Green Lottery & Children

Child as a Derivative

If you have children, do not forget to list them in the lottery application. The children must be unmarried and under the age of 21 at the time of the application. Although it says ‘at the time of the application’, this is quite tricky. If you or your children are in this situation, you need to read more on eligibility on over-age children. I will write more on this in my future post.

• You should list all your children whether natural, adopted, or if they’re from your previous marriage or even if they’re your partner’s children.

• It does not matter whether they live with you or not.

• If the child has already graduated high school, he/she may apply independently. In this case the child will not be able to list his/her parents as derivatives.

What if the child wins the lottery but the parents don’t?

In this case, parents are left behind. The only option is to wait until the child gets citizenship and applies for green card for parents through immediate relatives provisions.

What if your child is a senior in high school and will graduate only in May 2010? Can he/she still apply for DV-2011?

Yes