Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Program

An annual Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly known as the visa lottery, makes available each year by random selection 55,000 immigrant visas to people from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. Eligibility to apply for this Program is determined by a person's place of birth, not citizenship.

The 2014 Diversity Visa Lottery Program Registration Period Ends

Registration for the 2014 Diversity Visa Lottery concluded on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4). 

A successfully registered entry will have resulted in a confirmation screen containing the applicant’s name and a unique confirmation number.  Applicants were instructed to print this confirmation screen for their records, as this confirmation sheet contains the information needed for them to receive information about their DV-2014 entry status. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you lose your confirmation information, you will not be able to check your DV entry status. The Department of State will not be able to resend the confirmation page information to you, nor will it be available from any other source.

Starting May 1, 2013, you will be able to check the status of your DV-2014 entry by returning to www.dvlottery.state.gov, clicking on Entrant Status Check, and entering your unique confirmation number and personal information. Entrant Status Check will be the sole means of informing you of your selection for DV-2014, providing instructions to you on how to proceed with your application, and notifying you of your appointment for your immigrant visa interview. Therefore, it is essential you retain your confirmation number.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to receive a Diversity Visa, registrants selected by the automatic system will be required to prove at the time of their visa interview that they have met either the education or work experience requirement of the DV program.

Education:  The minimum educational requirement is completion of high school or its equivalent.  For Irish-educated applicants this standard means achievement of a school leaving certificate with a passing grade of D or better in five subjects.

Work experience:  Applicants without the necessary academic qualification can instead use work experience to qualify.  Applicable work experience is defined as two years of work experience within the previous five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform.  The State Department uses the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net OnLine occupational network database (http://online.onetcenter.org/) to determine qualifying work experience.  The qualifying occupation must be listed in this database with a designated “job zone” of 4 or 5 and a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) range of 7.0 or higher. Occupations that have a job zone lower than 4 and/or an SVP range of less than 7.0 will not qualify under the DV program.

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Important Notice for Diversity Visa (DV) 2013 Successful Entrants:

Successful entrants are encouraged to send in their required documents to the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) immediately, so that an interview appointment at the appropriate U.S. Embassy or consulate can be scheduled before the program ends.  In order for an appointment to be scheduled with either a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, entrants must first submit the Form DSP-122 and Form DS-230 to KCC.  Embassies and consulates only have a limited number of appointments each month, including September, for DV applicants, so it is vital that successful entrants mail these documents to KCC very soon. 

DV 2013 ends on September 30, 2013.  In addition, if all of the 50,000 DV visas have been issued before that date, the program will end. DV-2013 visas cannot be issued after September 30, 2013.  Participants are reminded to check the status of their DV entry through Entrant Status Check www.dvlottery.state.gov, using the confirmation numbers they received when they initially submitted their applications. 

Notification to winners 2013

DV Program 2013: From July 15, 2012, through June 30, 2013, all entrants may check the status of their entry. Entry Status Check will be the ONLY means of informing you if your entry DV-2012 was selected or not. All entrants, including those NOT selected, may check the status of their entries through the Entry Status Check on the E-DV website http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/.

Entrants will need to use the information from their DV-2013 confirmation pages saved at the time of entry. To review instructions for DV-2013 entrants and selectees, see Instructions for the 2013 Diversity Visa Program.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you have lost your confirmation information, you will not be able to check your DV entry status. We will not be able to resend the confirmation page information to you.

Diversity Visa Scammers Sending Fraudulent Emails and Letters

The Department of State, Office of Visa Services, advises the public of a notable increase in fraudulent emails and letters sent to Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants. The scammers behind these fraudulent emails and letters are posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from DV applicants. Review the procedures for the DV program provided below, so that you know what to expect, when to expect it, and from whom.

DV Procedures