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2011 DV Lottery Winners from Australia Report Here!

Congratulations LibertyMan!

If it's not too personal a question, what did you mean by your forms not being 'fully completed'? We have yet to have our medicals (in fact we have yet to become current!), and are anxious about any delays given we hope to get there and settled before the new school year starts in September..

Congrats again,
Tamara.
 
Thanks for the update Superkruz - that's great news! Can I ask what documentation you needed to provide? I'm not sure if I 'need' to carry my Australian birth certificate with me (I'd prefer not to), or if my Australian passport and driver's license will be enough.

LibertyMan - congratulations!
 
Dear All,

Congratulations to all that had their successful interviews and to all of us still awaiting interviews,we shall find the favour of God and VISA GRANTED in JESUS NAME,AMEN.

Please remember in prayer as i prayer for my interview coming up 15th march 2011 that the favour of GOD shall rest upon me and my wife and grant us VISA SUCCESSFUL interview in JESUS NAME,AMEN.

The favour of GOD shall fall upon all of us awaiting interviews on this forum in JESUS NAME,AMEN.

WE SHALL TESTIFY TO THE GOODNESS OF GOD ON THIS FORUM,AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
 
Ack! said:
Thanks for the update Superkruz - that's great news! Can I ask what documentation you needed to provide? I'm not sure if I 'need' to carry my Australian birth certificate with me (I'd prefer not to), or if my Australian passport and driver's license will be enough.
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Ack, It was quite painless and simple. All I had with me was my Australian passport that contained my Diversity Visa with an entry stamp on it - no other documents required.
Just be sure that you have a mailing address (where the cards can be sent to) that is in the same state as where you apply. Because I applied in California I had to to give a California mailing address - they would not accept my application that had a Florida address on it, so I quickly had to find a long lost friend who lives in California.
 
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TamaraM said:
Congratulations LibertyMan!

If it's not too personal a question, what did you mean by your forms not being 'fully completed'? We have yet to have our medicals (in fact we have yet to become current!), and are anxious about any delays given we hope to get there and settled before the new school year starts in September..

Congrats again,
Tamara.
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Thanks Tamara.

My physician forgot to complete a part of the medical forms which led to a delay in processing my application until this information was completed. Just make sure you don't leave your medicals nor police check to the last minute to avoid a stressful situation like I encountered.

Can anyone link me to a page which indicates what I have to do upon entry to the US? I seem to have misplaced that form :(

I know I have to apply for selective service however I see Ack! and Superkruz discussing applying for a SSN...


Thanks

LibertyMan
 
Libertyman,
To enter the US you must have your yellow envelope with you and obviously your passport with visa.
Once in the USA you have 30 days to register with selective service-only if you're between 18 and 26 years of age though. If you have a Social security number you can register online, otherwise you can register by going to a US postal office and submitting an application in person (without a social security number that is).
It is also a good idea to register with Social security as you will need this to get a job and for many other things in the US. Once you have the Social security number you must notify selective service of your social security number.
You may also want to open a bank account. I opened one without a social security number at Bank of America.
Other than that it is up to you whether you want to obtain a drivers license, a place to stay, etc.

You can find the Guide for New Immigrants here. This should tell you all you need to know about settling in the USA.
 
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Thanks Superkruz - it all sounds quite straightforward which is nice to know! Was your passport enough ID to open a bank account?

FYI for anyone who needs/wants to know whether they'd checked xyz box on their forms, Sydney IV ended up responding to my email after all.
 
Thanks Superkruz. Much appreciated. I was aware of the yellow envelope and passport, will be taking my chest xrays too.
 
For May, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2011 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:

Region All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately
AFRICA 42,000 Except: Egypt 31,200
Ethiopia 26,200
Nigeria 15,450

ASIA 23,500
EUROPE 27,800
NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) 12
OCEANIA 1,175
SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN 1,150
 
LibertyMan said:
Thanks Superkruz. Much appreciated. I was aware of the yellow envelope and passport, will be taking my chest xrays too.
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You're quite right. You are suppose to take the x-rays too - the instruction letter does mention that. I am not sure why you should take them though as they dont look at it at the POE. Rather be safe than sorry is a good approach I guess.
 
Slightly off topic but what is life in Australia like compared to the United States? I have an Australian girlfriend, she likes living in Canada and has visited the States but has said both countries do not compare to back home which is amazing over there. So what's your opinions about life in Australia compared to the States?
 
LoveAmerica said:
Slightly off topic but what is life in Australia like compared to the United States?. So what's your opinions about life in Australia compared to the States?
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Life in Australia is great.... no wonder they call it the "lucky country". Cime rate is very low, unemployment rate is low, economy is doing well, weather is good etc. I havent lived in the US (just been for a visit) but I dont think there is any comparison.
 
Superkruz said:
Life in Australia is great.... no wonder they call it the "lucky country". Cime rate is very low, unemployment rate is low, economy is doing well, weather is good etc. I havent lived in the US (just been for a visit) but I dont think there is any comparison.
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Ahh ok but then I'm confused, why the move to the US? I actually did lots of research on Australia and the unemployment rate is very low in Australia in the 5% margin compared to the 9.7% rate America has now. If it's great there why moving to a country with a worse economy? Nothing against it but still just wondering. I would like to visit Australia one day
 
LoveAmerica said:
Ahh ok but then I'm confused, why the move to the US?
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I keep asking myself whether I should move or stay put. The only reason why I am considering a move to the US is because I "won" an American Green card in the Diversity Visa lottery. I was in LA for a week last month and was not impressed by what the US had to offer but I also dont want to give up my permanent residence status in the US. I am an Australian citizen and can always come back if things dont work out for me in the US, so maybe I should give it a go?
 
Hi LoveAmerica

For us, moving to the US from Australia is really a dream come true. We have visited a few times now, and have always wanted the opportunity to experience living there - New York in particular. We have no idea how permanent this will be - we have 2 school-aged children to consider - but for the next couple of years we are feeling extremely lucky to be able to call the US our 'home' (interview pending!).

Sometimes a person just wants to experience 'different', if that makes sense :)

Cheers,
Tamara.
 
Superkruz said:
I keep asking myself whether I should move or stay put. The only reason why I am considering a move to the US is because I "won" an American Green card in the Diversity Visa lottery. I was in LA for a week last month and was not impressed by what the US had to offer but I also dont want to give up my permanent residence status in the US. I am an Australian citizen and can always come back if things dont work out for me in the US, so maybe I should give it a go?
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My 0.2 cents.

Like Supercruz, I have asked myself the same question re: should i stay or go.

If I ever had to make the choice between the US or AUS, i would not skip a heart beat making that choice. AUS!!!

However, I am a AUS citizen so i don't have to make that choice.

Winning the lottery and getting a Green Card is a heck of an opportunity! to broaden your horizons, experience something new and exciting while you can.
To see places and meet people you otherwise would not.

You only live once, and are young enough to make these decisions! It is this that will probably see my wife and son uprooting for a time.

However, Australia is always going to be where i consider home, and where i will come back to.

Cheers,
AJK
 
LoveAmerica said:
Ahh ok but then I'm confused, why the move to the US? I actually did lots of research on Australia and the unemployment rate is very low in Australia in the 5% margin compared to the 9.7% rate America has now. If it's great there why moving to a country with a worse economy? Nothing against it but still just wondering. I would like to visit Australia one day
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My immediate family are all in Australia. I have a job here which pays decently, good friends, and love the fact that an Australian "winter" isn't actually that cold.

Winning the lottery has given me a chance I would not otherwise have had - to go and experience life in the US, to be able to live, work, and play there, pretty much without restriction. Granted, life in Australia is pretty fantastic - I just don't want to be thinking "what if?", if i happened not to jump on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Knowing that I can always come back also helps - it would be a much more difficult decision if this wasn't the case.
 
Definitely, TamaraM - not a decision I could make lightly otherwise! Have you heard about a date yet?

Open question to anyone who has gone over to 'activate' and then come back before making the more permanent move - I've heard that it's really at the IO's discretion as to how much scrutiny you're given when you arrive back in the States, but is there any kind of guideline as to how long you can be away? Understand that if you're going to be gone for an extended period (a year or so), you can fill out a different form beforehand, but I've recently had to consider going over to activate and then coming back to Sydney for 3 months before making the move (work-related issues) - has anyone gone through this? I understand no-one can guarantee the exact same treatment and that it's really on a case-by-case level, but it'd be nice to hear your experience if you've gone through this :)
 
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