Sponsor for DV winners are officially called as Petitioner in the USA Green Card Documents and in the visa application forms. Petitioner should submit his details through the Affidavit of support form along with the supporting documents. There are two kinds of Affidavit of support forms are available in the iternet. The DV draw winners should use the correct one that is requested for them. (I-134 or I-864).

Green Card draw winner processing is going to start for the DV-2022 program in the USCIS offices and in the U.S Consular offices all over the world from the month of October..
Affidavit of support should be provided by a petitioner, who should be a US LPR holder or should be an US Citizen. Winners can provide more sponsors at the time of their Visa Interview. Also you must get their personal detail documents and must provide them to the interviewing Consular officer or ask them to provide them to the consular officer through courier service to be reached at the time of your interview..

As per the DV Instructions sponsorship must be provided by a well to do person called as Sponsor (Petitioner). This is to provide to the DV winner, when he is in need of financial support or other needs while he is staying in the USA. The US Government will provide ONLY the required visas for the winners and will not provided any other monetary or housing support.

The American DV program used to change some of its rules every year. According to this all the selected winners need to provide an Affidavit of support to get their entry permits at the time of their interview or changing their current status to LPR.. Main applicants’ dependants too must provide one affidavit of support for them through the form of I-134 from their petitioner.

So who is this petitioner mentioned in the DV program?

Petitioner is the person who will look after the needs of the newly came DV winner while he is living in the U.S.A as a LPR holder.

The sponsoring person must be an US citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident in the USA. The petitioner must have enough income or financial resources and must provide the required supporting documents too along with the signed I-134 form. There is no filling fee for the form I-134 by any party. I-134 form can be given to the winner to provide it at the time of his interview. Or the petitioner can send it to the Consular office with prior arrangement through courier service.

Duly filled and signed affidavit of support form must be provided by the winner to the Consular officer on the day of his/her interview.

If you can’t provide it at the time of the interview, you will be asked to provide it as soon as possible in time. Entry permits are issued on the first come first serve. So be quick to provide it as early as possible before the entry permits exhaust.

What is public charge in the USA?

A person who is looking for financial assistance, food or food stamps, free medical assistance and shelter to live without paying rent, electricity and water bills are considered as public charge.

Don’t have a sponsor? Then Read this.

According to the DV-2023 visa lottery instructions, those who don’t have a sponsor can show that they have on arrival job offer in the USA through proper certified papers along with the proof of their assets and bank balances to proof that they won’t become a public charge there.

Anyhow, the final decision on these kinds of job offer and wealthy people will be decided by the Consular officer after verifying all their documents. It is better to contact your Embassy or Consulate and ask their requirements regarding this own sponsorship before you attend the interview.

Affidavit of support for the winners staying in the USA.

Those winners in the USA must provide I-864 form for the Affidavit of support when they seek adjustment of status under the diversity lottery program winning. In some countries, consular officers may request I-864 form instead of I-134 form.

If you don’t meet the eligibility at the time of the interview, you will be given time to bring those necessary documents. You can get the entry permission by showing them the Affidavit of support before 30th September and you will be issued with them, if they don’t exhaust at that time.

Special Notice to the DV winners.

Don’t sell your house, cars, other valuable assets or properties before you are issued with the required American visas under the program. There are chances for the visas to be rejected at the time of the interview.

You can view the I-134 form and the instructions here. Click on this Link