DV Lottery Process
The Diversity Visa Program has been running successfully since 1994, and every year, many participants come a little closer to their American dream. Filling out the application form is the first step - but what data must be included in the application, and what comes next?
DV Lottery: How to apply?
The participation period of the DV program is determined each year by the US State Department. It usually starts in October and is limited to only a few weeks.
However, you can submit your application all year round on dvlottery.com. Our Green Card experts will make sure that your application is submitted in due time and form.
In order to register for the DV Lottery, you must provide the following information:
- Last name, first name(s)
- Date, place, and country of birth
- Address
- Marital status
- if applicable, information on children and spouse
- Photo (of yourself and any dependents)
- The highest degree of education
IMPORTANT: Each person may only participate once per year in the Diversity Visa Lottery! If you submit more than one form, you will be automatically disqualified!
Entrant Status Check
The results of the DV Lottery will be known in May of the following year after the application has been submitted to the US authorities.
We check and send you your individual result immediately!
If you have not used our service, you will have to check your entrant status online, as the US authorities do not send out any notifications even in case you win.
Example:
If you applied until November 7th, 2024 you can check your DV Lottery entrant status from May 2025 on.
The exact date varies each year.
Process after winning the DV Lottery
If you were selected in the DV Lottery, you must apply for the Green Card using the DS-260 form, where you will have to provide extensive personal information about yourself and your family members, e.g., your spouse and/or children under 21 years of age.
Prepare for the Interview
Sometime after sending the DS-260 online form, you will be invited to a US consulate for your visa interview. This is usually scheduled in your home country.
About 14 days before your interview appointment, you have to undergo a medical examination by a local panel physician of the U.S. Consulate General, which usually takes between 1-2 hours.
Moreover, you need to bring a couple of documents to your interview appointment at the US Consulate.
Among the documents needed are:
- copy of biometrics page of passport(s)
- birth certificate or extract from birth registration
- police certificates (for applicants from the age of 16)
etc.
Further documents (if applicable)
- marriage certificate
- divorce certificate
- military records
etc.
DV Lottery Winner Service
Do you need help with the next steps?
Take advantage of our competent and convenient Premium DV Lottery Winner Service, providing full service throughout the entire Green Card application process!
The service includes:
- Completion of the online DS-260 form including translation
- Preparation of application documents for the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) as well as the U.S. consulate
- Extensive preparation for the Green Card interview appointment at the U.S. consulate
- Unlimited advice by telephone and face-to-face consultation by an individual contact person
- Green Card and Social Security delivery service to our U.S. address free of charge
- Passport delivery incl. your immigrant visa-free of charge
- and much more!
Please fill out the following form and send it to [email protected]
DV Lottery Winners Interview
The interview itself is not that difficult and will be handled by a consular officer at the counter in either English or the language of the country you are applying in. The one-on-one interview usually takes less than five minutes.
The accurate and successful examination of the submitted documents by the consular officer is more important. In theory, the appointment is more about the verification of the documents.
After the Interview
After a successful interview appointment, your immigrant visa will be put directly into your passport.
To activate your Green Card, your first trip to the United States must take place within six months after the medical report was issued. However, there is no required length of stay, so you could basically travel to the USA to activate your Green Card and only stay for a weekend, for example.
3 to 6 months after your activation trip to the US, your Green Card will be sent to the US address you named in your form.
Important: The US authorities will never send your Green Card to an address outside the USA!
If you don’t have a US address, contact us for help at [email protected]
Do I have to immigrate immediately?
If you're one of the lucky winners of the DV Lottery, you don't have to emigrate to the USA immediately, and you won't lose your original citizenship either.
However, the US authorities will only issue a Green Card if the applicant declares an intention to immigrate. Therefore, you should only apply for a permanent residence permit if you actually intend to live in the USA for a longer period of time, whether to work, study, start a family, or retire. You also have up to one year to make a decision on whether or not to accept the Green Card in the event of a successful draw!
However, you need to make sure that you do not leave the USA longer than 12 months after you receive your Green Card or 24 months on request.
The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 to provide for a new class of immigrants known as "diversity immigrants" (DV immigrants). The Act makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
From the State Department: "Alien petitioners for the Diversity Visa Program will no longer be permitted to submit a petition by mail. Instead, the Department will require that all petitions be submitted to it in an electronic format, using an Internet website dedicated specifically to the submission and receipt of Diversity Visa."
