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In this guide, you will learn some possible H4 visa interview questions and example answers to help you pass this test.

What is H4 Visa?

H4 Visa is a United States (U.S) visa. It is issued to a dependent family member of H1B, H1B1, H2A, H2B, H3 visa holders. It allows you to travel to the USA with the primary visa holder. A dependent must be a spouse or children below 21 years.

To get an H4 visa, you need to pass an interview test. Accordingly, schedule an appointment for biometrics and visa interviews.

The H4 visa interview takes place at the US Embassy or Consulate. The interview takes place to evaluate the credibility of your marriage since H4 is a marriage-based visa.

Types of H4 Visa Interview Questions

The H4 visa interview questions and answers are divided into 4 categories. These include questions and answers about –

• You
• Your marriage
• H4 visa
• Your spouse

H4 Visa Interview Questions and Answers

Below are common H4 dependent visa interview questions under these categories listed.

Questions and Answers About You

1. Where will you live in America?

Hint: Provide the name of the town or city you will be residing in the US

2. What are your plans to do in the USA?

Hint: Here, an immigration officer seeks an honest answer. Hence, provide a short yet truthful answer.

3. Do you have family members besides your spouse in America?

Hint: If yes, provide a detailed brief about your family members.

4. Do you wish to work in America?

Hint: The U.S administration withdrew the restriction on the work permit of the H4 visa holder. It means that individuals can work against meeting prescribed eligibility criteria. Therefore, answer this accordingly.

5. Whom do you live with presently?

Hint: Answer honestly. For instance, you live with your in-laws or parents.

6. What is your residential town or city in your native country?

Hint: Mention your current residential city or town.

7. With whom will you reside in the United States?

Hint: Mention that you will be living with your spouse.

8. Who is going to support you financially in the United States?

Hint: State that your spouse will be supporting you financially to stay in the United States.

Questions and Answers About Your Marriage

9. Is there any photograph or legal document proof of your marriage?

Hint: Carry important documents like a marriage certificate and a wedding photograph as document proof of your marriage.

10. What was the date of your marriage? For how many years have you been married to your spouse?

Hint: Answer this question directly and appropriately.

11. Was your marriage arranged or love? If arranged, who arranged it?

Hint: If anyone arranged your marriage, provide his or her details. It can be your parents, cousins or friends.

12. What was the location of your marriage?

Hint: Here you need to provide a detailed answer, stating the city, state and country’s name.

13. Was there any engagement before you got married to your spouse?

Hint: In case of engagement before marriage, you need to showcase proof of the same.

14. What was the total expenditure of your marriage? Who financed it?

Hint: Furnish the details with relevant information or documents, if any.

15. When and where did you meet your spouse for the first time?

Hint: If you cannot remember the exact date, mention the year or month.

Questions and Answers About H4 Visa

16. Which visa are you applying for?

Hint: Provide a direct answer that you are applying for an H4 visa.

17. Why do you want an H4 visa?

Hint: You need an H4 visa because you want to visit the United States along with your spouse (H1B visa holder).

18. Have you scheduled an appointment by yourself?

Hint: Don’t hesitate to answer if you didn’t make an appointment by yourself. Mention if anyone else has scheduled it for you. Also, state a legitimate reason why you could not schedule an appointment.

19. When did your spouse receive approval for an H1B visa?

Hint: Provide the accurate approval date, month and year for an H1B visa.

20. How did you collect all necessary documents for this interview?

Hint: Give an appropriate answer as per the requirement.

21. Why did you not attend the H4 visa interview with your spouse?

Hint: Provide an honest reason for why you did not attend this interview with your spouse.

Questions and Answers About Your Spouse

22. From which University did your spouse graduate? What is the highest educational degree of your spouse?

Hint: Provide the University’s name and year of graduation of your spouse. For the second question, mention the highest educational degree your spouse completed.

23. When is your spouse’s birthday?

Hint: Answer the exact date, month and year of birth of your spouse.

24. What is the name of the organisation your spouse is currently working in? Where is its location?

Hint: Mention the name of the organisation where your spouse is currently working. In the case of the second question, mention the location details of the organisation.

25. How long has the current company employed your spouse?

Hint: Provide the accurate month, year and date for which your spouse has been associated with the current company.

26. What is the profession of your spouse?

Hint: Provide the details of your spouse’s profession and the associate job description.

27. What is the annual income of your spouse?

Hint: You need to submit proof to verify your answer. Hence, your answer must be honest.

28. Do you have your spouse’s bank statement?

Hint: Submit your spouse’s bank statement and receipts to the immigration officer.

29. Does your spouse currently stay in the United States?

Hint: If the answer is yes, provide an accurate answer on the date, month and year of his or her stay.

30. Is your spouse a U.S citizen? If not, has he or she applied for a green card?

Hint: Provide an appropriate answer, don’t lie, be sincere.

How to Prepare Yourself for an H4 Visa Interview?

Once you know H4 visa questions and answers, prepare yourself by following these 4 tips:

• Be on Time

Reach the venue 30 to 20 minutes before the scheduled time with all the required documents. Arriving early will also allow you to stay calm during the interview process.

• Answer Confidently

Answer H4 visa questions clearly. It is one of the essential factors that determine the given visa approval. Skipping or providing false information can eliminate your chances to get an H4 visa. It is because the immigration officer verifies your answers with relevant documents.

• Keep the Documents Ready

As you can find from the questions mentioned above, you need to provide certain documents to verify your answers. This includes marriage certificates, bank statements and other essential files. It is wise to keep a copy of those documents ready to submit whenever asked.

• Check Your Documents

Review your documents carefully. All details such as name, birthdate and other information in it will be printed on the visa. Hence any potential mistake in data can be a hassle later.

Additionally, when you receive your visa, check it carefully. If you notice any errors, report them the appropriate place immediately.

Make sure to prepare yourself with H4 visa interview questions for quick visa approval.

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice, not offering any visa too. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

The information presented in this post/guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

Your attitude or behavior in the interview room can have an impact on your visa approval. In this guide, we will learn 5 things you must do in the Interview room to get your U.S Visa approved.

Lot of people who had good cases messed up during interview. Many people who had basically nothing but with a right attitude in the interview room, they had their visa approved.

This guide will teach you some of the basic things you must do inside the interview room in order to get your U.S visa approved.

5 Things You Must Do In The Interview Room To Get Your U.S Visa Approved

1. Properly Arrange All Your Documents.

The first thing you must do is to properly arrange and catalog your documents. This will help you to swiftly get access to any documents when asked for during your interview.

Usually, the embassy does not allow people to go inside the interview room with Bags. Get a clear file and arrange your documents in it, in a way that can be easily accessible.

Your passport must come first, followed by your I-20, your bank statement and sponsorship letter, your admission letter, certificate, CV and any documents that you want to carry.

Oftentimes, many people attract a lot of pressure for themselves during interviews because they were asked to show a certain document and they struggled to locate it. This can be worrying and delaying, so you must always try to avoid that, properly arrange and catalog all your documents.

2. Deal With All Your Doubt.

Many people enter the interview room as losers even before they are interviewed. They go for interview with so many doubts and misconceptions.

Many people sees the consulate and start having doubt in their mind. So they go for interviews with so much fear, these people enter the interview room with so much doubt.

The point is, everyone who goes for visa interview has a 50% chance of getting the visa and 50% chance of not getting the visa. So it is 50 50. Of course, we go for interview with different cases, but no one’s visa is guaranteed.

So why don’t you trust in that 50% chance of getting the visa? Instead of thinking about the negativity. Yes as humans, sometimes the negativity comes into our mind, but we shouldn’t dual much on that.

Also, there are some misconceptions that people take as long as they go for interview. Many people says that when you go for U.S visa interview, they have already decided the number of people they will give their visas, no matter what you do, you will not get the visa.

There are some people who also say that every day the embassy has specific number of visas the issue and when they reach that limit, everyone will be denied. These are all fallacies. So clear your doubts and be hopeful. Just do your best and leave the rest to God.

3. Focus and keep your calm.

Sometimes while in the queue waiting to be interviewed, we see and hear our friends being interviewed, being rejected and some being approved. This kind of things put pressure on us.

There are some people who say to themselves, I want to go to this consular, I wish I can get this woman, this man is really rejecting people, I want to avoid him. Some of these things can affect your focus and it can really distract you, stay focused.

Assuming you have seen a certain consular rejecting people, if you don’t take care and you go to that consular, you may mess up.

Don’t allow the rejection or approval of someone in front of you or someone being interviewed before you, affect the way you approach yours. Keep focus and be calm.

4. Smile and keep eye contact.

This is the most important thing, Smile and keep an eye contact. Whenever you are answering your questions at the interview, try to give a soft smile, let it be natural, let it be engaging. Don’t try to be too hated, don’t try to be too serious.

Don’t try to be sharp and don’t try to be anxious. Try to be yourself. Don’t go and give fake smile.

Also, when you are giving responses, keep an eye contact. Usually, in America people believe that when you cannot look them in their eyes and talk, it means you are not honest or you are lying about that thing you are talking about.

So it is important to keep an eye contact and give a soft smile, don’t think it, let it be natural.

5. Be Smart and don’t talk too much.

It is important to be aware that there are times you may be asked a question that you have no idea about or a question may be put to you in a way that will get you confused. Don’t worry. Try to be smart at that time.

Always, it is the smartest people who get their visa approved. Avoid talking too much. Always be brief and specific. Don’t forget to keep your confidence moderate. Don’t be overconfident or under-confident. Try to be yourself. It is not about life and death matter.

Don’t enter the interview room with the mindset that I must get this visa by all means and at all costs. Of course, that is what we all expect. But sometimes go into the interview room well relaxed and expecting all possibilities.

When you do that, it makes you relaxed, it makes you comfortable and it releases some tension of you, and that can go a long way in helping you in articulating your point.

I hope you will find this information useful. Thank you so much for reading this guide.

I wish you all the best as you go for your interview.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content 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.

The DV Lottery 2024 Opens October 5 to November 8, 2022. The list below shows the countries and areas whose natives are eligible for DV-2024 program, grouped by geographic region. Find out if your country is eligible for DV 2024.

Dependent areas overseas are included within the region of the governing country.  USCIS identified the countries whose natives are not eligible for the DV-2024 program according to the formula in Section 203(c) of the INA.

The countries whose natives are not eligible for the DV program (because they are the principal source countries of Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based immigration or “high-admission” countries) are noted after the respective regional lists.

List of Countries Eligible for DV-2024 Lottery Program

• AFRICA

Algeria

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Djibouti

Egypt*

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Gabon

The Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Morocco

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

South Sudan

Sudan

Tanzania

Togo

Tunisia

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

In Africa, natives of Nigeria are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program.

• ASIA

Afghanistan

Bahrain

Bhutan

Brunei

Burma

Cambodia

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Israel*

Japan***

Jordan*

Kuwait

Laos

Lebanon

Malaysia

Maldives

Mongolia

Nepal

North Korea

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

Sri Lanka

Syria*

Taiwan**

Thailand

Timor-Leste

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

*Persons born in the areas administered prior to June 1967 by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt are chargeable, respectively, to Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt.  Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt; persons born in the West Bank are chargeable to Jordan; persons born in the Golan Heights are chargeable to Syria.

** Macau S.A.R. (Europe region, chargeable to Portugal) and Taiwan (Asia region) do qualify and are listed.

For the purposes of the diversity program only, persons born in Macau S.A.R. derive eligibility from Portugal.

***Persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan.  Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia.

Natives of the following Asia Region countries are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program:

Bangladesh, China (including Hong Kong), India, Pakistan, South Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam.

• EUROPE

Albania

Andorra

Armenia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Belarus

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark (including components and dependent areas overseas)

Estonia

Finland

France (including components and dependent areas overseas)

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Kazakhstan

Kosovo

Kyrgyzstan

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macau Special Administrative Region**

North Macedonia

Malta

Moldova

Monaco

Montenegro

Netherlands (including components and dependent areas overseas)

Northern Ireland***

Norway (including components and dependent areas overseas)

Poland

Portugal (including components and dependent areas overseas)

Romania

Russia****

San Marino

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Tajikistan

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Vatican City

** Macau S.A.R. does qualify and is listed above and for the purposes of the diversity program only; persons born in Macau S.A.R. derive eligibility from Portugal.

***For purposes of the diversity program only, Northern Ireland is treated separately.  Northern Ireland does qualify and is listed among the qualifying areas.

**** Persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan.

Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia.

Natives of the following European countries are not eligible for this year’s DV program:  Great Britain (United Kingdom).  Great Britain (United Kingdom) includes the following dependent areas:  Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, St. Helena, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

• NORTH AMERICA  

The Bahamas

In North America, natives of Canada and Mexico are not eligible for this year’s DV program.

• OCEANIA  

Australia (including components and dependent areas overseas)

Fiji

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

The Federated States of Micronesia

Nauru

New Zealand (including components and dependent areas overseas)

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Samoa

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

• SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Barbados

Belize

Bolivia

Chile

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominica

Ecuador

Grenada

Guatemala

Guyana

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Suriname

Trinidad and Tobago

Uruguay

Countries in this region whose natives are not eligible for this year’s DV program:

Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Other Requirements to Apply and Win DV Lottery

• DV-2024 Lottery eligible countries list
• Two requirements that must be met before you can enter the DV-2024 Lottery
• Passport Not Required for DV-2024
• DV-2024 Lottery Photo Requirements
• Diversity visa lottery selection process | How do they select the winners?
• Documents Required After Winning DV (Green Card) Lottery

Source: Travel.State

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

The U.S Department of State Web site for the 2025 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2025) is now open, and allows those from countries with low U.S. immigration rates, who meet eligibility requirements, to enter for a chance to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa. In this guide, we will learn 5 Reasons You May be Disqualified from the DV Lottery.

The entry submission period for DV-2025 is from 12:00PM EDT (GMT -4) on October 4, 2023 to 12:00PM EST (GMT -5) on November 7, 2023. The entry form will only be available for submission during this period and this period only.

Interested individuals all who are eligible are encouraged to apply, including selectees who were unable to obtain a visa during a prior program year.

5 Reasons You May be Disqualified from the DV Lottery

Below are common reasons why your entry into the Diversity Visa Lottery could be disqualified:

1. Your Country is Not Eligible for the Lottery

You may be disqualified from the diversity visa DV Lottery program if you are not chargeable to an eligible country. Maybe you were not born in a country that qualifies you for the diversity visa.

Most countries in the world qualifies for this lottery. There are a list of countries who do not qualify and mainly it’s simply because those countries already have high rates of immigration to the United States.

• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are eligible to apply…..view list
• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply…..view list

The whole point of diversity visa is the U.S is trying to give an opportunity to people who come from countries that have low rates of immigration to the U.S. So if you come from a country that already has high rates of immigration, you do not qualify for the DV lottery.

2. You don’t have the required Education or Occupational (work) Experience to qualify for the visa lottery.

You may be disqualified from the diversity visa program if you lacks the required education or occupational experience.

Basically, in order to qualify for a diversity visa, you either have completed twelve years of schooling secondary level education, you’ve completed high school or you have to have at least two years’ experience in an occupation that requires a minimum of two years training for that occupation.

Find out more about filling Education and work experience.

So if you lack the education or if you lack the occupational experience, then you don’t qualify for the DV Lottery program.

3. You submit Multiple Entries.

You may be disqualified for the program if you tries to submit more than one entry. So each person is only allowed one entry to the diversity visa program, folks. Over 20 million people around the world each year apply for the DV Lottery program and only 55,000 people are going to get a diversity visa.

Those people who try to do shady things and submit extra application, if you submit more than one, you will be disqualified from the program.

Once you submit your application online, you will get an official confirmation number. That’s how you know that your entry has been received. Once you get that confirmation number, don’t submit another one.

Sometimes there are issues where an individual may submit one, and maybe they have their friend or relative or whatever in America or in another country submit another application, please don’t, because for each person, there can be only one submission.

It is perfectly fine for a married couple that each spouse submits their own and then lists the other person as their spouse, that’s totally allowed.

4. Your Photo is Non-compliant.

You may be disqualified from the diversity visa program if you don’t submit a compliant photo. You are required for each applicant to submit a photo, and the State Department is very specific about what should or should that be in the photo.

White or off-white background, it needs to be a color photo, No eyeglasses in the photo, no shadows in the photo and it has to be taken within six months.

Find out more about Photo Requirements for DV-2025 Lottery.

Check out the State Department website and make sure your photo is compliant.

5. You Submit Incorrect or Fraudulent Information

You may be disqualified from the diversity visa program if you fail to submit the right passport photo, or put information that is wrong, incorrect, or sometimes just fraudulent.

The application itself, the online application, takes about 30 minutes to an hour to complete. Make sure that the information that you’re putting there is accurate. If you’re married, put that you’re married and put your spouse’s information.

There is separate check boxes for those that are already married to U.S citizen or a permanent resident. Or married to someone who’s not a U.S citizen or permanent resident. If you have children, list all your children. Make sure that the information is accurate.

These are 5 Reasons You May be Disqualified from the DV Lottery. Applicants who are selected in the program (selectees) must meet simple but strict eligibility requirements to qualify for a DV.

Note: It is so important that you keep your confirmation number because that’s the only way you can check and see if you have been picked.

• How to Properly Fill Out the DV-2025 Lottery Application Form (DS-5501)…..Proceed Now

I hope this information has been helpful and you are aware of potential pitfalls. Best of luck to you as you submit your application for the lottery.

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice or DV. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

What is green card lottery? What is a diversity visa lottery? Green card or diversity visa lottery is one of the pathways, one of the methods of someone to become green card holder of the United States. Understand the Diversity Visa Program before you apply for the DV Lottery this year.

Green Card

Green card is the official nickname of permanent residence status of the United States of America. So when someone says I’m a green card holder, it means the person is a permanent resident of the United States of America.

Diversity Visa Lottery

The diversity visa lottery is a random selection of people who are supposed to apply, and if you win in that particular lottery, you become a permanent resident of the United States of America.

In the mid or early 1990s, the United States introduced something called diversity visa lottery. One of the objectives while diversity visa lottery program was established in the United States of America is to increase the diversity of the immigrants coming to live in the United States. The greatness of the United States is its diversity.

Diversity Visa Lottery Eligibility Countries

The countries which has low number of representation, the low number of immigrants and by immigrants in this context, according to the immigration law in the United States, immigrants are people who are permanent residents of the United States of America.

Countries with less than 50,000 immigrants, 50,000 people with green card and the green card obtained through family or through work, if in the last five years that country has more than 50,000, the country is not supposed to participate in the diversity visa lottery.

The countries with the low number of representations, low number of immigrants, low number of people with a green card based on family or work, those countries are eligible to apply for the diversity visa lottery.

The purpose is to bring more diversity from the countries with the low number of immigrants in the United States of America.

Diversity Visa Application Dates

Diversity visa lottery application is done on an annual basis (i.e each year). From first week of October to November is the application time and the results come out on the month of May, while the interviews start on October to start that particular fiscal year.

Diversity Visa FAQs

How long does it take to get a Diversity Visa?

The winners of the green card lottery are generally notified 7 months after applying. It can take up to 14 months to for the government to schedule your interview and issue your visa, depending on how soon you apply for your visa.

Can I enter the Diversity Visa lottery if I’m in the United States?

Yes, you may enter the green card lottery from anywhere, including from within the U.S.

Can my spouse and I each submit separate entries?

Yes, each spouse may submit their own Diversity Visa entry. If one of the spouses is selected, then the other spouse will qualify for a green card as your dependent.

What if I’ve lost my confirmation number?

You need your confirmation number to access the Entrant Status Check — the online portal where you see whether or not you’ve been selected. If you lose your confirmation number, you can retrieve it using the email address you used to register for the lottery.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information and educational purposes 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.

Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery Entry: Interested individuals who are eligible are encouraged to apply, including selectees who were unable to obtain a visa during a prior program year. The choice of winners of the U.S diversity visa lottery is completely random. In this guide, we will learn 5 Tips To Win America DV Lottery.

Diversity Visa Lottery program allow those from countries with low U.S immigration rates, who meet eligibility requirements, to enter for a chance to apply for a U.S immigrant visa.

For the 50,000 available visas each year, between 13 million to 20 million eligible people from various countries in the world apply.

Many people are always looking for ways to increase their chances of success. For example, some have tried entering more than once. This led the U.S Department of State to implement a system that automatically disqualifies anyone who submits multiple entries and the disqualification applies to ALL your applications.

READ NOW: All You Need To Know About 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery Application

You can, however, increase your family’s chances of becoming residents of the United States by various legal and acceptable means, which we’ll discuss in this article.

5 Tips To Win America Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery

1. Both Spouses, If Eligible, Should Enter the Diversity Visa Lottery Drawing

The best way to increase your family’s chances of success is to have all eligible family members register for the lottery. A winning applicant can bring both spouse and unmarried children under age 21.

For example, let’s say you and your spouse are both Irish citizens (citizens of Ireland), you both work in skilled jobs, and both graduated from secondary school (high school diploma). As a family, you now have two numbers that may win the lottery.

You can file one application under your name, and your spouse can file one application under his or her name. You will each receive a confirmation number. If one of you wins, the other enters as a derivative spouse.

It is important to remember that each person applying for a diversity visa must meet the eligibility requirements. Therefore, if your spouse does not meet the employment, country, or education requirements, he or she is not eligible to apply on his or her own.

2. Eligible Children Should Also Apply

There is no limit on how many eligible members of the same family may apply. If you have any children who have met the educational or work experience requirements (which usually requires them to be at least 16 to 18 years of age), those children should also enter the lottery. They won’t, if they win, be able to bring you to the U.S immediately; but they will start a path to helping you and other family members immigrate in the future.

For example: You and your 20-year-old son are eligible for diversity visas, and you both apply. Your son wins, but you do not. Your son enters the United States and becomes a lawful permanent resident. After five years of living in the U.S, your son can become a U.S citizen. As a U.S citizen, he can petition for you (considered his “immediate relative”) to become a resident of the United States.

Find out more about Which Children To Add As Derivatives in DV Lottery

3. Do Not Submit More Than One Lottery Application in the Same Registration Period

If you submit more than one application for the diversity lottery during one open-registration period, your applications will all be rejected.

While you cannot submit two applications under your name, spouses can each submit their own application and list their spouse as a derivative. This will increase each spouse’s chances of being selected, even though each person can apply only once.

4. Submit a Valid Photograph

You must submit a recent (taken within the last six months) photograph of yourself and your co-applicants. The photographs you submit must be taken facing forward and in front of a plain background. You cannot wear any hair covering unless it is for a religious purpose. Failure to submit a photograph that meets these regulations could result in the disqualification of your application. It’s usually easiest to find a professional to take the photo for you.

Find out DV Lottery Photo Requirements.

5. Pay attention to details.

Incase you don’t know, the smallest typos, grammatical errors, omissions, and associated errors in data input can and will disqualify you from participating in the Diversity Visa Lottery.

READ NOW: All You Need To Know About 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery Application

Note: The Only Official U.S EDV website is dvprogram.state.gov

Credit to: Quora

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

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.

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.

Are you a nonimmigrant in the U.S with an expired U.S visa? If so, in this guide you will learn how to travel in and out of the U.S with an expired U.S visa using the automatic visa revalidation rule.

You will also learn 6 best travel tips to follow when traveling using the Automatic Visa Revalidation Rule. So make sure to read this guide through to the end as you’re going to find this information very helpful.

What is Automatic Visa Revalidation?

The Automatic Visa Revalidation Rule is a U.S immigration policy that allows certain nonimmigrants to re-enter the U.S after traveling to Canada or Mexico for a period of 30 days or less with an expired U.S visa.

Automatic visa Revalidation Countries

If you are a nonimmigrant in an F or J visa status, you’re also allowed to visit adjacent Islands in the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico for a period of 30 days or less and be able to re-enter the U.S with an expired F or J visa.

These adjacent Islands in the Caribbean include countries such as Jamaica, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, San Pierre, and Trinidad, just to mention a few. For a full list of countries defined as adjacent Islands, you can use search engines to get more.

U.S nonimmigrant travelers who seek to use the Automatic Visa Revalidation Rule must have in their possession an unexpired admission stamp or paper form I-94 at the time they seek to re-enter the U.S.

Automatic Revalidation and Change of Status

The Automatic Visa Revalidation Rule is also applicable to nonimmigrants in the US who have changed their status but have not obtained a new U.S visa for the new status.

For example, if you successfully changed your F1 status to an H1B status but have not obtained an H1B visa;

• you’ll be able to re-enter the US with an expired F1 visa to be admitted into the H1B status or
• you could re-enter the US with your current F1 visa into an H1B status.

Who is eligible for Automatic Visa Revalidation?

Let’s talk about some required documents you must have in order to be eligible to re-enter the U.S using the Automatic Visa Revalidation.

• As mentioned earlier, you need to present a valid admission stamp or in the case of someone who entered the U.S at a land border crossing, you need to present a valid paper Form I-94. This admission stamp or paper form I-94 must show that your duration of stay in the U.S is unexpired.
• You must have a valid passport and an expired U.S visa, and it is okay if your current passport does not contain your expired U.S visa.
• For nonimmigrants in the F and J status, you must provide a valid Form I-20 or valid form DS-2019, respectively.
• Most importantly, you must have been absent from the U.S for a period of 30 days or less while visiting Canada or Mexico, and if you happen to be an F or J visa holder, you can also visit adjacent Islands, as discussed previously.
• In the case that you’ve been approved for change of status but have not obtained a new visa for the new status, you must present a Form I-797, Notice of Approval at the time of your re-entry into the US.
• You must have been in good standing and had maintained your U.S status at the time of your departure from the U.S.

Who is NOT eligible for Automatic Visa Revalidation?

Let’s talk about the category of nonimmigrants who are not allowed to use the automatic Visa Revalidation rule.

1. Nonimmigrants from countries listed as state sponsors of terrorism.

Nonimmigrants travelers from countries listed as State Sponsors of Terrorism are not allowed to use the automatic visa revalidation. The United States Department of State maintains an updated list of countries listed as State Sponsors of Terrorism.

2. Nonimmigrants who traveled outside of Canada or Mexico or an Adjacent Island during the 30-day absence from the US.

For example, a nonimmigrant traveler with an expired H1B visa holder who travels to Canada and then travels to Europe and comes back to Canada and tries to re-enter the U.S would not be able to use the Automatic Visa Revalidation Rule.

3. Nonimmigrant Who Applies for a U.S Visa during the 30-Day Absence

Applying for a U.S visa in Canada, Mexico, or an Adjacent Island country during your 30-day absence from the U.S immediately disqualifies you from using the automatic visa revalidation rule to re-enter the U.S.

In the event that you apply for a U.S visa during your 30-day absence and your visa is rejected, you would have to obtain a valid visa to re-enter the U.S.

Travel Tips when Using Automatic Visa Revalidation

Let now look at the six best travel tips to follow when traveling using the Automatic Visa Revalidation. These tips here are for educational purposes only.

Tip 1: Print out an article from the Department of Homeland Security’s website that explains the Automatic Visa Revalidation rule.

You always want to have this print out in your possession any time you encounter a U.S Customs official or an airline representative. You will get more information from the Homeland Security’s web page that explains the automatic visa revalidation.

You will found it easier to explain the Automatic Visa Revalidation rule to an airline representative who is not familiar with the rule by simply providing a print out from the Homeland securities web page that explains the automatic Visa revalidation.

Tip 2: Contact the airline you’re going to be flying and ask them if they have any restrictions against passengers who plan to use the automatic Visa Revalidation rule.

Some Airlines might have very strict policies that prevent anyone with an expired visa from even attempting to board a flight to the U.S, so you need to be aware of this information before planning your trip to depart the U.S.

Tip 3: If you happen to have a paper form I-94, you must not surrender your I-94 to any airline representative who asks you to.

This is because during your re-entry to the U.S, a Customs official will need to see your paper from I-94 in order to admit you back into the U.S.

Tip 4: Nonimmigrants who may have applied for a change of status and have been approved for a change of status but have not obtained a visa for the new visa status.

If you’ve been approved for a change of status but have not obtained a new visa for your new status, you need to make sure to be in possession of your form. I-797 Notice of Approval during your re-entry to the US.

Tip 5: Nonimmigrants should obtain a valid Travel Signature if you’re in an F and J status.

If you are in the F or J status, you should contact your designated school official (DSO) and obtain a travel signature prior to your departure from the U.S.

Note: Depending on your enrollment status, your travel signature may be valid for 1 year (for full-time students) or 6 months (for students on post-completion OPT).

Tip 6: Be polite and courteous when interacting with an airline official or U.S Customs Officer who may not be familiar with the Automatic Visa Revalidation Rule.

If you happen to come across an airline official or U.S Customs Officer who’s not familiar with this rule, you should politely ask to speak with a supervisor or someone more experienced who may be familiar with the automatic visa revalidation rule.

When you make your travel itinerary to return to the U.S using the automatic Visa revalidation rule, you should leave more time in your schedule for clearing customs and immigration.

This way you could exercise patience when dealing with airline representatives and customs officers and not panic about missing your flight.

Frequently asked question on Automatic Visa Revalidation Experience

Below is one commonly and frequently asked question which nonimmigrants travelers do ask:

Question: What can I expect at the U.S Port of Entry when using the automatic revalidation rule?

Answer: Re-entering the U.S Port of Entry using automatic revalidation is very similar to the entry experience of someone with a valid U.S visa.

The U.S Customs and Border Patrol Officer at the Primary Inspection booth would inspect your travel documents and would request you provide any other documents required for your visa to be revalidated.

Be prepared to answer questions about your trip and your nonimmigrant status.

If your primary inspection is successful, your passport will be stamped, indicating a visa revalidation date of the current date.

If you found this guide informative, please make sure you share it to your friends.

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 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 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.

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.

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.