SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
You only show it at interview so you don't need to worry about it for a long time yet. Can submit the DS260 without it.
All Ethiopian 2015 DV Winners Meet Here!
- Thread starter Ormania
- Start date
You only show it at interview so you don't need to worry about it for a long time yet. Can submit the DS260 without it.
amelekuru
Member
what a relive, thank you Susie. I was worrying much about that
Ormania
Active Member
Hi all!
WOW! am so proud of you the 2015 batch! So active and helping. Keep it up guys.
abi328, getting a new Ethiopian passport only takes 3 days. You will need your Kebele ID and some 300 birr. That is all. But if you have one already and want to renew it will take two days with same price. Good luck.
I have been off searching for tickets for my trip. I got a good offer from Emirate via Dubai. I bought a ticket from Addis to New York for 14,220 birr one way for September 17. For child it is 12,000 plus and infant 4,000 plus. all in all it costed me 44,206 birr for two adults, 1 infant and 1 child.
An advice, plan your flight months ahead if you want to save money. I will keep checking you now and then...you guys are good.
Cheers.
WOW! am so proud of you the 2015 batch! So active and helping. Keep it up guys.
abi328, getting a new Ethiopian passport only takes 3 days. You will need your Kebele ID and some 300 birr. That is all. But if you have one already and want to renew it will take two days with same price. Good luck.
I have been off searching for tickets for my trip. I got a good offer from Emirate via Dubai. I bought a ticket from Addis to New York for 14,220 birr one way for September 17. For child it is 12,000 plus and infant 4,000 plus. all in all it costed me 44,206 birr for two adults, 1 infant and 1 child.
An advice, plan your flight months ahead if you want to save money. I will keep checking you now and then...you guys are good.
Cheers.
Based on 2013 's and 2014 VB , I would say on Feb/ March . And no ,you do not need the AOS filled for the DS-260 , but for the interview .
I too am very happy to see how active the newcomers are. This forum has incredible support and information so I really hope you guys will stay active until every one of you has gone through the interview.
Just some points:
- The affidavit of support is generally not asked, so don't worry about it too much. If you have someone who can do it, take the document just in case, but otherwise, don't worry. No Ethiopian who interviewed this year was asked for AoS. I assume that DV2015 is not any different.
- Finish preparing your documents early - you need to translate documents that are not in English. You need original school records, original birth certificate, a valid passport, etc. You need to authenticate your high school documents only; it's unnecessary to authenticate documents other than ESLCE and transcript. Authentication takes only 1-2 days total.
- Check that your high school education meets the minimum requirements so that you don't have a nasty surprise in the future. If you want to qualify by work experience, you must check that the work meets the minimum requirements as well. There is a US government website that you have to check.
- Don't lie on your forms or at the interview, period! They will find out the truth one way or another, and you'll be banned for life from the US.
Good luck to all.
Just some points:
- The affidavit of support is generally not asked, so don't worry about it too much. If you have someone who can do it, take the document just in case, but otherwise, don't worry. No Ethiopian who interviewed this year was asked for AoS. I assume that DV2015 is not any different.
- Finish preparing your documents early - you need to translate documents that are not in English. You need original school records, original birth certificate, a valid passport, etc. You need to authenticate your high school documents only; it's unnecessary to authenticate documents other than ESLCE and transcript. Authentication takes only 1-2 days total.
- Check that your high school education meets the minimum requirements so that you don't have a nasty surprise in the future. If you want to qualify by work experience, you must check that the work meets the minimum requirements as well. There is a US government website that you have to check.
- Don't lie on your forms or at the interview, period! They will find out the truth one way or another, and you'll be banned for life from the US.
Good luck to all.
Britsimon
Super Moderator
Tew, I feel like a broken record on this subject, but perhaps you know something. You said "No Ethiopian who interviewed this year was asked for AoS." Do you know that for the thousands of interviews that have taken place or are you assuming that based on the handful of interview experiences people have posted here? I would assume it is the latter - in which case that is a dangerous assumption to make...
Hello Britsimon ,
could you comment on this :
on the ds-260 form , I did not write a place (address) I stayed for two weeks in my one year stay (same city) in Italy . Would the police certificate I would be required to bring from would include that (places stayed) ,and hence create a discrepancy with the form ? Should I send then a request to edit my ds-260 form ?
Thank you !
could you comment on this :
on the ds-260 form , I did not write a place (address) I stayed for two weeks in my one year stay (same city) in Italy . Would the police certificate I would be required to bring from would include that (places stayed) ,and hence create a discrepancy with the form ? Should I send then a request to edit my ds-260 form ?
Thank you !
Britsimon
Super Moderator
I meant on this forum specifically in that sentence. With that said, we're not the exceptions, which is what you're wondering.
This is because AoS or financial proof is not a standard requirement for Ethiopians interviewing in Ethiopia.
Here is the US Embassy in Ethiopia communique that lists required documents for DV interviews in 2015 - note that financial proof or AoS is not listed anywhere: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/ethiopia/956093/PDF Files/DV 2015 Info Handout.pdf.
It also explicitly states this: SPONSOR: You do NOT need a U.S. sponsor – or any sponsor – to qualify for the DV.
I know it's required in other countries though, and Ethiopians interviewing abroad definitely need to prepare financial documents. For example, the US Embassy in Moscow clearly states it requires financial proof: http://moscow.usembassy.gov/iv-diversity.html
What's causing confusion for Ethiopian selectees of recent years is that it used to be required until quite recently (maybe DV2009?), so people assume it still is the case. I myself had a hard time accepting it and ended up preparing 2 AoS even though I knew that the chances of being asked were pretty much nil. And I was right. There were no questions about finances that were asked.
Like I said in that post, if they can get an AoS, they should do so for their peace of mind. If they have children, etc, it's probably a good idea to do so just in case.
I hope it's clearer now
eta: I forgot to state that I had actually directly emailed the embassy months before my interview to ask about form I-134, and I was told that I just needed to state the sponsor's name on the relevant spot in the DS forms.
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The police certificate takes only two days (one to give your prints, the other to pick it up). You need your appointment letter though, so you have to wait until your number is current.
On the morning of the first day, you give fingerprints after handing them a copy of your appointment letter, 1 passport photo and making the payment. It takes 10-20 min depending on how many people there are. The next day at 1 pm (sebat se'at malet new), you pick up the certificate after showing an ID. It takes another 5 min.
Easy and painless.
It's at the Police Forensics office behind the Immigration Office.
The document is in Amharic and English so no need for translation.
On the morning of the first day, you give fingerprints after handing them a copy of your appointment letter, 1 passport photo and making the payment. It takes 10-20 min depending on how many people there are. The next day at 1 pm (sebat se'at malet new), you pick up the certificate after showing an ID. It takes another 5 min.
Easy and painless.
It's at the Police Forensics office behind the Immigration Office.
The document is in Amharic and English so no need for translation.
Britsimon
Super Moderator
Tew, you are getting terminology mixed up and therefore jumping to the wrong conclusion.
There are types of immigration cases that require a sponsor (Family based or employment based for example). For those, a sponsor is the person the person who is making an application of behalf of a beneficiary - and is therefore the sponsor. A sponsor is NOT required in any DV lottery case - that is NOT country specific it is because the DV selectees do not have a sponsor in the way that EB or FB cases have.
Now then, people get mixed up (as you have) between a sponsor and a person providing an affidavit of support. The fact is that in ALL DV cases (Ethiopia and everywhere else) the CO has to be consider whether the selectee will or will not become a public charge. That is not stated because it is a standard rule and the pdf you provided does not cover all the rules. Some embassies are explcit about needing it, but NO embassy will say it is not needed, because they cannot make a statement that is contrary to the rules.
Now, in order to satisfy the requirement the CO may ask for evidence that the selectee can support themselves. They can do that in a number of ways (bank statements, job offer in the US, or an I-134. The CO is more or less likely to ask for that depending on the circumstances of the selectee. I can accept that it might be rare for a CO to ask for this proof, but it must happen sometimes and it is NOT something that has changed ion some official way - the law has not changed. However, making a blanket statement that it would not be asked for based on the handful of cases here or your own experience is not a good idea. I'm glad that you framed your advice in a way that suggest people should get it if they need it. The reality is, any selectee will need some resources to make their way in the US as there are very few ways to get support here.
There are types of immigration cases that require a sponsor (Family based or employment based for example). For those, a sponsor is the person the person who is making an application of behalf of a beneficiary - and is therefore the sponsor. A sponsor is NOT required in any DV lottery case - that is NOT country specific it is because the DV selectees do not have a sponsor in the way that EB or FB cases have.
Now then, people get mixed up (as you have) between a sponsor and a person providing an affidavit of support. The fact is that in ALL DV cases (Ethiopia and everywhere else) the CO has to be consider whether the selectee will or will not become a public charge. That is not stated because it is a standard rule and the pdf you provided does not cover all the rules. Some embassies are explcit about needing it, but NO embassy will say it is not needed, because they cannot make a statement that is contrary to the rules.
Now, in order to satisfy the requirement the CO may ask for evidence that the selectee can support themselves. They can do that in a number of ways (bank statements, job offer in the US, or an I-134. The CO is more or less likely to ask for that depending on the circumstances of the selectee. I can accept that it might be rare for a CO to ask for this proof, but it must happen sometimes and it is NOT something that has changed ion some official way - the law has not changed. However, making a blanket statement that it would not be asked for based on the handful of cases here or your own experience is not a good idea. I'm glad that you framed your advice in a way that suggest people should get it if they need it. The reality is, any selectee will need some resources to make their way in the US as there are very few ways to get support here.
If you need a new copy of your ESLCE or other such educational document, it also takes a very short amount of time. It's at the Exam Records office of the MoE in front of the Patriarch's residence. You submit your application and receive the document the same day. If you submit the request early in the day, they'll tell you to come back at 4:30pm to pick it up. If you submit your request just before 3:30pm, you will get it by 5-5:30pm at the same time as those who submitted earlier. It allows you to finish everything in one trip instead of returning later.
Follow the exact same steps to authenticate the ESLCE certificate.
Then you need to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Kazanchis (close to the ceramics shops), in order to do the 2nd authentication. Normally it's too late to do it the same day, so go the next morning. It takes less than 5 minutes.
Follow the exact same steps to authenticate the ESLCE certificate.
Then you need to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Kazanchis (close to the ceramics shops), in order to do the 2nd authentication. Normally it's too late to do it the same day, so go the next morning. It takes less than 5 minutes.
I think you are the one jumping to conclusions here Britsimon. I even posted my email conversation with the embassy where they pretty clearly said I just need her name put on DS230, and not I-134, and I posted the list of required documents which don't mention financial documents at all.
I know that the DV is self-sponsored. I've even posted something to that same effect some months ago in response to someone's post. With that said, someone providing an AoS is a financial sponsor - that's what I'm talking about. There's no confusion, in terminology or otherwise.
Yes the CO will consider whether someone will be a public charge or not, but it's not determined the same way in every country. If it was solely based on finances, all Ethiopians would be asked by default, yet they don't do that anymore. However, they used to a few years ago. I have 2 family members who previously migrated through DV visas (in separate years), and they were both required to present an AoS from a US citizen. It was an absolute requirement to pass a DV interview, the way it's noted on the Moscow embassy link - it was not something the CO asked only if he felt like it.
It's no longer the case for some reason, and hasn't been in a few years.
I think it's important to acknowledge that even though the DV is one lottery, each US embassy takes local circumstances into consideration when setting specific rules. So what may happen in London or Kuala Lumpur may not apply to Addis Ababa. That's why I directly emailed the Embassy and stated I-134 explicitly, in order to hear it from the horse's mouth. They clearly replied the sponsor's information (i.e. where I will live) needs to be noted on DS 230 ONLY. They too used the word 'sponsor' in their reply so clearly it was not a terminology mistake on my end.
If the Addis Ababa US Embassy's word on what documents are required for Addis Ababa interviews is not good enough, then I don't know.
This year's applicants should also email the Embassy regarding form I-134, and see what they say. That's the prudent thing to do.
eta: for comparison's sake, here is the US Embassy Addis Ababa's handout for Immigrant Visas (other than DV): http://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/pk 3 supplements/ADD - Addis Ababa
They have explicitly explained what financial support documents they need. They could have done the same for DV, but they haven't.
Bottom line: email the embassy and get their official response. If they give you a similar reply to what I received (i.e. not needed), print and take with you to the interview as proof. In any case, if you can get an AoS, do so. It's always better to be over-prepared. In the highly unusual event they ask for financial proof (and you don't have an AoS), you can ask them to give you time to get an AoS. They'll more than likely let you submit the document after your interview considering they never listed it on their list of requirements.
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Britsimon
Super Moderator
The response you got from the embassy DOES NOT say the I134 is not needed at all! You are reading something into their reply that isn't there and then making broad statements based on, as I said before, a handful of interview experiences. Your bottom line "plan" will work really badly in the last couple of months of the lottery in (another) year where there are more qualified selectees than available visas. So, I hope people reading your comments decide to listen to the parts where you correctly advise people to over prepare.