DV 2021 ALL SELECTEES

[SusieQQQ]

Hi all, I am DV21 winner in Taiwan and I have some questions. My CN is 58xx and I haven't get the 2NL yet. But at the same time, I have personal reason and need to move to Singapore in May. It is high possibility that my interview is scheduled in May also.

Here are my concerns:
1. Is it too late to change the interview location to Singapore now?
2. I haven't stay in Singapore more than 6 months, should I apply Singapore police certificate and submit it again? Or I just keep the old one (Taiwan police certificate).
3. Once I pass the interview, is there any regulation that I need to enter the USA before a certain date or my green card will be canceled?
4. For the Re-entry Permit, it only can be applied in USA. I googled and found it usually takes 3-6 months waiting for biometrics collection notice. Can I leave the USA without finishing biometrics collection? Once I receive the biometrics collection notice, I just go back to USA and run the rest steps of Re-entry Permit. Is it possible?

Thank you.

1. You will need an address in Singapore - and you can’t change it on the DS260 before you move there. Anyway if you will be scheduled in May the case file is probably already being prepped to be routed to go to the embassy in Taiwan ahead of 2NLs in a couple of weeks time, and possibly the interview itself is already scheduled. Best suggestion in that case is return to Taiwan for the interview. If you start messing around with moving the case between embassies now (once an interview has been scheduled this is entirely dependent on the two embassies involved, no more KCC) the case could be delayed for months, and DV21 doesn’t really have many months left.
2. Follow the instructions for police certificates.
3. Your visa expiry will probably be slightly less than 6 months (based on medical expiry), if the visa expires unused then yes you will have lost your chance at a green card.
4. Eh, biometrics wait times are all messed up from covid, usually 3-6 weeks before Covid, currently it has been actually often longer than 6 months for re-entry permits, to which they seem to have assigned very low priority. Yes, people have left and traveled back for the bio. Make sure you have a reliable person at a reliable address so you don’t miss the notice. I131 is file by physical mail only and i believe that means you will not get a copy of the appointment notice online. If you miss the bio appointment the case is considered abandoned.

 

[markxxwu]

1. You will need an address in Singapore - and you can’t change it on the DS260 before you move there. Anyway if you will be scheduled in May the case file is probably already being prepped to be routed to go to the embassy in Taiwan ahead of 2NLs in a couple of weeks time, and possibly the interview itself is already scheduled. Best suggestion in that case is return to Taiwan for the interview. If you start messing around with moving the case between embassies now (once an interview has been scheduled this is entirely dependent on the two embassies involved, no more KCC) the case could be delayed for months, and DV21 doesn’t really have many months left.
2. Follow the instructions for police certificates.
3. Your visa expiry will probably be slightly less than 6 months (based on medical expiry), if the visa expires unused then yes you will have lost your chance at a green card.
4. Eh, biometrics wait times are all messed up from covid, usually 3-6 weeks before Covid, currently it has been actually often longer than 6 months for re-entry permits, to which they seem to have assigned very low priority. Yes, people have left and traveled back for the bio. Make sure you have a reliable person at a reliable address so you don’t miss the notice. I131 is file by physical mail only and i believe that means you will not get a copy of the appointment notice online. If you miss the bio appointment the case is considered abandoned.

Thank you Susie, it's clear to me now!

 

[tinoproductions]

The language is ambiguous but it is usually interpreted as not return to live. If it’s easy to get a new one that is usually suggested anyway. You’d have to use your discretion about Italy. I assume you are following the Dept of State country specific guidelines about getting police certificates. (It doesn’t seem particularly complex for Italy from outside the country according to those?)

Thanks for this Susie. I would have interpreted it the same way, otherwise it becomes rather cumbersome, especially in Europe where you can cross a border to go to dinner in another country without any 2nd thoughts. Dinner in France? Lunch in Italy. no problem!

There is no good way to get one outside of Italy. What you see on the state dept site about sending info my snail mail is a pipe dream. If it ever does materialise we are talking 6+ months. Anyway....

The only realistic way is to have a family member/friend or there are agencies that can do it for you (at a non inconsiderable cost). You just write a power of attorney to whomever is going on your behalf. The wait time can be quite unpredictable too.

 

[SusieQQQ]

Thanks for this Susie. I would have interpreted it the same way, otherwise it becomes rather cumbersome, especially in Europe where you can cross a border to go to dinner in another country without any 2nd thoughts. Dinner in France? Lunch in Italy. no problem!

There is no good way to get one outside of Italy. What you see on the state dept site about sending info my snail mail is a pipe dream. If it ever does materialise we are talking 6+ months. Anyway....

The only realistic way is to have a family member/friend or there are agencies that can do it for you (at a non inconsiderable cost). You just write a power of attorney to whomever is going on your behalf. The wait time can be quite unpredictable too.

So I’m going to give you a different answer if it is a long (rather than just cumbersome/expensive) process, or at least what I (being risk averse for things like this) would do: try get one. What you don’t want is for an overzealous CO to put you on AP waiting for a police certificate too close to the end of the fiscal year to get one. We have seen cases before of people being asked for PCCs they don’t strictly need according to the guidelines. Chances of that happening may be low, but the consequences if it does happen could be big. Your risk tolerance may be greater than mine, but I’d be going safe rather than sorry. Look on it as being exactly what it is: a grudge purchase of insurance.

 

[Somekin]

I am derivative of my wife who got selected. I have a doubt about our case and need some advice.
We have been together for 11 years with two kids, but not officially married. On the main entry she filled as "married" as we got married in church and plan to get married officially next month.
1.Will our 12 years marriage be ACCEPTED knowing that we used our church wedding day as the date on the DS260?
2. Should we unlock our DS260 and fill in our civil wedding date knowing that, we declared our selves marriaded already on the primary application entry?
PLEASE HELP

 

[tinoproductions]

So I’m going to give you a different answer if it is a long (rather than just cumbersome/expensive) process, or at least what I (being risk averse for things like this) would do: try get one. What you don’t want is for an overzealous CO to put you on AP waiting for a police certificate too close to the end of the fiscal year to get one. We have seen cases before of people being asked for PCCs they don’t strictly need according to the guidelines. Chances of that happening may be low, but the consequences if it does happen could be big. Your risk tolerance may be greater than mine, but I’d be going safe rather than sorry. Look on it as being exactly what it is: a grudge purchase of insurance.

Being the risk averse chap that I am, I totally agree with you and have done so.
Much better to spend a few hundred dollars more than needed rather than panic at the end if something else is required and not have enough time.
I spoke to some medical examiners in Sydney today and that process seems fairly straight forward too with only a week lead time to get a slot.

Thanks again for the advice and reassurance.

 

[RYUKAKU]

Hi all, My CN is AS13×××
I have sent Farther DV Documents (Passport, Birth Certificate, Police Certificates) to KCC, but I have not received any notification(Not Automatic Reply) from KCC. 　　　
Are there any people in Asia with more than 10,000 numbers who received the confirmation(Not Automatic Reply) email?

 

[Mjeshtri]

You can either:
1) visit official DoS page with monthly IV statistics per post and visa class (https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...tistics/monthly-immigrant-visa-issuances.html).
2) Go to https://dvcharts.xarthisius.xyz/ceacFY20.html and either: use the 2nd chart typing "Montreal, Canada", or download csv file with the data and look for cases with MTL embassy code.

Note, that 1) gives you number of visas without distinguishing between first time issuance and visa renewal due to court order, whereas 2) will give you accurate count of visas/cases that were issued *and* include cases that were refused and scheduled but not resolved.

Just a question, in the downloaded csv. file "DV2021 Raw CEAC Data" what does it mean status: At NVC, even for the highest case numbers.

 

[Xarthisius]

Thank you your website is really helpful. Can we expect it to updates during next few days? Because they have not finished sending 2NLs yet.

Unlikely. How do you know they didn't finish?

Just a question, in the downloaded csv. file "DV2021 Raw CEAC Data" what does it mean status: At NVC, even for the highest case numbers.

How to check your case status on CEAC

CEAC is the system that shows basic case information for all DV cases. You can access the system at this link. To check your number you enter your case number without the "leading" zeros. So - if your number is…

britsimonsays.com

 

[puda]

Hi guys,

Response from Montreal:

The U.S. Consulate General in Montreal is processing immigrant visas and will prioritize Immediate Relative family members of U.S. citizens including intercountry adoptions, fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens, and certain Special Immigrant Visa applications, as well as other mission critical categories such as medical professionals. We have not yet started to process DV-2021 visas.

While we aim to schedule and process cases as soon as practicable, there are likely to be increased wait times for completing services due to the ongoing pandemic and substantial backlogs.

If you get scheduled, please let us know

 

[Britsimon]

Unlikely. How do you know they didn't finish?

How to check your case status on CEAC

CEAC is the system that shows basic case information for all DV cases. You can access the system at this link. To check your number you enter your case number without the "leading" zeros. So - if your number is…

britsimonsays.com

Yeah we don't know for sure that they will send more 2NLs, although I wouldn't be surprised as it would mimic what they do for normal 2NLs. The two normal batches reflect two booking methods.

 

[amustafa3]

Hello
For the social media section in the DS260, I added my Facebook name "screen name" and not the username. many accounts have the same name.
1. Should I request a DS260 unlock to edit my Facebook info "add the username or link to my Facebook account"? is that necessary
2. I already requested to unlock my DS260 "4" times before, will that impact the processing of my case? My case number is AF20400 Egypt and I didn't receive the email that requesting my docs.
@Britsimon @SusieQQQ thanks!

 

[Somekin]

I am derivative of my wife who got selected. I have a doubt about our case and need some advice.
We have been together for 11 years with two kids, but not officially married. On the main entry she filled as "married" as we got married in church and plan to get married officially next month.
1.Will our 12 years marriage be ACCEPTED knowing that we used our church wedding day as the date on the DS260?
2. Should we unlock our DS260 and fill in our civil wedding date knowing that, we declared our selves marriaded already on the primary application entry?
PLEASE HELP
@Britsimon @Sm1smom @SusieQQQ

 

[DV2020EU44]

Somekin​

Are you Georgian? We have tons of such cases. In previous years that was not a big issue and many people got through, as they say. In 2020 CO refused all such cases. So I guess that's up to CO. It's better to ask about the similar experience in your country. Does church wedding paper have any legal power?

 

[SusieQQQ]

I am derivative of my wife who got selected. I have a doubt about our case and need some advice.
We have been together for 11 years with two kids, but not officially married. On the main entry she filled as "married" as we got married in church and plan to get married officially next month.
1.Will our 12 years marriage be ACCEPTED knowing that we used our church wedding day as the date on the DS260?
2. Should we unlock our DS260 and fill in our civil wedding date knowing that, we declared our selves marriaded already on the primary application entry?
PLEASE HELP
@Britsimon @Sm1smom @SusieQQQ

seeing as you tagged me, but I don’t really consider this a comfortable area to give an opinion on

1. Impossible to answer properly imo. Different countries have different attitudes towards accepting this. Howver if you move forward with the application this (in my view) is your only option because
2. if you do this you are effectively saying you were not in fact married at the time of entry, and the rules state that saying you are married when you’re not is one of the disqualification factors.
Of course, you must also be legally married to be able to gain immigration benefits - I’m not saying don’t do that - just that I would stick with the church wedding date (I assume you have proof of some sort) as “the wedding date” for the interview. Some countries are very used to the idea of ”married, but not enough for immigration“, it will probably help if your consulate is used to seeing that, but I don’t think there are any guarantees here.

 

[samir.sobhy1976]

I am 6k from Africa, I have sent my documents in September, 2020. Till now I didn't receive a confirmation email for the documents. I send many email to KCC and each time I received the same answer "Your DS-260 has been processed. You should have received, or will soon receive, an email from the Kentucky Consular Center giving you instructions to complete in order for your case to continue processing. Please follow the instructions in the email. Interviews are scheduled numerically based on case numbers that have completed processing.
I don't know what it does mean?
Should I resend the document again?
How to make sure my documents were received and there is no issue?

 

[Sm1smom]

Hello
For the social media section in the DS260, I added my Facebook name "screen name" and not the username. many accounts have the same name.
1. Should I request a DS260 unlock to edit my Facebook info "add the username or link to my Facebook account"? is that necessary
2. I already requested to unlock my DS260 "4" times before, will that impact the processing of my case? My case number is AF20400 Egypt and I didn't receive the email that requesting my docs.
@Britsimon @SusieQQQ thanks!

1. If the information you provided doesn’t make it easy to identify you, then you should consider updating the DS260 with the social media identifier/handle that directly identifies you on the applicable platform to guard against the possibility of some unnecessary AP.
“Applicants should complete the application as fully and honestly as possible to avoid any delays in
processing. Failure to provide accurate and truthful responses on a visa application or during a visa interview may result in denial of the visa by a consular officer.”
FAQ on Social Media Identifiers

2. Potential processing delay depends on what is being updated on the DS260. Regardless of processing delay or no delay, it is better for the information on the DS260 form - doing so is to your own best interest.

 

[Sm1smom]

I am derivative of my wife who got selected. I have a doubt about our case and need some advice.
We have been together for 11 years with two kids, but not officially married. On the main entry she filled as "married" as we got married in church and plan to get married officially next month.
1.Will our 12 years marriage be ACCEPTED knowing that we used our church wedding day as the date on the DS260?
2. Should we unlock our DS260 and fill in our civil wedding date knowing that, we declared our selves marriaded already on the primary application entry?
PLEASE HELP
@Britsimon @Sm1smom @SusieQQQ

1. Do you have documentary evidence of this church wedding and does your country consider you married on this basis (outside of not having a civil marriage certificate)? If both answers are YES, you’ll probably be okay.

2. Listing the civil wedding date on the DS20 indicates your acknowledgment of not being married when your wife submitted the eEntry and listed you guys as being married to one another.

 

[Sm1smom]

I am 6k from Africa, I have sent my documents in September, 2020. Till now I didn't receive a confirmation email for the documents. I send many email to KCC and each time I received the same answer "Your DS-260 has been processed. You should have received, or will soon receive, an email from the Kentucky Consular Center giving you instructions to complete in order for your case to continue processing. Please follow the instructions in the email. Interviews are scheduled numerically based on case numbers that have completed processing.
I don't know what it does mean?
Should I resend the document again?
How to make sure my documents were received and there is no issue?

It either means KCC is yet to process the documents you sent in or they already reviewed and do not consider your documents complete. You should consider resending all the documents.

Review Simon’s blog New video on document submission tips

 

[IMMIGRATION_FAN123]

Hi guys,

Response from Montreal:

If you get scheduled, please let us know

Thanks for the update! Not really definitive but at least they are replying and acknowledging the DV cases. Hopefully they are taking into account the September cut off when prioritising cases, despite the fact we have been waiting for a lot less time than many of the other cases they are scheduling.