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Successful !!!! Thankyou all !!

M

mandb

Registered Users (C)
Hi Everyone.

It's been a long ride, as everyone in the DV Lottery knows it is....
For us, it has been a nerve-racking roller coaster ride of uncertainty and apprehension. Qualifiying on work experience has not been well documented here, or in any other forums and that made it all the more intimidating.

End result.... Success !! We are so excited and relieved !!
Now we have received our Visas and are preparing for the big move to The U.S.

This forum and all those here who have provided info have been a huge help and for that we are so very grateful.
Although we are now going to be very busy preparing for the next phase in our lives, I plan to visit as often as time allows to offer help and any advice I can to anyone with upcoming interviews and/or questions.

We would especially like to thank Britsimon for his encouraging and informative comments. You have been very reassuring in our times of doubt and worry. Thankyou so much and best of luck to you !! :)

Thankyou also to Sm1smom, Momo1980 and all others who have helped us with advice along the way. It is very much appreciated !! :)

Best of luck to you all with getting your DV's and beginning your new lives in the U.S. :)
 
Congrats, it was expected since they told you to bring the passport. You will hug America soon. Thank you for helping members of this forum, our prayers are with you as you prepare to leave.
 
mandb said:
Hi Everyone.

It's been a long ride, as everyone in the DV Lottery knows it is....
For us, it has been a nerve-racking roller coaster ride of uncertainty and apprehension. Qualifiying on work experience has not been well documented here, or in any other forums and that made it all the more intimidating.

End result.... Success !! We are so excited and relieved !!
Now we have received our Visas and are preparing for the big move to The U.S.

This forum and all those here who have provided info have been a huge help and for that we are so very grateful.
Although we are now going to be very busy preparing for the next phase in our lives, I plan to visit as often as time allows to offer help and any advice I can to anyone with upcoming interviews and/or questions.

We would especially like to thank Britsimon for his encouraging and informative comments. You have been very reassuring in our times of doubt and worry. Thankyou so much and best of luck to you !! :)

Thankyou also to Sm1smom, Momo1980 and all others who have helped us with advice along the way. It is very much appreciated !! :)

Best of luck to you all with getting your DV's and beginning your new lives in the U.S. :)
Click to expand...

I am so frickin happy to hear this!!!! Your case (in my eyes) was looking like a very sad case until you mentioned Mrs mandbs' work experience and even then, it was tight given the relatively short period of time in a qualifying role (and lack of degree in that field). so - I am obviously thrilled for you, but also this case was about the minimum position where you could "win". So in a sense it is a benchmark.

Having said all that I am sure you must have prepared your evidence very well, and when the CO sits down with you it is partly (I believe) a decision about the candidates themselves (whether they can make it). You both obviously came across very well, so you should feel proud of yourselves for that.

I want to provide links to a couple of "your" threads so that people reading this in the future can cross reference and understand your position. I hope you don't mind.

Also, if you have a moment could you describe how you presented your case - were there were pieces of proof that seemed to carry good weight?

http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?558819-Education-Requirement-Clarification-Please


http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?559396-Qualifying-for-DV-by-Work-Experience
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Congrats pal. By the looks of it you had to overcome a big hurdle to make this happen. Enjoy the ride!
 
I really want to join the endless list of good friends to wish you the best as you prepare to set off to the US. Congrats and may God richly bless you.

Good luck
 
Congratulations! All the best to you, keep us posted, it's great to hear positive stories like yours!
 
Thankyou everyone. :)
As Britsimon mentioned, it really was a case of "getting accross the line" and we are so very relieved we did !!

This forum and the helpful people here were a huge factor in our success and I look forward to being able to put something back by helping others if I am able to.
Good luck to all you 2014 selectees !! :)
 
britsimon said:
I am so frickin happy to hear this!!!! Your case (in my eyes) was looking like a very sad case until you mentioned Mrs mandbs' work experience and even then, it was tight given the relatively short period of time in a qualifying role (and lack of degree in that field). so - I am obviously thrilled for you, but also this case was about the minimum position where you could "win". So in a sense it is a benchmark.

Having said all that I am sure you must have prepared your evidence very well, and when the CO sits down with you it is partly (I believe) a decision about the candidates themselves (whether they can make it). You both obviously came across very well, so you should feel proud of yourselves for that.

I want to provide links to a couple of "your" threads so that people reading this in the future can cross reference and understand your position. I hope you don't mind.

Also, if you have a moment could you describe how you presented your case - were there were pieces of proof that seemed to carry good weight?

http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?558819-Education-Requirement-Clarification-Please


http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?559396-Qualifying-for-DV-by-Work-Experience
Click to expand...

Hi Britsimon.

More than happy for you to provide the links to those threads concerning our case.... I hope it is helpful to others on the forum. :)

You are right about preparation of evidence. I believe it was absolutely crucial !!
We prepared the most thorough and comprehensive case we could, taking primary evidence (which we presented) as well as back up (plan B and plan C) evidence, which didn't end up coming into play. We prepared ourselves to keep presenting further evidence if needed until the CO was convinced and unable to refute the case.
In the end, the first lot of evidence we supplied was enough.

We made a special effort to present ourselves well and that may well have been another factor....
Nothing over the top, but we dressed smartly and in a way that showed we were serious, we really wanted this and we respected the situation.

Regarding the actual evidence....
It's difficult to say if any particular document held good weight, as we were asked to take a seat while the CO looked through everything.
After about 10 minutes we were called back to the window, asked a couple of questions about our plans for life in The U.S. and were then approved.

Mrs mandb does have qualifications in her field, so we provided those. (1 Diploma and 3 job specific certifications).
She had 2 jobs spanning the required time in the occupation, so we compiled evidence for each of those jobs.
It mainly consisted of:
* Letters from her direct managers explaining her duties etc backed up with Affidavits.
* Letters from other senior colleagues.
* An outline of how her duties compared to O*Net.

We presented everything nicely ordered with a cover sheet.
The fact that she was a Government employee probably helped and her occupation being "Bright Oulook" according to O*Net may have contributed to the decision.

I think you are right about this case being a sort of "Benchmark". It goes to show that if you prepare well and cover all your bases, there is a good chance of success and the "Human Element" definitely plays a big part in the outcome. :)

Thanks again for your encouraging words and advice !! :)
 
mandb said:
Hi Britsimon.

More than happy for you to provide the links to those threads concerning our case.... I hope it is helpful to others on the forum. :)

You are right about preparation of evidence. I believe it was absolutely crucial !!
We prepared the most thorough and comprehensive case we could, taking primary evidence (which we presented) as well as back up (plan B and plan C) evidence, which didn't end up coming into play. We prepared ourselves to keep presenting further evidence if needed until the CO was convinced and unable to refute the case.
In the end, the first lot of evidence we supplied was enough.

We made a special effort to present ourselves well and that may well have been another factor....
Nothing over the top, but we dressed smartly and in a way that showed we were serious, we really wanted this and we respected the situation.

Regarding the actual evidence....
It's difficult to say if any particular document held good weight, as we were asked to take a seat while the CO looked through everything.
After about 10 minutes we were called back to the window, asked a couple of questions about our plans for life in The U.S. and were then approved.

Mrs mandb does have qualifications in her field, so we provided those. (1 Diploma and 3 job specific certifications).
She had 2 jobs spanning the required time in the occupation, so we compiled evidence for each of those jobs.
It mainly consisted of:
* Letters from her direct managers explaining her duties etc backed up with Affidavits.
* Letters from other senior colleagues.
* An outline of how her duties compared to O*Net.

We presented everything nicely ordered with a cover sheet.
The fact that she was a Government employee probably helped and her occupation being "Bright Oulook" according to O*Net may have contributed to the decision.

I think you are right about this case being a sort of "Benchmark". It goes to show that if you prepare well and cover all your bases, there is a good chance of success and the "Human Element" definitely plays a big part in the outcome. :)

Thanks again for your encouraging words and advice !! :)
Click to expand...

Fantastic. It sounds like you were prepared to bury them with evidence if needed! Awesome job!

Thanks for the detailed explanation of what you presented. I think that is extremely useful information for anyone that is in a similar situation. As you know, there aren't many such detailed success stories out there for work experience cases.

So now some more planning needs to be done - planning your move to the States - how cool!
 
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