Immigration Q&A: The result of the green card lottery in May 2011 is invalid; the death of the spouse, pension-related matters

Immigration Q&A: The result of the green card lottery in May 2011 is invalid; the spouse dies, pension-related matters 1 I am a Taiwanese, and I received a notice from the State Council that I was drawn...

Immigration Q&A: The result of the green card lottery in May 2011 is invalid; the spouse dies, pension-related matters 1 I am a Taiwanese. I received a notice from the State Council saying that I was awarded a green card, but it also said that the announced green card lottery results did not count? Why? Do I need to submit a new green card lottery application? News from the State Council pointed out that due to a computer system failure, the green card lottery results announced by the State Council since May 2011 were declared invalid. The State Council is processing relevant measures for the re-lottery, and it is expected that the correct green card lottery will be released around July 15, 2011. The State Council stated that due to problems with the computer system, the green card lottery process was not carried out according to random sampling and did not comply with the requirements of the immigration law. The green card lottery results published on the State Council website since May 2011 were declared invalid. In other words, even if you check your green card lottery on the State Council website from the first week of May and find that you were selected, the result of the lottery will not be counted. If you applied for the green card lottery on the State Council website from October 5, 2010 to November 3, 2010, your application is still valid, but it will not be counted until it is re-drawn by the State Council. The State Council is processing relevant measures for the re-lottery, and it is expected that the correct green card lottery will be released around July 15, 2011. The State Department has not discovered that the computer system has been attacked. This is just an unfair random sampling caused by a computer system failure. The personal information you entered before should be safe. 2. I came to the United States on a family visit visa in 2005 and married my husband, a U.S. citizen, in June 2006. However, my husband passed away due to illness in February 2010. Since then, I have relied solely on receiving his pension to support my life. I am 69 years old, have a green card, and am about to take the naturalization test. Can I remarry? Will remarriage affect my eligibility for my deceased husband’s pension? If the other person is from Mainland China, can I apply for him to immigrate to the United States? How long do I need to wait? Can I apply for Social Security Income (SSI) on his behalf after arriving? Answer: As for the laws on Social Security benefits or pensions, I suggest you check with Social Security personnel or experts in this field. I can only give you a general idea. If you receive survivor benefits from a private company's pension account, you may lose it if you remarry, because many private pension plans do not provide protection for this situation, and few companies do this. On the other hand, survivor benefits received from the Social Security Administration may be protected. For example, the Social Security Administration's article "Social Security Online: Eligibility and Application for Widows, Widowers, and Other Survivors" can be found on the Social Security Administration's website (www.ssa.gov/survivorplan). If you remarry after age 60 (50 if disabled), you can still receive benefits from your ex-spouse's account. If you marry a mainlander, you can apply for him to immigrate to the United States. Usually, a case sponsored by a U.S. citizen takes about one year, and a green card holder takes about three to four years. You are not allowed to apply for Social Security Income (SSI) within five years of immigrating to the United States. Even after that, the government is eligible to deduct the amount of Social Security Income (SSI) he receives from your income and the income of the sub-sponsor who filled out the financial support form (I-864) and promised financial support. The financial sponsorship obligation in a relative case will remain in effect until the sponsored person becomes a U.S. citizen, has worked for 40 quarters (10 years), permanently leaves the United States, or dies.