<p>Hi,
New to this forum, but like how help everyone is.</p>
<p>However, I am in a unique position. I did my undergraduate in the US then left after graduation in may to work in another country (not my original home country). I would be applying for a masters or PhD for next year, and I was wondering if </p>
<p>(1) I could apply for visa renewal since my student visa would not have expired for a year. Although I would have been out of the US for less than one year without attending a school</p>
<p>(2) I have been applying for the DV-Visa lottery for the past 3-4 years- I just found out that consular officers have access to these applications. Would this have bearing when I try and get a new student visa even though I have never taken steps while as a student to get a job in the US or migrate there. I just applied for the lottery because my international advisor advised me to. Infact she was trying to convince me to use my OPT </p>
<p>(3) I got rejected a student visa prior to getting my first visa which makes my situation even worse. Though I have held three US student visas after that. I am now wondering if I should waste my time and go through the whole graduate application process if there are visa issues.</p>
<p>(4) The DS-160 asks for social security numbers- would this be used as evidence for intent to immigrate? I needed one for a part-time on-campus job.</p>
<p>Your participation in the DV lottery should not affect your eligibility for a student visa as long as you never made it past the first round (i.e., you never actually submitted an application for a permanent resident visa). Your social security number shouldn’t have an impact either. </p>
<p>Only a consular officer or experienced immigration lawyer can tell you if or how your past visa applications and rejection will impact a new visa application. </p>
<p>As for the question about whether you need to apply for a new visa, that’s something you need to discuss with someone who knows about this stuff. I have a faint memory of added complications when a student has been out of the US for more than 6 months.</p>
<p>i always thought this had to do with those still in school but took a leave of absence. I have graduated already. I want to do graduate school for next year but did not want to stay in the US for a year doing OPT and I wanted to see my family (which might have been a mistake). I am just worried that all the work I put into college to attend graduate school would be a waste of time. </p>
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<p>I heard otherwise. I have been read online that consular officers are privy to this type of information, and that it indicates intent to immigrate. However I never thought I would win anyways because of the slim chances and just thought I could try for the heck of it. I was encouraged by my international advisor to apply since “I have nothing to lose” and so have been doing it for some time. Wish she told me that it was risky for F-1 students who are primarily interested in their education.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot barium you are the best. i will keep asking around though to make sure.</p>
<p>If it helps, I participated in (and won!) the green card lottery right when I was applying for my F-1 visa. I got my case number 6 weeks before I had my F-1 visa interview. I consulted with an immigration lawyer because I was concerned about this intent-to-immigrate thing, as you say. He said I should be fine as long as I do not file an application for a permanent resident visa until after I had my F-1 visa interview. That’s what I did and it turned out fine. I got my F-1 visa as planned and 10 months later I had my green card. The consular officer at my F-1 visa interview didn’t even mention my participation in the lottery and none of the forms asked about it either.</p>
<p>Our international student office also encourages students to participate in the green card lottery. I honestly don’t think they would do that if it put our chances for other visas in jeopardy. Especially considering that some US consulates only issue student visas for one year, so some students have to reapply for a student visa each summer if they leave the US.</p>
<p>Actually, coming to think of it, you will most definitely have to apply for a new student visa. If you are currently not enrolled in school and not on OPT, you are out of status. After being out of status for 6 months, you have to apply for a new visa no matter what.</p>
<p>You are right that there’s a chance that immigration complications will interfere with your graduate school plans. That’s a danger whenever someone makes plans outside of their country of citizenship. It might be wise to have a backup plan just in case, but I would not let the possibility of complications deter me from applying!</p>
<p>true. Its just that my degree requires a graduate degree to be really applicable since I studied physics. I will just have to put all the effort I can and maybe consider other countries as well. It also sucks because I have a professor at a top 5 graduate program in my field who has assured me that I will likely get into the program. I just thought initially that it would be easier for me since I had already held several student visas, as well as returned home after my college degree so I would likely not be an intending immigrant/ I have social ties to my home country. </p>
<p>Just freaking out. Maybe it would not be that bad. Got to get into graduate school first.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I find myself in exactly the same situation in regard to the DV lottery.</p>
<p>I also had been told that it’s going to be fine for my F1 visa as long as I haven’t already applied for an immigrant visa after winning it. In fact, I entered my and my wife names last November, since an immigration lawyer told me to do so as I had nothing to lose.</p>
<p>The drawn names will be published in May but in April I’m going to request a F1 and F2 visas. Basically IF the consulate officer is going to ask me if I entered our names in the DV lottery, I’m not sure if my affirmative answer will compromise my student visa request.</p>
<p>After all, I did it just for the sake of it - as many many people do - knowing that the chances of winning are very low and I truly thought that I had nothing to lose by doing it, although my plans are just of going to USA for 3 years to get a degree in a very good college where I have been accepted to, and then going back to my home country.</p>
<p>How would you guys explain to the consulate officer why I entered our names in the DV lottery in the unlikely event he is going to ask me this question?</p>
<p>i’m a junior in a US college now, and I plan on applying for DV. While I know that I have very slim chances of actually getting one, who knows I might end up getting a DV(the country I belong to has had the highest DV selectee rates for past couple years in its continent). So assuming I get past the first round (which would be May 2014, summer between junior and senior year), would I be at disadvantage as I would be graduating soon? Since everyone says people making past the first round of the lottery have to pass the second round, I am not quite sure how second round works. Is it random as well? Or does it hurt to be a student in the US already? Also, past the first round, how long do you think it usually takes to finally get the green card? I’m just afraid that if I end up applying for second round but have to meanwhile go back after finishing undergrad, I might end up nowhere and be stuck in my homeland forever. What helps to improve chances past the first round, or how sure is it to get the Visa past the first round? And lastly, if I am in the states when I make it past the first round, can I file everything from here? Is there any kind of interview involved? If yes, can all of those be done from within the US and not from back home?
Also, for immigrants through DV, how long does it take for citizenship? Do you have yours yet? Just curious!</p>
<p>The second round is much more deterministic. It’s the round where they check that you are actually eligible for a green card. You’ll have to pass a criminal background check and a physical exam, document your educational background, show sufficient funds to support yourself, etc. The biggest unknown is the quota. About 100,000 names are drawn in the first round, but only 50,000 or so of them can receive a green card. It’s first-come-first-served. </p>
<p>While it is possible to get the green card through adjustment of status from within the US, it’s highly recommended that you opt for consular processing overseas. The reason is that oversea processing is much faster: you get an interview date, you go to your interview, and if all your documents check out you have your green card a week later. Adjustment of status from within the US is a drawn-out process. It’s not unlikely that you’d miss the 50,000 visa cutoff and/or the Sept 30th deadline. (DV visas are tied to a specific fiscal year. If they are not issued and activated in that specific year, you’ll lose eligibility for a green card.)</p>