One Syrian’s Honest Experience with the U.S. Visa Process When you’re Syrian and you apply to go to the United States, it’s not just a regular visa application. It feels like everything is riding on it. Your future. Your family’s future. Your mental well-being.

People from other places might go through immigration processes with stress, sure — but for us, it’s different. You’re constantly dealing with delays, unclear rules, limited embassy access, and political walls that seem impossible to get around.

The Case Number: 18,900 and Waiting

My case number for the DV Lottery is somewhere around 18,900. If you’re Syrian and reading this, you probably know what that means. You’re close — but not close enough to feel safe. You wake up checking the Visa Bulletin, hoping to see movement. You count months. You hear rumors. You prepare your documents — just in case.

That number becomes your shadow. You don’t make future plans because you’re waiting on it. You don’t sleep well because of it. And yet, there’s still hope.

The Interview — If It Comes

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If your number becomes current, the real test begins: getting that interview.

Now imagine this: your documents are ready. Your heart is racing. But there’s no U.S. embassy in Syria. You have to find another country that might accept you for the interview — maybe Turkey, maybe Germany. But those places want their own visas first. More fees. More paperwork. More waiting.

And there’s no guarantee.

You’re left stuck between countries — one that can’t help you and another that might not even let you in.

What Can We Do?

We stay ready. That’s the truth. Most Syrians I know who are in this process don’t give up. They scan forums. They ask others who’ve done it before. They plan flights they may never take — just in case the embassy responds.

It’s not ideal. But it’s the reality we live in.

It’s About More Than a Green Card

For us, this is not just about going to the U.S. It’s about rebuilding a life. It’s about peace, dignity, and sometimes survival. We want to work, study, reunite with loved ones, live freely — things people in other places often take for granted.

Behind every visa number is a story. Behind every delay is a human being waiting, hoping, sometimes crying from exhaustion.