Read if you have a grayed out submit button on DS-260

[Hank1 1]

I just wanted to share some thing I just managed to figure out on the DS-260 Submission form. I managed to submit my form easy enough, but for my wife and son the submit button was grayed out and I initially thought it was because I was the main applicant and they didn't have to submit, but I was wrong. They each couldn't submit for different reasons

In my son's case, he couldn't submit until he opened the pdf file about "selective Service" registration. You MUST have Adobe installed for it to work and it is only a requirement to read for boys under 26, which is why it didn't come up on my application. It is basically a warning that you need to register for draft (national service) if you are between 18 and 26. Until you at least open this document the submit button won't work.

In the case of my wife's application it was more tricky.

Since she is not the primary applicant on a DV application, she doesn't technically have to fill in her education and work experience. We did fill it any way, but if we saved and came back to it, the system wouldn't hold the information and reset the page. The only way around it was to fill in the page and go all the way to submission in one go. If you stop and save and come back, they information was gone, and so the system thought the form was incomplete. I suppose if we had said No to the work experience and education, it might have worked, but then that wouldn't be true.

Anyway just thought I share this. All 3 of us now have confirmations for submission.

[guys 24]

I just wanted to share some thing I just managed to figure out on the DS-260 Submission form. I managed to submit my form easy enough, but for my wife and son the submit button was grayed out and I initially thought it was because I was the main applicant and they didn't have to submit, but I was wrong. They each couldn't submit for different reasons

In my son's case, he couldn't submit until he opened the pdf file about "selective Service" registration. You MUST have Adobe installed for it to work and it is only a requirement to read for boys under 26, which is why it didn't come up on my application. It is basically a warning that you need to register for draft (national service) if you are between 18 and 26. Until you at least open this document the submit button won't work.

In the case of my wife's application it was more tricky.

Since she is not the primary applicant on a DV application, she doesn't technically have to fill in her education and work experience. We did fill it any way, but if we saved and came back to it, the system wouldn't hold the information and reset the page. The only way around it was to fill in the page and go all the way to submission in one go. If you stop and save and come back, they information was gone, and so the system thought the form was incomplete. I suppose if we had said No to the work experience and education, it might have worked, but then that wouldn't be true.

Anyway just thought I share this. All 3 of us now have confirmations for submission.

yeah, it was happening to me also when i worked in on my son's file, am still grayed

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/501427-a-silly-mistake-when-filled-in-d260/

[guestgulkan 9]

In the case of my wife's application it was more tricky.

Since she is not the primary applicant on a DV application, she doesn't technically have to fill in her education and work experience. We did fill it any way, but if we saved and came back to it, the system wouldn't hold the information and reset the page. The only way around it was to fill in the page and go all the way to submission in one go. If you stop and save and come back, they information was gone, and so the system thought the form was incomplete. I suppose if we had said No to the work experience and education, it might have worked, but then that wouldn't be true.

The DS-260 saved my wife's education, address and work history ok. If there were any errors eg an address gap since aged 16, it didn't save.

I still haven't submitted. All the information is just sitting there. I'm not current until late next year so I'm doing it lazily.

Edited June 18, 2014 by guestgulkan

[Hank1 1]

It's clearly not a very well put together form. There is an objection letter from the American Law Society to the way a lot of questions seem to leave no room for ambiguity, such as what if you are on a trip to US when you are filling in the form?

And it seems to work in one way for some, and crash for others. Not much of guidance notes or much of anything really. And this idea of addresses back to when you were 16 is bonkers. All other countries that I know of or criminal check records usually ask for last 10 year. I don't see what they get out of it that they couldn't get by asking which countries you were resident in? Not many people would remember where there were 30 years ago and the day they moved in or out.

[guestgulkan 9]

It's clearly not a very well put together form. There is an objection letter from the American Law Society to the way a lot of questions seem to leave no room for ambiguity, such as what if you are on a trip to US when you are filling in the form?

And it seems to work in one way for some, and crash for others. Not much of guidance notes or much of anything really. And this idea of addresses back to when you were 16 is bonkers. All other countries that I know of or criminal check records usually ask for last 10 year. I don't see what they get out of it that they couldn't get by asking which countries you were resident in? Not many people would remember where there were 30 years ago and the day they moved in or out.

I think they know people can't remember. I used google streetview to find some addresses (so there are missing apartment numbers) and some of the dates are +- 1 year.

[Hank1 1]

And yet they keep asking for pointless information! What difference does it make what day I moved in to a student flat in 1986? And if someone wanted to lie, how could they possibly check?

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

Maybe it seems pointless to you. For them, what they are mainly interested in is that there are no strange long unexplained gaps in your adult life (which could indicate either jail terms or terrorist training for example). No, they are not going to care if your dates are a few days out in 1986.

If it's too much hassle for you to fill in this form, be thankful you don't have to undergo the far more strenuous, time-consuming and expensive immigration procedure that applicants for other US immigrant visas and other countries have to go through.

[Hank1 1]

That would make sense Susie, if the form let you leave gaps in the history, but it doesn't!. So they can't see any gaps. Unless it is correct and one address follows another and goes back to when you were 16, you get a red warning and can't save the form. These forms are designed badly and there is no excusing it. Just because other countries are just as bad or worse, only goes to show that Civil Service is bad around the world. Too much form and not enough substance.They could have achieved the same level of scrutiny by going back 10 years and then asking which countries you lived in. And if someone lied, there is no way of catching them. In most European countries other than some of the old Communist block,, people don't register with the government, so there is no data source to search. So if I were to say I lived at 23 High Street from 1980 to 1990, it would be nearly impossible for anyone including myself to check.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

I'm not talking about badly designed forms vs other countries, I'm talking about the hoops people need to go through to immigrate. Sheesh, some people wait literally over a decade to be able to make the move, having to prove and show all sort of things and spending an absolute fortune in the process, and you're moaning about a form. You've been lucky enough to be chosen for the easiest, cheapest way to immigrate to any country anywhere. Get some perspective dude.

[Hank1 1]

Well I am talking about a badly designed form. If you notice the topic of this thread is the design of the form, not a general discussion about the ease or difficulty of migration. You were defending the design that there was a valid reason why they needed the information and all I did was point out the flaw in that logic. I'm not saying it should be easier or harder for people to migrate. Its just THIS FORM is not well designed.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

I do beg your pardon, I must have missed the big instruction that said this is the one thread on the entire internet that has to stick absolutely to topic.

I might point out that there is little use whingeing about the design of the form here, as there is nothing anyone here can do about it; perhaps you should address your concerns directly to USCIS. I'm sure that will be a more fruitful use of your valuable time.

Do have a good day further.