Paolo

Hello everyone

I have been accepted by the University of Pennsylvania to attend a graduate
program in Business (master's).
The Designated school Official sent my I-20 form. Now, In order to get my F1
visa, I have to complete 3 forms (DS156 - 157 - 158) where the prospective
student is asked to provide information about his employment history and
family ties etc.
I have been in the USA twice in the past years (2001 and 2002, respectively
21 and 24 days) under the Visa Waiver Program as an Italian. Moreover my
sister and I applied for the 2004 DV lottery.
Of course I have no intention of permanently immigrate in the USA, but I am
worried because of my DV lottery application.
I have strong ties with my native country (Italy), i.e. several bank
accounts; my father, a professor at Italian Public school has no immigration
history abroad and no intention to leave the country, besides he owns
several apartments here; my mother passed away six years ago; my sister is a
student, and my girlfriend works here.
Unfortunately I quitted my job five months ago, in order to work full time
on my admission requirements (Toefl, Personal statement, essays etc.), since
the admission process at Penn is highly competitive.
Considered my situation, would it be difficult to obtain my F1 Visa? Do you
have any hints that could be helpful with my DS forms? Will my former
application for DV lottery represent an obstacle for releasing my student
visa? Any suggestion to reduce the risk of denial?

I appreciate your help and support.
Thanks in advance

PS. Ingo please tell me what you think about that.

Agresao

I think you would be OK.
Many people that I knew in college went to pursue their PhDs in the
US, and most of the time the interview consisted of just a couple of
questions at the counter where one presents the documents and the
passport (but this may vary from consulate to consulate).

If the consular officer asks you about the lack of a job, the best
thing would be to be honest and tell exactly what happened. After all
you will be in the US for 2 to 4 years studying for your degree, so
you can't be expected to keep a job at home.

There's a question about immigration intent on the DS-156 form (the
one that every visa applicant has to fill at the consulate), but
sending a letter to the visa lottery is not the same as filing an
immigrant visa petition, so you don't have to mention it, unless
asked.

One thing they may probe into is how you are going to pay for all
this, so it's good to be prepared: pring proof of sufficeient funds,
financial aid from the university, or explain that you will be a
teaching assistant, whichever applies.

Good luck


"Paolo" wrote in message news:...
    > Hello everyone
    >
    > I have been accepted by the University of Pennsylvania to attend a graduate
    > program in Business (master's).
    > The Designated school Official sent my I-20 form. Now, In order to get my F1
    > visa, I have to complete 3 forms (DS156 - 157 - 158) where the prospective
    > student is asked to provide information about his employment history and
    > family ties etc.
    > I have been in the USA twice in the past years (2001 and 2002, respectively
    > 21 and 24 days) under the Visa Waiver Program as an Italian. Moreover my
    > sister and I applied for the 2004 DV lottery.
    > Of course I have no intention of permanently immigrate in the USA, but I am
    > worried because of my DV lottery application.
    > I have strong ties with my native country (Italy), i.e. several bank
    > accounts; my father, a professor at Italian Public school has no immigration
    > history abroad and no intention to leave the country, besides he owns
    > several apartments here; my mother passed away six years ago; my sister is a
    > student, and my girlfriend works here.
    > Unfortunately I quitted my job five months ago, in order to work full time
    > on my admission requirements (Toefl, Personal statement, essays etc.), since
    > the admission process at Penn is highly competitive.
    > Considered my situation, would it be difficult to obtain my F1 Visa? Do you
    > have any hints that could be helpful with my DS forms? Will my former
    > application for DV lottery represent an obstacle for releasing my student
    > visa? Any suggestion to reduce the risk of denial?
    >
    > I appreciate your help and support.
    > Thanks in advance
    >
    > PS. Ingo please tell me what you think about that.

Ingo Pakleppa

I read a DoS memo somewhere recently (can't remember where, unfortunately;
it might even have been posted by somebody else here) about the question
of the DV lottery entry being evidence of intent to immigrate.

This memo made it pretty clear that the consular officer is supposed to
ignore any DV entry. The reasoning is that it is a lottery, and the chance
of winning is fairly remote. Even if you actually have been selected, it
isn't supposed to work against you. The reasoning is similar: you were
selected not by any act of your own, but by pure chance.

From all the information that you list, it seems that you should have
pretty strong case, I wouldn't expect too many problems.

On Fri, 23 May 2003 07:49:54 +0000, Paolo wrote:

    > Hello everyone
    >
    > I have been accepted by the University of Pennsylvania to attend a graduate
    > program in Business (master's).
    > The Designated school Official sent my I-20 form. Now, In order to get my F1
    > visa, I have to complete 3 forms (DS156 - 157 - 158) where the prospective
    > student is asked to provide information about his employment history and
    > family ties etc.
    > I have been in the USA twice in the past years (2001 and 2002, respectively
    > 21 and 24 days) under the Visa Waiver Program as an Italian. Moreover my
    > sister and I applied for the 2004 DV lottery.
    > Of course I have no intention of permanently immigrate in the USA, but I am
    > worried because of my DV lottery application.
    > I have strong ties with my native country (Italy), i.e. several bank
    > accounts; my father, a professor at Italian Public school has no immigration
    > history abroad and no intention to leave the country, besides he owns
    > several apartments here; my mother passed away six years ago; my sister is a
    > student, and my girlfriend works here.
    > Unfortunately I quitted my job five months ago, in order to work full time
    > on my admission requirements (Toefl, Personal statement, essays etc.), since
    > the admission process at Penn is highly competitive.
    > Considered my situation, would it be difficult to obtain my F1 Visa? Do you
    > have any hints that could be helpful with my DS forms? Will my former
    > application for DV lottery represent an obstacle for releasing my student
    > visa? Any suggestion to reduce the risk of denial?
    >
    > I appreciate your help and support.
    > Thanks in advance
    >
    > PS. Ingo please tell me what you think about that.

--
Remember, I am strictly a layperson without any legal training. I encourage
everybody to seek competent legal counsel rather than relying on usenet
newsgroups.

Please visit my new FAQ at http://www.kkeane.com (still under construction)

My email address in usenet posts is now invalid for spam protection. See
my Web site for information on how to contact me.

Please feel free to enjoy some of my photographs at my new Web site
http://www.ingopakleppa.com ! Comments are welcome.