DV questions

[Deco20 7]

Hi everyone,

Finally I got rid of that DS-260, now looking forward to what's coming next. Couple of questions:

1- Currently I'm residing in Canada, regarding the docs that I need from my home country do I need to translate them here or it can be done overseas?

2- I'm expecting an interview in April-May 2015, given that the DV visa has a validity of max. 6 months and a single entry (correct me if I'm wrong) and I'm not planning to settle down for good in the US before April 2016, is it possible to cross the border for a short period of time to validate the visa and come back to Canada and ask a relative to mail the green card back to me so I can re-enter with it. (If someone could enlighten me on how long does it take -on average- to receive the GC after entering the us it'd be awesome).

Cheers!

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

Hi everyone,

Finally I got rid of that DS-260, now looking forward to what's coming next. Couple of questions:

1- Currently I'm residing in Canada, regarding the docs that I need from my home country do I need to translate them here or it can be done overseas?

2- I'm expecting an interview in April-May 2015, given that the DV visa has a validity of max. 6 months and a single entry (correct me if I'm wrong) and I'm not planning to settle down for good in the US before April 2016, is it possible to cross the border for a short period of time to validate the visa and come back to Canada and ask a relative to mail the green card back to me so I can re-enter with it. (If someone could enlighten me on how long does it take -on average- to receive the GC after entering the us it'd be awesome).

Cheers!

Translate there is fine.

And yes, but you must re-enter before a year is up. Note that while your visa is technically single entry for the immigrant visa, it is also magic....by which I mean it converts into a temporary green card for a year once it's stamped, so yes you can indeed go back with it. The physical green card takes anywhere between 1-6 months to arrive, though around 6-8 weeks seems the most common timeframe at the moment (this can change depending what is happening at USCIS!)

[Deco20 7]

Translate there is fine.

And yes, but you must re-enter before a year is up. Note that while your visa is technically single entry for the immigrant visa, it is also magic....by which I mean it converts into a temporary green card for a year once it's stamped, so yes you can indeed go back with it. The physical green card takes anywhere between 1-6 months to arrive, though around 6-8 weeks seems the most common timeframe at the moment (this can change depending what is happening at USCIS!)

Sounds good, so the visa is valid for one year after emission not 6 months?

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

Sounds good, so the visa is valid for one year after emission not 6 months?

No. The visa is valid until its expiry, which is a maximum of 6 month after issue. You MUST enter before it expires. But there is a printed line at the bottom that says something like 'on endorsement is a temporary I551 evidencing permanent residence for one year'. The "endorsement" is the CBP stamp on entry. So once you have entered with your visa it turns into evidence of your LPR status (ie becomes a temporary green card) for a year, and you can use it for all the things you need a green card as proof for, including re-entering the country, for a year from the date of your entry stamp.