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If it says you can get it with a green card, get the visitors insurance then.

Green card coverage.

I used it until I found a job. It was good. We only had to use it once (kid's ear infection) and ended up being out of pocket less than $50.

Ok, whatever you think is fine.

Democrats hate the diversity lottery as much as the Republicans. At some stage, it will go.

Yes, it is.

Happens with every President. Bread and circuses.

We're in Charlotte, NC. Quite a few Aussie DV-ers end up here: low cost of living (going up now that Charlotte is booming) but high wages thanks to the Fortune 500s located here. Plus there's the Research Triangle in Raleigh / Durham / NC State.

The check you have isn't sufficient. Your check needs to include both unspent and spent records (select 33 when doing the check via the AFP website). There's plenty of us who have used the name check and gotten our GCs. It's fine.

Good idea to get a re-entry permit. Go back to Oz, get some work experience until your belt. You can be out for two years with a re-entry permit and then come back in when you're more stable. That way, you're not giving up your dream. You're just deferring it for a while.

I wouldn't give up just yet. If this is a long held dream, three months is a fairly short time to be wanting to throw the towel in.

I think it's unfair to say this is not the land of opportunity, given so many can and do make it. I have an Aussie friend for whom it took six months to get that first job. Sorry it didn't work out for you.

I second what @Britsimon says. I took a hefty pay drop and level drop in my first role. Now, I'm close to what I was earning back in Australia - except that I don't pay nearly as much in tax so I come out with more in hand. :-)

I'm guessing you mean October 2017 for the birth, otherwise I'd be referring you to a doctor immediately. :) 1. Yes 2. No 3. Yes 4. Your child HAS to enter the US before the expiry date on his visa in order to 'activate' it and become a permanent resident. Otherwise, he loses the green card...

There won't be a second draw. DV2018 already has more than enough selectees.

Congratulations @Hulacakes!

As @SusieQQQ said, most employers will subsidize your insurance. We pay $400 a month for our insurance (including dental and optometry). My employer pays the balance of $700. I was paying close to $500 a month in Australia for private health insurance plus Medicare Levy, so it's working out...

You don't have to legally change the name. But it helps in situations like this because the birth certificate then has all known legal names on it. I've changed my name twice and have always done it via Births, Deaths and Marriages just to keep a legal record of the date of the change. As...

Definitely do not file taxes without a professional's. I don't know how those who use Turbo Tax are declaring their superannuation and foreign bank accounts, nor how they are complying with FBAR requirements. Especially when it comes to getting citizenship down the road, it's better to keep...

I had a mix of things in maiden and married name. But I'd changed my name legally at Births, Deaths and Marriage so the changes are recorded formally and sit on my birth certificate. Did you change it legally? Pets are easy to bring across. We had friends who brought theirs over for around...