My suggestion is that you contact an attorney and discuss your options BEFORE you make any plans. In order to submit your application for adjustment of status in the US, you must at that time be validly maintaining your nonimmigrant status. The DV visa that you won cannot be available until October 1, 2012 at the earliest. Yes you can file a request for an extension of your tourist visa, but I would suggest that the filing of such a request would be inconsistent with the claim that you want to remain in the US for more time as a tourist. Tourists leave, DV visa winners stay as residents. So there are a number of very important concerns that you must be aware of before deciding what to do. My experience with DV cases is that it is always an enormous difficulty getting them to work while the DV lottery winner is here in the US. It is always one thing after another and a lot of this has to do with the fact that the DV system is set up as one where the applicants are overseas. USCIS is not set up to handle these cases as effectively as is the US Consular Office and this is part of the constant frustration that I have always encountered with these cases. I would highly recommend that you contact an attorney and that you make it someone who will explain everything to you so that you can make an informed decision on how to proceed. Don't guess on this one because you have a ticket in your hands that you want to use most effectively. If it is not done correctly, you may lose the opportunity to reside in the US that has been provided to you by being picked to receive a visa. Good luck.
Answered on May 17th, 2012 at 10:41 AM