Dear friends, again thanks a lot for this great forum, without you I'd be lost!
I hate to bring this up again, but I wouldn't have unless I really needed to. I'm so confused and don't know what to do, and my confusion and hopelessness have reached a new high.
I'm a DV-15 winner from Syria (CN: AS108**), I am a medical student expecting to graduate early next year.
I was planning to travel to the US in Jan/Feb 2015 to take the USMLE Step 2 CS exam (one of the tests required to be able to practice medicine in the US, and can only be taken there), so I was holding off filing my DS-260 to avoid any risk when entering the US.
Now, my uncle, who is a doctor in the US, and a US citizen, who will also sponsor me, is insisting that I submit form DS-260 now, and either postpone the test until after I take the DV (if everything worked out, hopefully) (I'd rather not do that because I'll waste a year of my life in vain), or risk entering the US with my already valid B1/B2 visa. I guess he doesn't want me to jeopardize my chances by sending the form DS-260 later after I leave the US. According to him, he knows some people who lost it because they sent their forms late. So now I have 3 options:
1. Stick to my original plan; go to the US, pass the test, leave by March 2015 maximum then file DS-260.
2. Submit DS-260 now and take the test after I get the visa.
3. Submit DS-260 now and travel to the US in February 2015, and hope for the best!
The good thing about option #3 is that it combines both my uncle's wishes and mine, but I'm worried about the risk, especially that I'm Syrian, and very likely to be put under CBP secondary inspection when I enter the States.
Please experts, I need your help,
@Britsimon @Sm1smom @SusieQQQ @vladek15425 or any other member willing to help. Any advice would be highly appreciated.
I'm sorry again for wasting your time. I feel really stupid, but I need to make sure I'm making the right decision. It's a matter of life or death for me. Pursuing a medical career in the US was always my ambition, and a green card would be of immense help.
Thanks again so much!