Common terms important for Diversity Visa (
DV ) winners:
If you are a DV07 winner, you cannot get a visa before Oct 1st 2006. And you couldn't get one after Sept 30th 07.
There will be 50,000 visas granted : winner ( principal applicant )
and family members are taken into account in the number of visas.
GC = Green card ( ! )
NL = Notification letter ( aka 1st package ) : the big enveloppe you received with your case number.
There are 50,000 visas, but more people receive a NL, as there are some requirements that may not be met by the applicant ( education, evidence of support, health...), and other reasons ( moved to a different address and never receives the NL, death, changed his mind and does not want to immigrate to the US anymore .... )
So, receiving a letter does not necessarily mean being granted a visa.
KCC = Kentucky Consular Center ( where the NL came from ! )
contact :
kccdv@state.gov , and (606) 526-7500 ( US phone number )
You need to know your case number when you call.
CP = Consular Processing ( do the interview at a US consulate/embassy )
AOS = Adjustment of Status ( adjust your visa in the US ) if you are legally present in the US
If you have a valid visa and live in the US, you can choose between CP and AOS ( the "choice" depends on your case number: if high, AOS is risky; the costs for you to fly back if CP ...) . If you don't, then there is only CP.
Case number : that's a very important thing ! ( it starts with 2letters standing for your region : AF, EU, OC SA, AS )
It will determine your interview date if your number is called ( current ).
The bulletin gives you the information :
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/b...letin_1360.html
In some way, the case number represents your chance to get an interview, thus to get a GC. If it's rather high for your region, you might not be called ( your number is never current, not even at the end ), or being called late ( August or Sept ). But remember that for some countries, name and background checks take a couple of weeks. So, Sept 30th can come before you get cleared...
Evidence of Support : It can be any combination of the following three :
_ Affidavit of Support : form I134 filled by a US Citizen (
USC ) or a Legal Permanent Resident (
LPR = GC holder )
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/affsupp.htm
_ Job offer in the US : it is better to obtain a job offer on the company's letterhead and have it notarized.
_ Own funds ( bank accounts, assets....): see poverty guidelines for an idea of the amount. ( bank statement)
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1327.html
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1328.html
For the Evidence of Support, you can provide any combiantion of the 3, which means you can provide one ( any one ) of the mentioned documents, two ( any two ), or the three of them.
Remember that you better be safe than sorry. Bring as much as you can.
So, the I134 alone is good. Still, it would be better if you could show your own funds.
Also, education and english skills play a role as it will help in finding a job.
The immigration officer determines your potential to become public charge. So the more proofs you provide that you won't become one, the better for you.
POE = Port of Entry : if you were doing CP and were successful, you will enter the US with a brown enveloppe that has to remain sealed ( don't open it, it's for immigration officers ). Usually, it's an airport. There, the process to get the plastic GC will be activated.
I did an excel worksheet for the
history of cutoff numbers for each region. I"ll try to update it regularly.
The countries with specific cutoffs ( Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ukraine... ) are not included.
There is a table, and then there are graphs. It can help to have an idea when your number would be current. Just rememer that it just represents what has already happened.
Statistics: I do not remember where I got this, but I had this on my computer:
Table III is DV2005 statistics.
Table VI is a sumup for all DVs.
