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DV 2017 OC Selectees

God, I am going nuts here. Have my interview scheduled for May 8 but can't get rid of the thought that the case will be disqualified right on the spot due to me stupidly submitting the same photo two years in a row. Having that extra bit added to the DV2018 guidelines (re the duplicate photos) does make me quite worried, and reasonably so! The DV2017 wording indicate the case MAY be disqualified which to me sounds like it will be at the CO's discretion. Of course having gotten this far I intend to obtain the medicals, police certs, pay the USCIS fee and attend the interview. I have no one else to blame but myself if I shall be rejected. I wish there was a way to find out beforehand if your case will be disqualified on the interview day with the CO not even needing to look through your docs.

I guess my question is this: If I do get presented with the question of "when was my photo taken" or "have I submitted this photo on a previous entry", would it be wise to come clean straight away stating that, yes, the photo is older than 6 months (about a year old when it was submitted for DV2017) and, yes, I did submit it the year before?

Thanks everyone for your support on this forum.
 
appleby said:
God, I am going nuts here. Have my interview scheduled for May 8 but can't get rid of the thought that the case will be disqualified right on the spot due to me stupidly submitting the same photo two years in a row. Having that extra bit added to the DV2018 guidelines (re the duplicate photos) does make me quite worried, and reasonably so! The DV2017 wording indicate the case MAY be disqualified which to me sounds like it will be at the CO's discretion. Of course having gotten this far I intend to obtain the medicals, police certs, pay the USCIS fee and attend the interview. I have no one else to blame but myself if I shall be rejected. I wish there was a way to find out beforehand if your case will be disqualified on the interview day with the CO not even needing to look through your docs.

I guess my question is this: If I do get presented with the question of "when was my photo taken" or "have I submitted this photo on a previous entry", would it be wise to come clean straight away stating that, yes, the photo is older than 6 months (about a year old when it was submitted for DV2017) and, yes, I did submit it the year before?

Thanks everyone for your support on this forum.
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First rule of thumb: always answer all immigration questions truthfully, no embellishments. They most likely already know the answer to the question being asked.

FYI, your photo is a record, it has metadata associated with it which can easily reveal when it was taken - not unless you tweaked the information contained therein before using the picture in the first place. And if anyone would bother to tweak the metadata on a picture, my question would be why not simply take a new photo.
 
Sm1smom said:
First rule of thumb: always answer all immigration questions truthfully, no embellishments. They most likely already know the answer to the question being asked.

FYI, your photo is a record, it has metadata associated with it which can easily reveal when it was taken - not unless you tweaked the information contained therein before using the picture in the first place. And if anyone would bother to tweak the metadata on a picture, my question would be why not simply take a new photo.
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Thanks, I'll take that into consideration!
 
@appleby I just compared the language from the instructions for DV-2017 and DV-2018, that's interesting. They are cracking down on the photos it seems. I agree with everyone else here, be entirely honest if it comes up, as with any other question. And remember, you were selected in the 2017 pool, not the 2018, so the more 'forgiving' instructions are applicable to you :)
 
appleby said:
God, I am going nuts here. Have my interview scheduled for May 8 but can't get rid of the thought that the case will be disqualified right on the spot due to me stupidly submitting the same photo two years in a row. Having that extra bit added to the DV2018 guidelines (re the duplicate photos) does make me quite worried, and reasonably so! The DV2017 wording indicate the case MAY be disqualified which to me sounds like it will be at the CO's discretion. Of course having gotten this far I intend to obtain the medicals, police certs, pay the USCIS fee and attend the interview. I have no one else to blame but myself if I shall be rejected. I wish there was a way to find out beforehand if your case will be disqualified on the interview day with the CO not even needing to look through your docs.

I guess my question is this: If I do get presented with the question of "when was my photo taken" or "have I submitted this photo on a previous entry", would it be wise to come clean straight away stating that, yes, the photo is older than 6 months (about a year old when it was submitted for DV2017) and, yes, I did submit it the year before?

Thanks everyone for your support on this forum.
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Wingpin said:
@appleby I just compared the language from the instructions for DV-2017 and DV-2018, that's interesting. They are cracking down on the photos it seems. I agree with everyone else here, be entirely honest if it comes up, as with any other question. And remember, you were selected in the 2017 pool, not the 2018, so the more 'forgiving' instructions are applicable to you :)
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Using an old photo has always been against the rules. It's just amazing that people take this silly risk and add to their stress for the sake of not taking a new photo.

HAVING SAID THAT.

Appleby - calm the heck down. They are VERY unlikely to ask about the photo unless your appearance has dramatically changed in that time period. As Mom says - *IF* asked, be truthful, but most interviews last 5 minutes or less and have very few questions. Photos rarely come up.
 
Wingpin said:
@appleby I just compared the language from the instructions for DV-2017 and DV-2018, that's interesting. They are cracking down on the photos it seems. I agree with everyone else here, be entirely honest if it comes up, as with any other question. And remember, you were selected in the 2017 pool, not the 2018, so the more 'forgiving' instructions are applicable to you :)
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Hey, thanks for your reply. That's exactly the point I am raising. If the wording was as explicit in the DV2017 guidelines as it is in the DV2018 guidelines, it wouldn't be too far fetched for me to assume I would DEFINITELY 100% be disqualified, hence no reason for me to continue with the application. Well, if one is in a bit of a pickle like I am, one can only speculate and become none the wiser in the end. Everyone gets the pre-interview jitters, mine seem to be bit worse than others given the above (you reap what you sow!).

Also, good luck on your upcoming interview. I can see that yours is scheduled to take place some time in April? :)

Britsimon said:
Using an old photo has always been against the rules. It's just amazing that people take this silly risk and add to their stress for the sake of not taking a new photo.

HAVING SAID THAT.

Appleby - calm the heck down. They are VERY unlikely to ask about the photo unless your appearance has dramatically changed in that time period. As Mom says - *IF* asked, be truthful, but most interviews last 5 minutes or less and have very few questions. Photos rarely come up.
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Hi Simon, thanks for the quick reply. Not sure how you and Sm1smom find the time to respond to so many people on so many different forums and blogs, let alone your own blog (which has been an invaluable source of information for me)! I know I'm reading too much into this, there is not much I can do at this point. It's up there on the list of silliest things you can do to jeapordise your application, no denying in that yet I have read countless posts on your blog with people asking this exact question and you having to respond again, and again, and again so it does not surprise me one bit you being amazed by the general level of ignorance people (me included) seem to display when it comes to these things. Either way I'll be sure to update people once my interview is done and over with, whatever the result! :)
 
Hi guys,

Hope everyone is going well in their visa journeys. Mine has come to a dead end after almost a year and a half. I received my 2NL for a January interview, but chose to postpone it so I could figure out the situation regarding my partner and I. I did follow up in Feb to ask them to organise another interview. They wrote back and asked me what date I would like my interview on. But over that period my partner and I decided that we no longer wished to make a permanent move to the US. I haven't responded to their email yet.

Do you guys think abandoning the application process before the interview will have negative repercussions later on?

I'd still like the option of one day working in NYC or possibly staying for an extended period of time. I'm just not convinced that taking on a green card is something I am interested in anymore. I definitely should have done my research more thoroughly regarding the permanence of the lottery before I chose to enter it.
 
Superjazzed said:
Hi guys,

Hope everyone is going well in their visa journeys. Mine has come to a dead end after almost a year and a half. I received my 2NL for a January interview, but chose to postpone it so I could figure out the situation regarding my partner and I. I did follow up in Feb to ask them to organise another interview. They wrote back and asked me what date I would like my interview on. But over that period my partner and I decided that we no longer wished to make a permanent move to the US. I haven't responded to their email yet.

Do you guys think abandoning the application process before the interview will have negative repercussions later on?

I'd still like the option of one day working in NYC or possibly staying for an extended period of time. I'm just not convinced that taking on a green card is something I am interested in anymore. I definitely should have done my research more thoroughly regarding the permanence of the lottery before I chose to enter it.
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No negative repercussions. Sounds like it's best for you to leave the visas for someone else who will happily take your slots.
 
Thanks for the reassurance. I'm disappointed to give up my number, especially after all this time already invested in getting everything ready, but it's definitely not a decision I made lightly. Thanks to everyone who has answered my questions on here in the lead up. And good luck to everyone else!
 
SusieQQQ said:
Well, take the DS copy with you and be prepared to possibly have to do it again at the interview.
When you said her name was wrong, was that on a letter from KCC or an email from the consulate?
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Sorry Susie, I only just saw your response. Thanks for taking the time to get back to me.

It was on an e-mail from the Consulate (via the U.S. Traveldocs portal).

I have been going back and forth and they are adamant she has not filled in a DS-260 despite me triple checking and having the submission barcode in front of me. Will just take the full DS-260 and the Submission to the interview and hopefully sort it out there.
 
Hi all,

First time posting but have been reading this forum throughout the last year and just have to say how helpful it has been. I interviewed and was approved in Sydney in December and I am doing a quick activation trip to Hawaii in a couple of weeks.

My problem is I only know one person who lives in the U.S and I haven't spoken to them in a while. I put their address on my forms as the place where I want my green card sent but I have not been able to get in touch with them to check if this is ok - they haven't responded to my correspondence and I am not even sure if they still live in the same house!

I am in a little bit of a panic as to what to do. I am wondering if anyone has any advice for me on what to do? I am planning to move over permanently around 3 months after my trip and I am wondering if there is some way to put off sending the card until I move over? I am assuming not but I am at a bit of a loss. If I don't end up getting the card when they originally send it is there a way to reapply for another copy of the card? Any advice anyone can provide would be appreciated!
 
Elnel said:
Hi all,

First time posting but have been reading this forum throughout the last year and just have to say how helpful it has been. I interviewed and was approved in Sydney in December and I am doing a quick activation trip to Hawaii in a couple of weeks.

My problem is I only know one person who lives in the U.S and I haven't spoken to them in a while. I put their address on my forms as the place where I want my green card sent but I have not been able to get in touch with them to check if this is ok - they haven't responded to my correspondence and I am not even sure if they still live in the same house!

I am in a little bit of a panic as to what to do. I am wondering if anyone has any advice for me on what to do? I am planning to move over permanently around 3 months after my trip and I am wondering if there is some way to put off sending the card until I move over? I am assuming not but I am at a bit of a loss. If I don't end up getting the card when they originally send it is there a way to reapply for another copy of the card? Any advice anyone can provide would be appreciated!
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To prevent the card getting sent sooner, don't pay the $165 uscis immigrant fee - it won't get sent till the fee is paid.
However, you'd need to ensure that you give sufficient time for your new address to be in the system before paying to get the card. Previous experience suggests that if the fee is not paid before entry, they still start processing the card when you enter but just hold off sending till the fee is paid so it can happen pretty fast after that. So you'd do a change of adddess online once you move over, then wait probably a few weeks, then pay.
 
SusieQQQ said:
To prevent the card getting sent sooner, don't pay the $165 uscis immigrant fee - it won't get sent till the fee is paid.
However, you'd need to ensure that you give sufficient time for your new address to be in the system before paying to get the card. Previous experience suggests that if the fee is not paid before entry, they still start processing the card when you enter but just hold off sending till the fee is paid so it can happen pretty fast after that. So you'd do a change of adddess online once you move over, then wait probably a few weeks, then pay.
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Thanks for you reply SusieQQQ. Unfortunately I actually already paid my fee not long after my interview so I guess delaying is not an option for me anymore.

Does anyone know whether it is possible to have the green card sent to a lawyer on my behalf? Are there lawyers who perform such services?
 
Elnel said:
Thanks for you reply SusieQQQ. Unfortunately I actually already paid my fee not long after my interview so I guess delaying is not an option for me anymore.

Does anyone know whether it is possible to have the green card sent to a lawyer on my behalf? Are there lawyers who perform such services?
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Hey! I think you can change the address at point of entry. I did!

If you're going to be in the tristate you can send your GC to my Brooklyn address.
 
I have my IV interview next Tuesday, and will unfortunately be without a current police check. My husband applied for his back in January and received it within 12 days. I applied for mine in March, and apparently it was a busy time for the AFP, as I later found out that processing time had increased to 5 weeks. Frustratingly, I just received an email this morning that it had been completed and will be posted out on Monday, so it'll probably arrive the day after my interview.

Does anyone here have experience of being without one of the required documents? From what I have read, it just means that a decision will be delayed, but that it could take up to 60 days. I am so disappointed about it all, keep thinking if I had only submitted my afp check one day earlier all would have been good.
 
First off, don't panic!

If you get the AFP check in this week you should be fine. They will put you AP temporarily until they get it. The important thing (and @Britsimon can correct me if I'm wrong ) is that you have the visa issued this month. Each month, they have a number of visas they issue. If you miss your month, you have to wait until another visa becomes available in another month.

So, get the check. Express post it in. Drink a glass of wine and wait for your visa. :)
 
EmilyW said:
First off, don't panic!

If you get the AFP check in this week you should be fine. They will put you AP temporarily until they get it. The important thing (and @Britsimon can correct me if I'm wrong ) is that you have the visa issued this month. Each month, they have a number of visas they issue. If you miss your month, you have to wait until another visa becomes available in another month.

So, get the check. Express post it in. Drink a glass of wine and wait for your visa. :)
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Yes exactly. AP crossing a month end causes an additional delay - but given that it is about to arrive, there will be no problem.
 
EmilyW said:
First off, don't panic!

If you get the AFP check in this week you should be fine. They will put you AP temporarily until they get it. The important thing (and @Britsimon can correct me if I'm wrong ) is that you have the visa issued this month. Each month, they have a number of visas they issue. If you miss your month, you have to wait until another visa becomes available in another month.

So, get the check. Express post it in. Drink a glass of wine and wait for your visa. :)
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Thanks Emily :) I have had a knot of anxiety for the past couple of days about this, so I appreciate some encouraging words. I thought we might get turned away and then have to fly back to Sydney in another month to go through the interview again.

I am wondering if I can just get the AFP to send the certificate directly to the consulate themselves.
 
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