Lottery winner want to bring his family !

[Packerfan]

What is the name of your state? Wisconsin

Hi,

I am 16 years old boy from iraq originally.
i came to the US after they picked me in the Green card lottery program! I was lucky

Now, can i bring my family (parents and one sister) to the US ... cuz life is missrible in iraq now and will be worst espicially after the troops withdrawal .. and i am scared about my family .... Please advice

and is there any difference between the states in my case ??? which one have the best immigration laws ?

Thank you

[ImmigAttyLana]

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to bring your parents and sister to the US in any immediate future, as you are not eligible to petition for them until you become a US citizen and that will take at least 5 years. Once you are a US citizen, you can petition for your parents as immediate relatives and that process will take about a year but for your sister, it will be about a 10-12 year process so it would be faster if your parents petition for her once they are in the US as permanent residents. There is no difference between the different states as US immigration laws are the same throughout the country.

Your parents may try to apply for refugee status to the US if their particular situation in Iraq is unbearable but this will have to be supported with specific evidence of their ordeals.

[Packerfan]

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to bring your parents and sister to the US in any immediate future, as you are not eligible to petition for them until you become a US citizen and that will take at least 5 years. Once you are a US citizen, you can petition for your parents as immediate relatives and that process will take about a year but for your sister, it will be about a 10-12 year process so it would be faster if your parents petition for her once they are in the US as permanent residents. There is no difference between the different states as US immigration laws are the same throughout the country.

Your parents may try to apply for refugee status to the US if their particular situation in Iraq is unbearable but this will have to be supported with specific evidence of their ordeals.

OK Lana, Thanks

But, i heard that if i am less than 18 in age, then i can petition for them ??

They have a lot of evedence of perscution. And there is no applying for refugees in Iraq in the meantime ... so can I apply for them from here ?? and then they can do their interveiws in Amman, jordan or in syria **************.can I ?

and what are the forms needed to apply for sefugee status ?

Plz ... I want anyway, anything that will get them out of there. please advice me ... it can't be there is nothing to do ?

[ImmigAttyLana]

No, it is not true that as someone who is under the age of 16 you can petition for them. I am actually even surprised that you were selected in the DV lottery as a 16 year old since it is only open to applicants who are able to show that they have completed high school education or its equivalent and I am not sure how you would have been able to do that if you are now only 16 years old.

You cannot apply for their refugee status. They would need to do that on their own through the US Embassy in Jordan or Syria or Egypt.

[Packerfan]

No, it is not true that as someone who is under the age of 16 you can petition for them. I am actually even surprised that you were selected in the DV lottery as a 16 year old since it is only open to applicants who are able to show that they have completed high school education or its equivalent and I am not sure how you would have been able to do that if you are now only 16 years old.

You cannot apply for their refugee status. They would need to do that on their own through the US Embassy in Jordan or Syria or Egypt.

They just contacted me saying that i won a lottery to go to the US !! should i say NO !! and it didnt say in the lottery its only for ppl who finished high school !
and what you mean only 16 ??? 16 is not that young .. i am now living as independent and go to HS and have a job also !

However, Thanks a lot for your consultation ... only one other thing

Who are the people whom elegible for petition for others before they become US citizens ??
i mean, can i apply for the lottery for my father OR mom and if he/she granted the lottery and come to the US .... when can they petition for the daughter or the spouse ??

Thanks again

[FLMommy]

How exactly did 'they' contact you?

[ImmigAttyLana]

Can you please clarify, are you ALREADY in the US with a valid green card which you obtained at a US Embassy abroad after being supposedly "contacted" about having won the green card lottery? There IS, in fact, a requirement that you have a high school education or its equivalent if you read the instructions for the lottery and most likely, if you were "selected" and are only 16 then it is not legitimate. If you already have the green card and are in the US, then we can go on with this discussion. If you were contacted and don't even know yet that this is real or legitimate, you are really just wasting your time with this.

Only a US citizen can petition for his/her parents, siblings and married children with their dependents. A US permanent resident can petition for his/her children who are unmarried and spouses.

[FLMommy]

I find it very hard to believe a minor would be allowed to win the GC lottery (plus the reasons you - Lana - meant) ... I am curious as to how he was contacted. There have been people on this forum before that claimed that and it turned out to be by email, and was a scam.

[Packerfan]

Can you please clarify, are you ALREADY in the US with a valid green card which you obtained at a US Embassy abroad after being supposedly "contacted" about having won the green card lottery? There IS, in fact, a requirement that you have a high school education or its equivalent if you read the instructions for the lottery and most likely, if you were "selected" and are only 16 then it is not legitimate. If you already have the green card and are in the US, then we can go on with this discussion. If you were contacted and don't even know yet that this is real or legitimate, you are really just wasting your time with this.

Only a US citizen can petition for his/her parents, siblings and married children with their dependents. A US permanent resident can petition for his/her children who are unmarried and spouses.

sorry for the late replying

well, if i am not in the US, so why did i put WI as my state at the top of the thread !??

Yes, i am now in the US i came about a two months ago .... and i have EAD (employment authorization) and SSN .... but not yet a green card ... they said it gonna take about a year to get the green card ... they contacted me by phone and i did my interview in the US embassy in jordan .....

Thats all ... can we move on this or not ?

[ImmigAttyLana]

No, you cannot. As I noted in a prior post, you are NOT eligible to sponsor your parents or sister until you are a US citizen!!!!!!! If you indeed won the green card lottery, your passport should have been stamped at the time of entry to the US, indicating that you are a permanent resident (green card holder) and you should not have received a EAD which is no longer necessary if you are a green card holder. Once you get the passport stamp, the green card itself should come in the mail within 3-5 weeks. What is the stamp in your passport at the time of entry? Please clarify.

[Packerfan]

No, you cannot. As I noted in a prior post, you are NOT eligible to sponsor your parents or sister until you are a US citizen!!!!!!! If you indeed won the green card lottery, your passport should have been stamped at the time of entry to the US, indicating that you are a permanent resident (green card holder) and you should not have received a EAD which is no longer necessary if you are a green card holder. Once you get the passport stamp, the green card itself should come in the mail within 3-5 weeks. What is the stamp in your passport at the time of entry? Please clarify.

they didnt stamp my pp !!

they gave me the "I-94" arriving departure document ... and now i am waiting for the green card, they said i will get it in a maximum of one year ....so, they gave me EAD for 1 year temporary .. they did that cuz they said i am a special case since i am under 18.
i entered the US on April 13, 2007 ....

do u need any more clarifications ?

[ImmigAttyLana]

No. You are STILL not eligible to petition for your parents or your sister until you are a US citizen. That is a fact independent of what your current status is. That is simply a statement of the US immigration law pertaining to your question.

[Packerfan]

No. You are STILL not eligible to petition for your parents or your sister until you are a US citizen. That is a fact independent of what your current status is. That is simply a statement of the US immigration law pertaining to your question.

Thank you Lana ... appreciate your help !