not have a ‘green card’ lottery, or any other sort of immigration-related lottery. Only the U.S has an immigration lottery.

How to Replace a Lost or Stolen EAD Card with USCIS: Do you have a lost/stolen EAD card, or you received an incorrect EAD card from USCIS? This article will explain how you can go about obtaining a replacement employment authorization document or the EAD card from USCIS if it was lost, stolen, damaged or contains incorrect information.

Make sure read this article to the end because you will get answers to seven frequently asked questions about replacing your employment authorization document card.

What is Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and its functions?

The Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card allows foreign nationals in the US to work temporarily and is issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

The employment authorization document, also called the U.S Work Permit, are given to certain foreign nationals who can work in the U.S only after receiving permission from USCIS.

The EAD card is also given to certain nonimmigrants in the U.S who have a pending Adjustment of Status application with USCIS.

What should I do if I lost my EAD card?

On some occasions, you might need to obtain a replacement EAD card from USCIS, and this could be the case if you find errors on your EAD card or your EAD card is lost, stolen, or destroyed.

In the event that you receive an EAD card from USCIS that contains incorrect information, or you find out that your EAD card is either lost, stolen or destroyed, you will need to obtain a replacement EAD card from USCIS.

BEST Tips to Replace a Lost EAD Card or Incorrect EAD Card with USCIS

Generally, you can go about replacing your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card with USCIS under the following scenarios:

1. Replacing an EAD Card Due to a USCIS Error

The first scenario is the case where you find an error on your EAD card and this error is the fault of USCIS. In this case, you won’t have to complete the new I-765 application and as a result, you don’t have to pay any additional application fees.

You would have to return the original EAD card containing the error and also present a letter explaining what the error is and provide supporting documents as to how the error could be corrected.

For example, let’s say you find out that your first name on your EAD card was spelled incorrectly, and in your letter you’ll like to point out that your EAD card contains a misspelled first name and also provide the biographical page of your international passport showing the correct spelling of your first name.

In this scenario where the arrow is caused by USCIS, you would have to send all these documents to the USCIS Service Center that approved your last EAD application.

2. Replacing an EAD Card Due to the Applicant’s Error

The second scenario is the case where the arrow found on your EAD card is caused by your mistake and it’s not the fault of USCIS. In this scenario, you’ll be required to complete a new I-765 application and you have to pay the appropriate filing fee. Similar to how you went about completing the I-765 in your previous application, you would also have to provide supporting documents for the I-765 application.

These supporting documents will include two card passport photographs, a copy of the biographical page of your international passport, copy of your I-94 records, a copy of any previously issued employment authorization document cards, and other supporting documents.

In this application, you would also have to include the original EAD card containing the error that was caused by your mistake.

3. Replacing a Lost/Stolen/Damaged EAD card

The last and final scenario is the case where your EAD card is either lost, stolen, or damaged. In this situation, you would have to complete a new I-765 application and also pay the required filing fees. You would also be required to provide supporting documents just like you did when completing the new I-765 application.

EAD Replacement FAQs

Let talk about some frequently asked questions that you might have when you find out that your EAD card is either lost, stolen or destroyed.

• Do I need to inform my employer?

The first question is whether you should inform your employer that your EAD card has been lost or stolen. This is not necessary as you would have already gone through the I-9 verification process where your employer would have seen your EAD card and kept a record of your EAD card.

However, if your employer asks you to provide a proof of employment in the future, then you might have to let your employer know that your EAD card was stolen and you’re in the process of getting the replacement.

• What can I do if I have to begin or start a new job and my EAD card has been lost or stolen?

In this case, because you have to go through a new I-9 verification process with a new employer, you would have to wait until your EAD card application has been approved and you’ve received your EAD card.

• What do I do if I have to travel outside of the U.S and my EAD card has been lost or stolen?

In this case, it’s best to wait until you’ve received your EAD card before you consider traveling outside of the U.S. This is because depending on your nonimmigrant status, you might be required to be in possession of an EAD card whenever you try to re-enter the U.S.

• How long does it take to get a replacement EAD card from USCIS?

Generally, if you’re applying for a replacement EAD card by completing the new I-765 application, then the wait time is exactly the same like someone who’s applying for the EAD card for the first time, and as you might have already experienced during your first EAD card application, the processing of your EAD application could take as long as six months.

• Is there a way to expedite the processing of my replacement EAD card?

In certain circumstances, you might be able to speed up the processing of your EAD application with USCIS.

• Is there a fee for the replacement of the EAD card?

The answer is simply yes. The only exception is when you find an error on your EAD card and this error was caused by USCIS.

• What supporting documents do I need to provide when filing an application for a replacement EAD card?

Your supporting documents are going to be exactly the same as the supporting documents you provided when you were filing your initial EAD card application. For example, if you’re an F1 visa student you would have to provide supporting documents that show proof of your eligibility to work in the U.S.

This will usually be assigned from I-20 and endorsed for OPT.

I hope you found this article about How to Replace a Lost or Stolen EAD Card with USCIS informative. Thank you for reading.

Marriage-Based Green Card Interview Questions: Your interview process will begin the moment you walk into the USCIS office. When walking into the building, officers will look at the demeanor of both parties as individuals and as a couple from the moment they enter the building until the time they leave.

You will be placed together in an interview room and an officer will begin directing questions for you both to answer as individuals or as a couple. The interview usually lasts an average of 15-20 minutes and the questions are relatively simple.

Marriage-Based Green Card Interview Questions

Below are a few sample categories and marriage-based green card interview questions that each partner in a relationship should know about one another. Please note that these sample questions are not definite and an immigration officer can ask questions that are not listed below.

How You Meet – Questions about how your relationship started and progressed prior to being married. It’s important to display that you and your spouse established a relationship and actually fell in love prior to being engaged then married.

• Where did you meet?
• What did the two of you have in common?
• Where was your first date?
• When did your relationship turn romantic?
• How long was it before you decided to get married?
• Who proposed to whom?
• Why did you decide to have a long or short engagement?
• When did you meet each other’s parents?

Wedding – Questions about the day you tied the knot are common. Your wedding day is a special day that most couples cherish. You should be able to account for many details of that day.

• How many people attended your wedding?
• Did each of your parents attend?
• Where was the wedding held?
• Who were the bridesmaids/groomsmen?
• Where did you go for the honeymoon?

Relationship– these questions usually deal with the intimate details of your marriage. Most married couples discuss these topics at least at some point in the first year.

• Who takes care of the finances?
• When is your spouse’s birthday?
• Have you ever been on vacation together?
• Do you attend church?
• When is your anniversary?
• Do you plan on having children?
• Do you have any children from previous marriages?
• Do you live together or plan on living together?
• Do you spend a lot of time together?

Friends and Family

• Have you met each other’s families?
• How often do you see each other’s families?
• When was the last time you saw them?
• How do you typically celebrate holidays? For example, do you spend Thanksgiving with one family and Christmas with another?
• How many brothers and sisters does your spouse have? What are their names?
• Does your spouse have any nieces or nephews?
• Do you have mutual friends?
• What’s your spouse’s best friend’s name?

Education

• Where did your spouse go to school?
• Did they go to college?
• What did your spouse major in?
• What did your spouse get a degree in?

Employment

• Who is your spouse’s employer?
• How long has your spouse been working there?
• What is your spouse’s position?
• Where did your spouse work prior?

It’s understandable and normal that the marriage-based green card interview will make you nervous or stressed out. Before and while answering marriage-based green card interview questions, it is best that you utilize the tips for marriage-based green card interview questions listed above to be a few steps ahead.

How Can You Obtain a Marriage-Based Green Card?

Here is a comprehensive list of the items required to apply for a green card:

• Petition for Alien Relative (USCIS Form I-130)
• Application to Register Permanent Residence (USCIS Form I-485)
• Biographic Information (USCIS Form G-325A)
• Affidavit of Support (USCIS Form I-864)
• Permission for Work Authorization (Optional) (USCIS Form I-765)
• Medical Examination Results (USCIS Form I-693)
• Request for Travel Documents (Optional) (USCIS Form I-131)
• The appropriate supporting documents

If you are a U.S. citizen within the country through lawful admission/parole, you will need the following:

• File Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
• Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust status

If you are a citizen outside the U.S.:

• File Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative

Are You Prepared for Your Interview?

Marriage-based green card interviews are held at a USCIS office and will be conducted by a trained immigration official. The interview usually takes place between 3-4 months after your petition is filed with USCIS. During this time, you may want to gather any additional documents that show proof of the relationship for your interview.

Remember that the main purpose of this interview is to confirm the validity of your relationship. Take the time to review your relationship in entirety with your spouse. It’s normal for you to forget things about your marriage but you can work together to jog each other’s memory prior to the interview.

They are also looking to see if the U.S. citizen in the relationship can support the immigrant spouse. Your spouse will need to submit an affidavit of support to show that they have adequate means of financial support and are not likely to rely on the U.S. government financially.

Going through a process as tedious as a green card interview is not something you should do alone. If you have any questions or concerns before the interview, consult your immigration attorney.

Tips for a Marriage Based Green Card Interview

We know how stressful the interview process can be, so take a look at these top tips to make the best of your situation.

• Be punctual for your scheduled interview by arriving at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time.
• Wear professional and/or conservative clothing because first impressions are important and you want to give the impression that you are taking this interview seriously.
• Be prepared to answer all types of questions. Immigration officials are likely to ask simple marriage-based green card interview questions as well as ones that you may have to think a little harder about to answer.
• Come with a calm and organized demeanor because immigration officials look for red flags that indicate fraud. Looking flustered and nervous looks will raise their suspicion. Remain calm and be confident in the knowledge of your marriage.
• No need to memorize facts. It can potentially make the couple sound rehearsed, which is a red flag. Immigration officials understand that you won’t remember every small detail about your marriage. If you’re not sure or don’t know, then simply say it. It is always better to say you don’t know than it is to lie. Not knowing might lead to having your green card denied, but lying or other fraudulent behavior might lead to barred access to the U.S. altogether. However, you should be able to answer simple questions about your marriage.
• Act normally; not overly affectionate or uncomfortable. USCIS immigration officials are trained to recognize signs that individuals are not behaving normally. This type of in-authenticity is a red flag, so it’s best you both be yourselves and act normal.
• Don’t panic if you are separated. If you and your spouse are moved to separate rooms, remain calm and answer the immigration official’s additional marriage-based green card interview questions honestly.
• Remember to bring the necessary paperwork which can be any necessary forms and any proof of your relationship. This can be wedding or vacation photos or bank statements.
• Confide in your attorney if you’re unsure about anything pertaining to your green card case. Your attorney will know your case inside and out and will make you feel more prepared by addressing any and all concerns you or your spouse may have.
• Review additional resources to feel even more confident about the marriage-based green card interview. Marriage related green card resources are available at the bottom of this page.

Ultimately, having a legitimate case and an experienced attorney should be your most valuable assets during this interview. These questions are designed to determine if your marriage is fraudulent. If that is not the case, then simply follow the above tips and be confident.

After the Marriage Green Card Interview

Once you’ve completed your marriage-based green card interview, you’ll have to wait for the USCIS to approve your petition. There isn’t a defined period of time for marriage green card approvals which can make the waiting process even more stressful.

A few weeks from the interview date, you may receive the news that your green card has been either granted or denied. It can take longer if your file is undergoing an additional security review. If your petition is approved, then your passport will be returned to you with the conditional green card printed inside, allowing you and your spouse to enter the U.S. as legal permanent residents.

You and your spouse are able to check the status of your green card case by entering your case number into the USCIS Case Status Search.

Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any U.S Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. The contents in the site/post is for informational purpose only collected from various public domains (YouTube, search engines), you may need to contact an expert immigration attorney for your specific immigration needs.

When you apply for a family based green card from outside the U.S, you need to file the DS-260 online form. Its official name is the “Immigrant Visa Application” and it’s handled through the National Visa Center (NVC), and your local U.S Embassy or Consulate. The DS-261 is an online form that tells the State Department how to contact you during your green card application process.

DS-260 and DS-261 Form

Once USCIS approves your family sponsorship form (the I-130), it will forward it to the NVC. The NVC will then send you a welcome notice by mail or email.

This notice will include your case number, a Beneficiary ID number, and an invoice number. The Beneficiary ID number is a unique number that the NVC assigns to the person seeking a green card. You’ll need all of these numbers to submit forms of DS-260 and DS-261.

Next, you need to file form DS-261 (technically called the “Online Choice of Address and Agent”). There’s no fee to file it. It can take up to three weeks for the NVC to process the DS-261.

Once the NVC has processed your DS-261, you’ll need to pay two required fees. You’ll know the NVC has processed your DS-261 when the fee invoice appears on the NVC’s Consular Electronic Application Center. It can take up to a week for the NVC to process your DS-261 payment.

After that, you can then go online to file form DS-260. This is the primary green card application for relatives living abroad.

DS-260 Filing Tips

• First, you’ll need your case number, beneficiary ID number, and the invoice number from the original welcome notice that the NVC sent to you.
• You must fill out the entire DS-260 online form in English.
• You need to include information about all of your children, step-children, adopted children, and biological children, and whether or not they’ll be immigrating to the U.S with you.
• List all addresses where you’ve lived since you were 16.
• It can take months for the green card to arrive at your address in the U.S, so make sure that the mailing address you provide will be valid during that time.
• You can’t correct form DS-260 after you’ve submitted it online, make sure all of your information is correct the first time. If you discover a mistake after submitting your DS-260, you can let the Consular Office know at your interview and ask if they can correct it.
• After you’ve submitted the form, print the confirmation page so you can bring it to your visa interview at the U.S Consulate.

The NVC will then send out a notice via email or mail confirming they’ve received your DS-260, usually the same day you submitted it.

You will need to upload email or mail your supporting documents to the NVC. The NVC then sends it to the consulate for processing. Once the consulate approved your visa, you’ll receive an immigrant visa stamp in your passport.

You are to pay for the form DS-260 as soon as you receive the visa stamp. That way you can receive your physical green card soon after you arrive in the U.S.

You will use the immigrant visa stamp to enter the U.S, and you’ll receive your physical green card at your U.S address, usually within three to four weeks of entry.

Submitting form DS-260 and DS-261 are key steps in the green card process for anyone applying from outside the U.S. By carefully following the instructions, you will increase your chances of green card success.

Question: Do you have to wait for NVC to contact you to fill the ds 260 or you just go online and fill it up?

Answer: You will need the NVC to contact you via mail or email for next steps.

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Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any U.S Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. The contents in the site/post is for informational purpose only collected from various public domains (YouTube, search engines), you may need to contact an expert immigration attorney for your specific immigration needs.

Work in the U.S on a working visa: In this guide, we will learn about the different types of U.S work visas that allows you to live and work in the United States on a temporary basis. Some of these work visas include the E1, E2, H1, L1, and TN work visas.

We will also understand the different types of U.S work visas for high skilled working professionals and you can determine which of these visas is best suited for you. U.S work visa types.

U.S Work Visas

There are two broad categories of U.S work visas.

• Nonimmigrant or temporary work visa
• Immigrant or permanent work visa.

Both types of visas are given to individuals with a primary purpose of living and working in the U.S. The main difference between these categories is in the period of authorized stay in the U.S:

• For Nonimmigrant or temporary work visa: Individuals entering the U.S on a temporary work visa are allowed to stay in the U.S for a fixed period of time beyond which they need to apply for what’s called an extension of state.
• For Immigrant or permanent work visa: Individuals who enter the U.S on a permanent work visa are allowed to remain in the U.S indefinitely.

This article will only be focused on the temporary work visa, while the subject of the permanent work visa will be discussed in the preceding articles.

U.S Work Visa Types

Let’s take a look at the most common types of U.S temporary work visas in alphabetical order.

• E1 and E2 Treaty Visa

This visa is granted to citizens of countries that have a Treaty of Commerce or an international agreement with the United States and who wish to enter the U.S to engage in international trade on their own behalf. This is the case with the E1 visa, whereas with the case of the E2 visa, this is for individuals who plan to invest a substantial amount in the U.S based business.

Of all the nonimmigrant work visas, the E1 and E2 visas are the most suitable visas for entrepreneurs who wish to enter the U.S to start their own businesses. Currently, there are 81 countries with at least one of these treaties with the U.S. You can find a full list of the treaty countries with the U.S here.

• E3 Visa

This visa is only given to citizens of Australia who wish to come to the U.S to work in specialty occupations and have obtained an offer of employment from a U.S employer. Specialty occupations require specialized knowledge, and you must have obtained a minimum of bachelor’s degree in your field to enter the U.S on this visa.

Individuals entering the U.S on an E1, E2 and E3 visa are typically allowed to remain in the U.S for a period of two years, beyond which they must apply to extend their period of stay for another two years if they wish to remain in the U.S. There is no cap to the number of extensions that may be granted to an E1, E2 or E3 nonimmigrant.

• H1B visa class

This is the most popular nonimmigrant work visa for high skilled professionals who come to the U.S. Similar to the E3 visa, you must obtain an offer of employment from a U.S employer for work in a specialty occupation, and you must have a minimum a Bachelor’s degree or higher that’s equivalent to a U.S Bachelor’s degree or higher degree.

Foreign nationals admitted to the U.S on an H1B visa are typically admitted for a period of three years, and they can apply to extend the period of stay for an additional three years, for a total of six years in the U.S.

• H3 Visa

Foreign nationals coming to the U.S to receive job related training for work that will automatically be performed outside of the U.S can obtain what’s called an H3 Trainee visa.

Typically, individuals entering the U.S on an H3 visa are usually allowed to remain in the U.S for a period of two years. You need to have an H-3 visa in order to participate in any training program that is neither academic or medical in nature.

• I visa

If you are a candidate who is interested in working in the field of media or information, you are required to hold an I visa.

• L-1B visa

The L1B intra Company transferring visa allows a U.S employer to transfer a professional worker who’s knowledgeable about the employer’s business from a foreign location to a U.S based location.

To be eligible for these visa, you must have worked for the prospective employer for one continuous year within three years prior to when you seek to enter the U.S.

Most individuals entering the U.S on the L1 Visa are usually admitted to the U.S for an initial period of three years, and they may extend their stay in the U.S until a maximum limit of five years is attained.

• O1 Visa

This type of visa is granted to individuals who possess extraordinary ability in the Sciences, arts, education, business and in sport, and they must be coming to the U.S to work temporarily in their field of extraordinary ability.

Put simply, extraordinary ability in one field means that you must have attained a level of expertise that puts you at the very top of your field. This is usually demonstrated by the receipt of international or national awards in your field of expertise.

• P-1 visa

You will require a P-1 visa if you are a member of an entertainment group or a team athlete and you wish to travel to the United States for the purpose of performing or competing.

• P-2 visa

You will require a P-2 visa in order to participate in an exchange program that is run between your nation and the United States of America.

• P-3 visa

You will require a P-3 visa if you want to teach, perform, or coach as part of a program that is new in the field of folk, cultural, traditional ethnic, musical, dramatic, or artistic performance.

• R-1 visa

You will require an R-1 visa in order to work for a religious organization if you are a minister, a preacher, or if you have religious commitments. If you wish to work for a religious organization.

• TN visa

The TN nonimmigrant class is based on the North America Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico. This allows a Canadian or Mexican citizen to enter the United States temporarily to work in a qualifying professional level business activity.

Some of these professions include lawyers, teachers, engineers, and scientists. Canadian or Mexican citizens must have the qualifications for these qualifying professions and must receive an offer of employment from a U.S based employer for these professions.

While citizens of Mexico need to obtain a TN visa to enter the United States, citizens of Canada do not. Citizens of Canada and Mexico who enter the U.S on a TN nonimmigrant class are allowed to remain in the U.S for a period of three years and if they wish to remain in the U.S beyond three years they must apply for an extension of stay in the U.S but there is no limit to the number of times a TN status can be extended.

Application Procedure for U.S work visa

Before submitting your application for a work visa in the United States, you are going to need to have the following three things with you. These things are as follows:

Job Offer: You need to have a job offer from the United States in order to be eligible to apply for a work visa from that country.

USCIS: Your employer will have to file a petition for a non-immigrant worker with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in order for you to be eligible for the work visa. You will be eligible to submit an application for a work visa in the United States once your permit has been approved.

Labor Certification approval by the Department of Labor (DOL): A certificate from the Department of Labor is necessary for obtaining certain visas, including all forms of H visas. Your employer will approach these people on your behalf and make this request.

LATEST UPDATE: How to check Your Diversity Visa Lottery Result

I hope you found this guide very informative.

DISCLAIMER: This article/post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this article/post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

Diversity Visa Lottery: Each year, the Department of State publishes detailed instructions for entering the DV Program. These instructions include the dates of the registration period during which you will be able to enter. There is a limited period of time during which you can register for the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program during each fiscal year.

This article is for all the applicants out there who are among the successful candidates (i.e winners) for the 2022 Diversity Visa Lottery, those that applied or enrolled successful for DV-2023. You want to know what the next steps are?

If you have checked the State Department website and you see that you have been chosen for Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery 2022, that’s the fiscal year, you are among those that enrolled/applied for the DV-2023, then here are your next steps.

LATEST UPDATE: How to check Your Diversity Visa 2023 Lottery Result

Diversity Visa 2022 Applicants

From Travel.State.Gov, it reads:

DV applicants for the 2022 fiscal year (DV-2022) should wait to be notified of the scheduling of an interview in accordance with the phased resumption of visa services framework.

All DV-2022 diversity visa program applicants must be found eligible for, and obtain, their visa or adjust status by the end of fiscal year 2022 (September 30, 2022).

Document Submission to KCC for DV-2022

From Travel.State.Gov, it reads:

“Effective immediately, individuals who were randomly selected to participate in the diversity visa (DV) program for fiscal year (FY) 2022 (DV-2022 selectees) only need to submit to the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) the DS-260 immigrant visa application form for themselves and any accompanying family members.

Once the DS-260 is received for all applicants associated with a case, that case will be eligible to be scheduled for a visa interview.

DV-2022 selectees no longer must submit to the KCC any other required supporting documents for DV-2022 in order to be eligible to be scheduled for an in-person interview at an embassy or consulate.

Rather, all supporting documents for DV-2022 selectees will be collected in connection with the interview and evaluated at the embassy or consulate where the visa application is made.”

What is DS-260 and DS-261 Forms?

Read: DS-260 and DS-261 Forms, Explained

Your documents need to all be correct because you don’t want to go to your visa interview with incorrect documents that are going to cause further delay for your case.

If you’ve been selected as a DV lottery winner, to be able to complete the process to successfully have the visa issued to you to go the United States, the U.S law requires all immigrant visa applicants provide certain supporting documents necessary to establish eligibility for a visa.

Below are the list of documents:

• Your birth certificate,
• Your marriage certificate,
• Your education documents.
• If you are married, then the birth certificate for your spouse,
• If you have children, the birth certificates for your children that are all going to be immigrating with you.
• Police Clearance Certificate
• Military Records (if any)
• Court/Prison Records (if any)

Note: These documents need to be correct.

Read: Canada Green Card Lottery? Australia Green Card Lottery?

DV Entrant Status Check

Entrant Status Check is the ONLY means by which selectees are notified of their selection.

2022 Entrant Status Check

DV-2022 Entrants have until September 30, 2022 to check the status of their entry through this website. The DV-2022 registration period was from October 7, 2020, until November 10, 2020.

2023 Entrant Status Check

Starting at noon (EDT) on May 7, 2022, DV-2023 Entrants may enter their confirmation information through the link official website. DV-2023 Entrants should keep their confirmation number until at least September 30, 2023.

All DV-2023 diversity visa program applicants must be found eligible for, and obtain, their visa or adjust status by the end of fiscal year 2023 (September 30, 2023).

Those that have applied for the DV-2023 visa lottery should continue to check their Travel.State.Gov website for any other updates.

The entry period for the DV-2023 Diversity Visa Program was between October 6, 2021 and November 9, 2021. Entries are not being accepted at this time.

LATEST UPDATE: How to check Your Diversity Visa 2023 Lottery Result

Applicants are eligible for the Diversity Visa if their country of origin has sent fewer than 5,000 immigrants to the United States in the last 5 years. The list of eligible countries varies from year to year depending on immigration statistics.

Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any U.S Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. The contents in the site/post is for informational purpose only collected from various public domains (YouTube, search engines), you may need to contact an expert immigration attorney for your specific immigration needs.