Winning the DV Lottery is possible? Yes, with my family we are proof of that, but we are not the only ones! Every year, millions of people try their luck in the DV Lottery and 50,000 of them will obtain the Green Card. Séverine and her husband were selected and then obtained their green cards. They are now settled in Los Angeles, California, with their children. Séverine kindly agreed to answer a few questions, and here are her answers.1 – Hello, could you briefly introduce yourself?
Hello! My name is Séverine and I am 35 years old. I come from Paris, where I lived and worked for thirteen years for a magazine. I am married, I have two children aged 6 and 4, and I now live in Los Angeles. I now work there as a journalist and writer.

2 – How long had you been playing the DV Lottery before being selected? What motivated you to enter?
With my husband, we took a first trip to the United States in 2009: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, then New York. And Los Angeles again in 2010. We really loved the USA and that is how we discovered the Green Card lottery. At the beginning, it was more like a game for us. We were building our life and careers at the time, and it was more a pleasure to imagine ourselves in a possible American life. We renewed our application every year after that. Actually, it was mostly my husband, because on my side I missed some years! It was in the summer of 2015 that my husband discovered he had been selected. He truly had the dream of settling in Los Angeles.

3 – What was your reaction when you found out you had been selected?
I was skeptical about the outcome of the selection. You have to understand that it is a very long process and nothing is really won until you have the visa from the embassy. So there was no huge excitement. More a mix of caution and apprehension.

4 – For you, what was the most difficult step in the DV Lottery process?
It was the moment when we got the date of our embassy interview. Things suddenly became much more concrete and we had to project ourselves into the next stage of the adventure. How would we handle jobs, the children, housing, and everything else? We had to gather all the required documents and schedule the medical appointments. All of that while continuing everyday life, meaning work and the children. That was when the stress really rose.

5 – How did you announce your future expatriation to the USA to your relatives (family, friends)?
I waited until the process was really well advanced before talking about it. Telling my family was not easy because we are very close and used to see each other often.

6 – How did you prepare the departure with children?
That part was both practical and emotional. You have to organize the move, daily life, school, all the paperwork, and at the same time think about the children’s rhythm and the effect of such a life change on them.

7 – How did your arrival in Los Angeles go?
The beginning was both exciting and destabilizing. Starting a life in a new country means discovering a new rhythm, a new city, new habits, and rebuilding your landmarks. But Los Angeles also matched the dream we had built over time.

8 – Looking back, what advice would you give to people dreaming of the DV Lottery?
You have to try, stay serious about the process, and keep your head on your shoulders. Selection is only one step. Afterwards, you still need patience, organization, and a real ability to project yourself into a new life.

This interview is a great reminder that behind the DV Lottery, there are real families, real projects, and real life changes.