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Will applying a US diversity lottery (Green Card) program affect my future visa requests, especially if I am going to apply for a J1 internship visa next year?
I am going to apply for green card but I am hesitating, because I am worried whether it will affect my chances for future visas.
Yes but the exact degree is uncertain.
When you apply for non-immigrant visas (such as a J1, F1, or B1/B2), you must show that you have no intent to immigrate to the USA. But by applying for the green card lottery, you are signaling immigration intent. So it becomes more difficult after you put in an application. This doesn’t impact so-called dual-intent visas like the H1 visa where you can have immigration intent.
The exact degree that the lottery affects non-immigrant applications though is uncertain as many have gotten non-immigrant visas after not getting the lottery. As with all visas, the strength of the positive evidence for your case needs to outweigh any derogatories in your account.
