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ASAP!Help from PREFERABLY Australians (or others) who have been through INTERVIEW process.Education?

america101

Registered Users (C)
Hello,

I need some information on the Interview process for winners of the DV Lottery, preferably from Australians who have won and subsequently been interviewed for the DV lottery.

I am an Australian citizen, born and bred. No medical problems, never been in trouble with the law (never even TALKED to a police officer). I have never been married and have no children. I have applied for DV Lottery-2014. As you all probably know, the drawing process will begin May 1st this year.

Now, I have a question for people who know about this or have been through it. I need to know this: How are your HIGH SCHOOL CERTIFICATE documents checked during the interview? I mean, do they verify the authenticity of it or do they just look at it right there in front of you while you are conversing with them?

Can someone please tell me whether the interviewer (or anybody) calls the Education Department or the High School you attended and verifies the information or do they just look at the certificate itself that you provided and that's it? Basically, I'm asking is it a really "extensive checking process" in relation to checking the education documents or do they just look/glance at it themselves?

NEED HELP ASAP. Thankyou very much for your time!! Any help greatly appreciated. :)
 
Can someone please tell me whether the interviewer (or anybody) calls the Education Department or the High School you attended and verifies the information or do they just look at the certificate itself that you provided and that's it? Basically, I'm asking is it a really "extensive checking process" in relation to checking the education documents or do they just look/glance at it themselves?
Nobody knows what they do with the documents as they take it from you and "check" you documents while you take a seat and wait to be called. I am pretty sure however that they don't call anybody to confirm the information contained in the documents. I say this because I had my interview in Sydney at 10am, and it would not have been possible for them to check my school certificate at that time, as I attended school in South Africa and it was already outside office hours in South Africa at the time I gave them my documents. I'm sure they just glance over them to ensure they seem legit and that the names etc. correspond.
 
Nobody knows what they do with the documents as they take it from you and "check" you documents while you take a seat and wait to be called. I am pretty sure however that they don't call anybody to confirm the information contained in the documents. I say this because I had my interview in Sydney at 10am, and it would not have been possible for them to check my school certificate at that time, as I attended school in South Africa and it was already outside office hours in South Africa at the time I gave them my documents. I'm sure they just glance over them to ensure they seem legit and that the names etc. correspond.

ah, I see. Thankyou very much for your reply! that helped me a lot. Anyone else with information/experience would greatly appreciate too. Thanks again :)
 
ah, I see. Thankyou very much for your reply! that helped me a lot. Anyone else with information/experience would greatly appreciate too. Thanks again :)

Why are you worried about your HS certificate if it is bona fide? You are supposed to send your docs before interview, no? They have plenty of time to check if that's what they want to do.
 
Why are you worried about your HS certificate if it is bona fide? You are supposed to send your docs before interview, no? They have plenty of time to check if that's what they want to do.

Where did you hear you are supposed to send documents before an interview? Just wondering because I am not 100% sure of the whole process.
 
As an Australian who I assumed has completed your schooling here, you probably have a HSC certificate or if younger, a VCE or other States equivalent. Are you concerned about your grades contained in the certificate? Providing you have proof from the Education Department that you have successfully completed your 12th year of study (via a year 12 certificate) then you should be fine. Can you elaborate what the issue is? I agree with AOS13, if you make it through to interview, the last thing you want is not having the proof, as another Aussie on the forum sadly found out.

Anyway, I am not speaking from experience, I haven't been selected (yet) but like many Aussies on here, I have read a LOT!

All the best to you come May 1.

Q
 
I'm an Aussie DV winner (DV2013) and I had my interview last month, in Montreal, as I am living in Canada for now.

I did not see or hear any verifying of documents going on. They just carefully and meticulously went through each of my documents, comparing the original with the copy I provided. They then put the originals in one pile, and the photocopies in another pile. At the end of the document-checking process (the first person you see at the interview does this), I was handed back my originals and they clipped together and kept the copies for themselves. This pile of copied documents was then given to the person who did the actual interview, with him going over each document again, in front of us, while typing away on his computer. What he was typing ... who knows? but there was a lot of typing!

I don't know if anyone called anyone to verify anything but I highly doubt it. The time difference between Montreal and where I got my education would have made that impossible. I'm sure they are trained and experienced to know what a bona fide identity/qualification document should look like, on the spot. If anything looked suss, I'm sure they'd verify if your explanation wasn't satisfactory.

And I did not have to send my documents in first. That might be for other situations or countries, I don't know, but I only had to arrive with my documents in my hand, as those who interviewed in Sydney also did.

Don't panic. You haven't even been selected yet. At the end of the whole experience, I wondered to myself what the heck I was stressing about in the first place. The interview was so easy and no drama afterall. The only dramas were in my silly head :D

Good luck.
 
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And I did not have to send my documents in first. That might be for other situations or countries, I don't know, but I only had to arrive with my documents in my hand, as those who interviewed in Sydney also did.

That's interesting to know. In a lot of countries, people send their documents weeks in advance. As far as I can see, it is the case for immigrant visas in Sydney too, maybe just not for DV.

The thing is, OP was very particular about asking if they check for authenticity, that's a bit suspicious. If there are enough people who'll try funny stuff, it'll only ruin the experience for the rest. In a certain country (that shall remain nameless) people are having hard time getting their visitor visas now, only because others who got their visas before abused that privilege and overstayed their visas as if it's some kind of a game. As a result the embassy has no choice but apply stricter rules and deny a lot more people now. It'd be a pity to see more people put in AP in Sydney because a few ruined it for them.
 
That's interesting to know. In a lot of countries, people send their documents weeks in advance. As far as I can see, it is the case for immigrant visas in Sydney too, maybe just not for DV.

Yes, perhaps it is for other types of visas. All the Australian DV experiences I've read over the years had the selectee arrive at the Sydney Consulate with their documents, in the exact order specified in the letter/email. In the email they sent me about 3 weeks prior to my appointment in Montreal, they specifically said to bring the listed documents with me to the interview. There was never any instruction to send them in beforehand. Perhaps because it is easier in certain countries to just visually verify the documents right there and then due to standardization and similarities to American documents?

The thing is, OP was very particular about asking if they check for authenticity, that's a bit suspicious. If there are enough people who'll try funny stuff, it'll only ruin the experience for the rest. In a certain country (that shall remain nameless) people are having hard time getting their visitor visas now, only because others who got their visas before abused that privilege and overstayed their visas as if it's some kind of a game. As a result the embassy has no choice but apply stricter rules and deny a lot more people now. It'd be a pity to see more people put in AP in Sydney because a few ruined it for them.

Hmmm, yes, it's a bit puzzling the panic over verification of authenticity but we all have our own unique worries and ways of looking at things so I'll let the OP explain. Maybe his/her original is all rumpled or damaged?
 
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