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29.09.2011, 01:01
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Quaint Wädenswil, Zürich, CH
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| | If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )...
Registration for DV2013 starts on Tue 4th Oct 2011 noon EDT ( GMT -4 ). It concludes on Sat 5th November 2011 and participation is FREE.
URL: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigra...ypes_1318.html
and http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/
( Only IE 6 and 7 browsers are supported ).
DV2012 results are here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigra...ypes_5561.html | Quote: |  | | | SWITZERLAND - 229 entries were selected | | | | | | The following 3 users would like to thank jrspet for this useful post: | | 
29.09.2011, 01:26
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Vaud
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )...
thanks for that. I have been playing for years (even got scammed once and paid the price...  )
getting married to a USA citizen in half a year now anyways
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01.10.2011, 14:55
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Quaint Wädenswil, Zürich, CH
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )...
Indeed, there were many scammers and spammers regarding the DV programme ( it was always free but they preyed on those who were ignorant and did not first check sites ending with .gov domains ).
| This user would like to thank jrspet for this useful post: | | 
12.10.2011, 22:45
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Quaint Wädenswil, Zürich, CH
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )...
Bumping up for those interested to enter. Closes on Sat 5th Nov 2011.
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05.11.2011, 12:49
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Quaint Wädenswil, Zürich, CH
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )...
Closes today folks!
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05.11.2011, 14:21
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Vaud
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )... | 
05.11.2011, 14:34
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: May 2010 Location: In the kitchen at parties.
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )...
Natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because the countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years:
BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM
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05.11.2011, 18:11
|  | Member | | Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Over the border
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )...
Just make sure you know what getting a Greencard entails. Be aware of all the laws - especially when it comes to your taxes. You will be required to file taxes with the US no matter what country you live in and they want to lower the salary threshold to get more citizens and Greencard holders to pay from abroad. Also, if you choose not to file from outside of the US, there's a new law - FATCA - that forces foreign banks to report you to the US and you will be heavily penalized. Some foreign banks have already started denying accounts to Americans and Greencard holders or even closing their existing accounts due to the nuisance and cost of reporting to the US.
And if you're married to a US citizen but not a card holder yet, anything you own jointly with an American is expected to be reported to the US as well. Your privacy may be violated by your own non-US bank. We're currently watching our bank to make sure they don't violate my French husband's privacy on my behalf. We're even considering getting rid of our joint account so that his income isn't taxable to the US - and he's not even a Greencard holder.
Just my two cents worth. Many Americans are renouncing their citizenship because they realize there's little to gain from being double-taxed. Yes, our taxes there are lower than in Europe - but the majority of it continues to to go to wars so we receive very few social benefits from it. I feel that getting a Greencard is only worth it if you're intending to live and work there.
Hope everything works out for you though and that it is worth it in the end. Good luck | This user would like to thank musings for this useful post: | | 
05.11.2011, 19:44
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Vaud
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )... | Quote: | |  | | | Just make sure you know what getting a Greencard entails. Be aware of all the laws - especially when it comes to your taxes. You will be required to file taxes with the US no matter what country you live in and they want to lower the salary threshold to get more citizens and Greencard holders to pay from abroad. Also, if you choose not to file from outside of the US, there's a new law - FATCA - that forces foreign banks to report you to the US and you will be heavily penalized. Some foreign banks have already started denying accounts to Americans and Greencard holders or even closing their existing accounts due to the nuisance and cost of reporting to the US.
And if you're married to a US citizen but not a card holder yet, anything you own jointly with an American is expected to be reported to the US as well. Your privacy may be violated by your own non-US bank. We're currently watching our bank to make sure they don't violate my French husband's privacy on my behalf. We're even considering getting rid of our joint account so that his income isn't taxable to the US - and he's not even a Greencard holder.
Just my two cents worth. Many Americans are renouncing their citizenship because they realize there's little to gain from being double-taxed. Yes, our taxes there are lower than in Europe - but the majority of it continues to to go to wars so we receive very few social benefits from it. I feel that getting a Greencard is only worth it if you're intending to live and work there.
Hope everything works out for you though and that it is worth it in the end. Good luck  | | | | |
yup we want to go there and live our lives there. I dont have enough money yet to be worried bout banks
Did FATCA pass already though? I thought it was just a proposal at the moment?
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05.11.2011, 21:37
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: UK, formerly Basel
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )...
I echo Musings statements completely.
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05.11.2011, 23:23
|  | Member | | Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Over the border
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| | Re: If you are keen on the US Green Card ( DV )... | Quote: | |  | | | yup we want to go there and live our lives there. I dont have enough money yet to be worried bout banks 
Did FATCA pass already though? I thought it was just a proposal at the moment? | | | | | It was passed in 2010 and so far I've heard of an American woman in the UK who was nabbed for not filing her taxes. She's been a stay at home mom for a couple of years and her British husband's income is being reported to the US. They're fighting it and paying a high price for attorney fees.
Here's a recent thread on it: FATCA: The American Dream Becomes a Nightmare | This user would like to thank musings for this useful post: | |
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