Q24N (VOA) A Nicaraguan family that participated in the visa lotteries promoted annually by the US government, describes what they experienced after benefiting from the program. The family obtained their permanent residency just one month after arriving in the United States.
The Nicaraguan couple Daviana Rodríguez and Marlon Quedo are still perplexed by the speed with which they obtained their Green Card.
Quedo, 38, and Rodríguez, 39, were chosen after having participated in the Diversity Visa Program, better known as the “Visa Lottery” where the United States government annually offers the possibility of migrating with permanent residency to some 55,000 foreigners each year, including Nicaraguans.
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The couple applied at the end of 2022.
“I found out through the newspaper La Prensa that the call had been opened, it was constantly reported that the visa lottery had already started, although I was afraid because there are many scams about that, because they charge you and really to participate in the visa lottery process to register is completely free,” said Rodríguez.
“But I told my husband and he started the whole process” she added.
The program run by the State Department and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) randomly selects the winners of the lottery and allows those selected and their immediate family members to obtain permanent residency and apply for citizenship five years later.
In the case of the Nicaraguan couple, their two children benefited, who also already have permanent residency.
“The residency came practically a month later, but the children’s lasted a little longer, I imagine to take a photo because my youngest son is 10 months old, but finally they have it. Now all four of us are residents,” Quedo said.
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A long wait
The couple applied for the lottery in October 2022 and in 2024 they checked if they had been selected and that was when they found out the news, later they began countless procedures, interviews and medical examinations prior to the trip.
According to official information, participants must prove that they have the resources or work skills so they will not require government assistance for their support. They are also interviewed by the U.S. embassy.
The couple worked in Nicaragua in various areas. In the case of Marlon Quedo, he worked as an IT professional, while Daviana Rodriguez, who studied industrial engineering, worked as a health and safety manager at a local company.
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“It was like a dream because we had planned to apply for a tourist visa, but I tell you, we never thought we would end up living here and being residents of this country, it’s a dream,” the couple told the Voice of America.
Nicaragua is the Central American country with the lowest approval of B1 and B2 tourist visas, according to figures from the Office of Consular Affairs.
In 2022, 16,029 B1 and B2 visas were approved for Nicaraguans, a relatively low number compared to its neighboring country Costa Rica, with 64,221 in the same period.
According to U.S. law, there are many standards under which a visa application can be denied, such as the fact that a consular officer does not have all the information required to determine whether the applicant is eligible to receive it, or because the applicant does not qualify for the visa category for which he or she applied.
“It was exciting at the moment when the consul told us: your visa has been approved and so we looked at each other and got a little excited,” Quedo said.
The Nicaraguan couple is slowly planning their future as they settle in Miami, Florida, which is the destination they chose after arriving in the United States.
“The goal was to establish a better future for our children and that was the fundamental goal, because thanks to God we had that luck, that blessing, then, let’s take advantage of everything within our reach to give them the best, because here, well, obviously the education is better, the quality of life is better,” said the couple.
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