What to Do After Winning the Green Card Lottery

Many people who are planning to apply for the DV Lottery or those who have already won a Green Card often wonder what to do next. What’s the plan of action? Where to go and what to do? There’s a lot of information about how to apply for the DV Lottery and how to get a visa, but not much about what happens after winning the Green Card. We are here to fill that gap.

0. So, one morning we woke up and realized that winning the Green Card lottery is our reality today

It’s spring outside, we wake up and are ready to find out if we won the lottery or not. We sit down at the computer or take out our phone, go to the DV Lottery program website, and enter our details. The system shows us that we’ve been selected as a Green Card lottery candidate. This means that we have won the Green Card lottery, and it’s time to think about our future in the United States, finish up loose ends, and move for good to our new homeland.

The first thing we will do is stay calm and quiet. Many people who win the DV Lottery start making rash decisions, calling relatives, rushing to sell property, and so on. It’s important to remember that winning the lottery does not guarantee 100% receipt of a Green Card. Why? See the article: Requirements for Green Card Lottery Participants.

After calming down, you need to wait until all the family members listed in your application are home, sit down with them, discuss the situation, and prepare for a lengthy and challenging process that includes undergoing all procedures, the interview, and finally, the move.

Once you’ve talked it over with your relatives, move on to step 1.

1. Filling out the DS-260 form for the entire family

When preparing for the interview, keep in mind that the earlier you fill out and submit this form, the sooner your application will be reviewed in the overall applicant list. Remember that there are many people besides you applying for a Green Card, and even after submitting your form, you may miss the deadline since there are a lot of people winning Green Cards, and consulates may not be able to process all applications in time. So don’t delay filling out the form. We can say for sure that if you submit the form within the first few days, your chances of getting an interview and receiving the DV visa to the USA are much higher than those of others, as many people only start acting a few days after learning that they won.

You can read more about how to fill out the DS-260 form in a separate article.

Once the form is submitted, you can move on to the next step.

2. Collect all the documents needed for a successful interview at the consulate

This stage is the most challenging, even more so than the interview itself, as the interview will only last a few minutes, but gathering documents can take more than a week or even a few months. Many people who publish standardized lists of documents don’t mention that there are additional documents that can help during the interview and demonstrate to the consular officer that you are a good candidate for future U.S. citizenship. Therefore, we have compiled our own list to ensure the smoothest interview process possible.

Here is the basic list of documents:

• A valid international passport that was indicated during the DV Program application process, along with a copy;
• Previous international passports, if available;
• Your country’s internal passport;
• Two color visa photos (with your last name signed on the back to prevent loss);
• Birth certificate;
• Marriage/divorce/death certificates of spouse, name change certificate, if applicable;
• Birth certificates of children if they were included in the application;
• Police clearance certificates;
• Documents proving education and/or work experience;
• Military ID if you served in the army;
• Court decision records, if any;
• Financial documents proving the participant can support themselves and their family (bank statements, information about movable and immovable property, and assets).

We include the following additional documents:

• Certificates of various awards and prizes for scientific or other achievements;
• Patents or other recognized inventions;
• A vaccination record from birth (this will save you a lot of time during the medical exam);
• A printed interview appointment notice!!!

3. Undergoing a Medical Examination Before the Consular Interview

After submitting the DS-260 form, you will receive an invitation, which means it’s time to undergo a medical examination before attending the interview.

There is a page on the U.S. Department of State website that lists the cities and medical institutions where you can complete the medical examination.

Link to the website

During this examination, a vaccination record will also be required. If some vaccinations are missing, they will offer to administer them on-site, and this may be quite expensive. Therefore, it’s best to take care of vaccinations in advance, preferably when applying for the Green Card. Additionally, if the applicant cannot be vaccinated for religious reasons, a request should be submitted to USCIS, and the case will be reviewed individually.

The medical examination is paid and varies depending on the applicant’s age. If it’s:

• People over 45 – $215;
• 25-44 – $237;
• 18-24 – $273;
• 15-17 – $215;
• 2-14 – $246;
• Under 2 years – $163.

The final cost may vary, so it’s advisable to have additional funds.

After completing the medical examination, the applicant will receive a sealed envelope, which must not be opened under any circumstances. This sealed envelope will need to be delivered to the embassy for the interview, where the consular officer will open it and review the results.

4. The Interview at the U.S. Consulate

This step is straightforward. All the documents and certificates you gathered earlier should be brought with you to the consulate on the appointed day, which will be indicated in the return letter after submitting the DS-260 form for the interview. Before the interview, you will be asked to pay the consular fee for the visa – $330 per family member. Then, they will ask simple questions such as:

• Tell us about yourself
• Tell us about your job
• What is your financial situation?
• What are your plans in the U.S., and what will you be doing?

The purpose of these questions is to ensure that you are the person who submitted the application and filled out the DS-260 form, and to gauge who you are based on your answers.

Also, after receiving the immigrant visa and before traveling to the United States, you will be asked to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee of $220.

5. Move to the U.S. Within 6 Months

This is the final stage, where you need to prepare yourself for a new life. At this point, you need to tie up loose ends, prepare power of attorney documents, sell property if desired, or ensure that it remains secure until your next visit home. You should also close any work-related issues, improve your language skills for easier adaptation to the U.S., mentally prepare, purchase tickets, and preferably find accommodation for the initial period using various rental services. It’s not recommended to stay in a motel; it’s better to choose a place you can view online in advance.