DV Interview Questions and Answers

This guide will focus on topic regarding all the documents that are not listed in the checklist, but you should go with to the DV (Diversity Visa) interview.

3 Important Documents For DV Interview That Have Not Been Listed In The Interview Checklist

There are three important documents that you are supposed to go with to the DV interview, even if they are not listed in the checklist.

The first document that is very important that you are supposed to prepare and attend the DV interview with is the affidavit of support. It is called the financial support document.

This affidavit of support is the Form I-134, not the Form I-864. This document is not listed among the documents in the DV interview checklists.

Majority of the embassies and consulates will go ahead and request of this document and this document is there to prove that you are able to sustain yourself as you begin life in the U.S, that you have enough finances to keep you going as you start life in the U.S.

If you cannot have the Form I-134, then you can have some savings in your bank enough to sustain you. If you choose to go the financial way, if you choose to sponsor yourself by having some savings in your account, you’ll need to have a minimum of $10,000 for each person in your application.

So you can either come with the Form I-134 from your sponsor or the bank statements showing your savings that can stand for you.

Therefore, the financial support document is one of the documents that will not find listed in the checklist, but majority of the embassies will request you for them. If you are not able to provide when you ask for it, then you will be put to the 221(g) refusal until you’re able to provide that document.

It is better you get ready with the financial support document, either the Form I-134 from your sponsor or the bank statement showing your savings that can sustain you as you begin life in the United States.

Note: The Form I-134 from your sponsor, we’ll need some accompanying documents and these accompanying documents include the tax compliance certificates. If your sponsor is a business person, then he or she should give you the Form 1040. But if he is employed on wages, then he should provide the W-2 form.

Another thing that should accompany the Form I-134 is the copy of the national identity of your sponsor or a copy of the green card of your sponsor or the driver’s license copy.

The third thing that should accompany the Form I-134 is some recent transaction receipts, just for sampling. Or if they are working, they should provide some recent payslip copies to accompany the Form I-134.

So that is very important, though it’s not included in the list.

The second document that you should provide or you should prepare, though not indicated well, is if you are qualifying through work experience, then to visit the website by the United States Government, Ministry of Labor, that website’s name is onnetonline.org.

Therein you’ll be able to check whether your job that you’re qualifying with meets the requirements as per the Department of Labor. The requirement is that your job must meet the SVP range of above seven (7), and SVP means special vocational preparation.

You visit this website onnetonline.org, and then you type the work you’re qualifying with there and search. For example, electrical engineers.

You need to print this page because when you scroll down, when you come to job zone, it shows down, SVP range. For these electrical engineers is between seven and eight, and that means it’s above seven on SVP range and that means this job qualifies.

What does that mean? If you’re qualifying through work experience, go to this website, onnetonline.org, search for your work that you’re qualifying with, and print the page showing about your job, and it will clearly show that your job is on the SVP range of above seven (7).

Make sure you print the page and go with it to the DV interview.

Finally, the other document, the third one that you should prepare, and this is for some embassies. For example, in Johannesberg (South Africa) embassy do request for this, and sometimes others embassies also requests for this.

Form DS-5535

The form DS-5535 is simply a supplemental question on the visa applicants, and it is for further security and background checks. You fill this. Some part of the form required passport and travel history, relatives’ details, address and contact information.

You fill about your social media, all the media accounts that you have, you list them there, your employment history and then you sign and you’re done.

See Form DS-5535 Sample

This simple form is very important to prepare it upfront before you attend the DV interview, especially for some embassies. You just check the history of your embassy and see if they require this.

It is better you prepare it. If you are requested for it, you just produce it. If you don’t produce this, you’ll have to be put on AP, that is the 221G refusal until you fill this and submit it the embassy for them to process your visa.

Another set of documents that might not be listed but you need to go with and this is for the case of those people that married after applying for the DV lottery and get selected.

Prepare yourself with proof documents of your existent relationship, even before the DV application because you will have to prove to the consular officer that this not an illegal marriage, that you did not get selected and you decided to just marry to give this other person a chance to be in United States, you need to prove it.

You can go with photos, bank statements that both of you share accounts with, receipts that you used even before DV application, or all activates that can support that both of you were engaged even before you did the application.

Question: Is it acceptable to send the form I-134 and accompanying documents electronically?

Answer: No, only hard copy.

Question: I married with children and added them during the application, will I be asked proof of my marriage?

Answer: You must have the marriage certificate.

Question: Where will I get that form for supplement question?

Answer: https://in.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/DS-Form-5535.pdf

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

This guide comes as an advice to those that ignore details in the DV process. Never ignore Embassy DV Instructions, you should know that by doing simple mistakes, simply by ignoring things can be very detrimental.

How a Woman Almost Missed Her Green Card Visa

Recently, someone shared her interview on the internet. She spoke very well of how by doing very slight mistake on one of the documents, ended her being put to 221G visa refusal, that is administrative processing for more than eight months.

She was put under 221G for more than eight months. She did the interview in January and was put to AP until September the 22nd, 2023. This is what happened.

She is a single lady with kids and she applied a single and was selected and she won. Then she filled the DS-260 form, including the details of her kids and submitted.

In the process of waiting for the second notification letter (2NL), she gathered information and she came to realize that she will need a consent letter for the kids from their father.

She had a low case number, so she was expecting the interview very early in the fiscal year.

She got the information that she needed the consent letter and she went ahead to organize for one. She liased with the father of her kids and the father was so willing. They went ahead to the court and they signed the consent letter prepared by a lawyer. The lawyer prepared the letter and then presented to the father to sign that he consents the kids to immigrate with the lady.

She has this document together with other documents. The second notification letter comes and then she scheduled for the interview in the month of January 2023, and then she goes ahead for the medical examination, pays all the fees required in the medical examinations. Then she proceeds to the interview on the interview date.

During the interview, she goes through the processes with the consular officer, and then she gets the visa refusal, 221G.

She is told that your interview is successful, but there is some problem with this document, the consent letter.

On the consent letter, the lawyer, instead of putting, immigrating with the kids, the lawyer had put traveling with the kids. There’s a difference between those two terms.

There is traveling, meaning moving with the kids from one country to the other freely, going to and back from the country, that is traveling. Immigrating means moving with the kids out of the country to go and relocate to a new country and live there.

In other words, to immigrate is to come and live in that country, that new country. So there was that mistake. The lawyer put traveling with instead of immigrating with.

The consular officer at the embassy pointed out that mistake and then told the lady that we will put you to 221G visa refusal and presented the yellow document circling that statement saying “the consent letter”.

Then she was told to go and get the consent letter corrected and that’s what she did. Within three days, she had corrected the consent letter and then sent it back to the embassy through the DHL.

After some time, she wrote to the embassy to confirm whether they had received the consent letter, and the embassy responded that they had received and they are now doing the administrative processing. They are going through the document. But this did not happen so soon. It did not happen so quickly. It was not fast.

They processed this document not for one month or two months or three months, not even for six months or seven. It was over eight months, and this lady was almost giving up because she had written to the embassy follow-up emails many times. Sending the follow-up email regarding the two-to-one visa refusal, but she was not successful.

She did the interview on January, and she waited for up to September towards the end of the fiscal year, 22nd of September, just few days to the end of that year.

Remember, that this year, DV-2023, it ended so early, even before the 30th of September. You can imagine the tension that she was in because of that slight error.

Lesson to Know

The simple details that you need to do and to follow to the letter, if you ignore, you have yourself to blame. Because this lady followed all the procedures to get the document, but only a slight mistake almost cost her the visa.

So every simple instruction given, if the embassy request you for the affidavit of support and you don’t have and you end up being put to 221G, you never know how long that case might take to be solved.

In fact, there are 221G visa refusals that are dealt with within a week or two weeks. But there are others that take months. Others, the fiscal year ends even without processing them, and those individuals, they end up not getting their visas just due to simple mistakes, ignoring the instructions.

So the point here is, avoid at all costs being thrown into AP processing. Avoid at all costs the 221G visa refusal. Don’t dare, because you don’t know how long your case might take if you are put to 221G visa refusal.

That was just a narration to clearly outline that there are things that you might ignore and seems to you very simple, but might end up denying you your visa. You need to be cautious.

It would be better you be over prepared than being less prepared and be thrown on 221G visa refusal.

Question: can you denied a visa if you lack to proof or produce police clearance certificate?

Answer: Yes indeed, you certainly will be denied because it’s one of the required documents.

Thank you for reading this guide, I wish you all the best. Please get prepared.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

DV Lottery interview Questions and Answer

People do ask question about the type of questions that are expected to be asked in the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery interview and what are the correct answers you need to have in order to guarantee you to be given the visa.

Remember, when you apply and win the diversity visa lottery doesn’t mean it’s a guarantee to have or to be given the visa. There are other things, there will be interview for that. But the interview for the diversity visa lottery is one among the easiest, the fastest type of the interview you’ll ever have, if you have ever been to the U.S Embassy by any case.

Why this type of visa interview is different and what type of the questions are they going to ask you?

They are not going to ask you questions which are part of what we call non-immigrant visa. Remember, the non-immigrant visa is the visa type where you apply to go to the United States of America for a specified period of time, like you are going as a student for two years in Master’s program and expect to come back to your country or to go for bachelor’s degree for four years and expected you to come back after finishing your studies.

For that particular case, most of the questions for non-immigrant visas will be towards you proving that you’ll be coming back to your home country. You don’t have the any type of intention to relocate and to stay there permanently.

But the good thing is the Green Card Lottery is immigrant visa, meaning you are going to be sponsored by the U.S government, guaranteed by the U.S government to become permanent resident of the United States of America.

For that case, they are not going to ask you a question like “Tell me or prove to me that you’ll be coming back to your home country”, “Tell me how much you love your country”, “Tell me how committed you are”. They don’t care all those kinds of things. But what then do they care about?

DV Lottery interview Questions and Answer

They are going to ask you to prove to them that you are who you are, but first they’ll just congratulate you for winning the DV lottery before even they ask you anything.

They are going to ask you about your education or work experience.

Question: What is your level of education?

Answer/Hint: My level of education is a bachelor’s degree, is high school, is masters.

Question: Show me the evidence. Give me the certification, give me the transcript you have.

Answer/Hint: You give to them your education documents.

Question: They might ask you, even if you have PhD, what do you do for a living? What’s your current job or what type of job do you do? Or what business do you do? If you say you do a certain job, they might ask you, do you have any documentation? How long have you been doing?

Answer/Hint: Prove to them by showing them your evidence which you need to have. They expect things like a contract letter from your employer, they expect things like a letter from your employer or ID. You need to have so many evidences to prove that you are who you are and you are working from there.

You have recommendation letter. You have any proof and documentation, including even the phone number of your supervisor or the owner or the manager who can verify in case they want to prove that.

Those are some of the questions they may ask you there. Other questions they might ask you are below:

Question: Which state are you going to leave?

Answer/Hint: I’m going to live in Virginia, I’m going to Washington, I’m going to live in Seattle, I’m going to DC, I’m going to Missouri, Kansas, or wherever it is you want to stay, you say it, they don’t care.

There is no right or wrong in which state you are going to stay.

Question: They might ask you, who is your host or what address are you going to stay? What is the relationship with that particular person?

Answer/Hint: I’m going to stay to this particular person, is my friend or is just the person I met online. I was looking for host is going to host me. My host is my relative, my nephew, my uncle, my classmate, whatever, they don’t care. As long as that person is not keen in criminal activities, they don’t care.

Question: They might ask you a question, what do you plan to do in America?

It doesn’t matter what answer you’re going to say, as long as it’s not a criminal related activity. If you say I haven’t made a full decision yet, maybe I might go to school or maybe I want to become a doctor or I want to join the military or I want to work in the warehouse.

Those are just some few questions they might ask just for curious that they want to know. After those questions, you are good to go. There are no many other questions.

That steps or that processes, it is less than three minutes if you are single. If you are married, it can go for five minutes and in the five minutes, they might ask some few questions to your spouse or a child. But those questions to a child or your derivative or dependent as a wife will not affect you in most cases for your visa.

They might ask your child, are you excited to go if you’re a child, what you plan to study? What’s your educational level?

Spouse education level has no impact in deciding whether to be given the visa or not to be given the visa.

This is the easiest type of the interview. About three minutes for a single, maximum five minutes if they’re married or someone with children.

Once you finish the interview, they will tell you to leave your passport with them. Your passport will remain there. They will tell you depending on the country where you are, either you come back on a certain day to take your passport, or they might tell you in some countries, they will send to you through DHL or whatever, certain location, depending on the country to country.

Within a week, maximum two weeks, you’ll have your passport. Once you have your passport, the visa’s term will be for six months to expire. You must travel to the United States within those six months.

Don’t wait too long. So within a month or two, if there is a possibility to travel, just make sure that you travel and go to the United States of America and start your life there.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

Marriage Questions and Answers on DV Lottery Process: This guide will answer some family questions regarding the Diversity Visa.

Marriage Questions and Answers on DV Lottery Process

Question: I filled single during the initial entry (Diversity Visa Lottery Application), yet I was married, can I add my spouse in the DS-260 form?

Answer: The answer is directly no.

When entering the diversity visa lottery program, you are supposed to be truthful. Meaning, if you’re married, you are supposed to choose you’re married.

If you had a spouse or children prior to submitting your original entry, but you did not include them on your original entry form, such errors may render you, as well as any of your family members, ineligible for a diversity visa.

If you listed a spouse or child on your original entry who was not your spouse or child at the time of entry, such errors may render you, as well as any of your family members, ineligible for a diversity visa.

If you’re married to a non-citizen of the United States, you indicate that. If you are married to a United States citizen, then you indicate that as well.

But if you’re married and you indicate you are single, there’s no way you can add the spouse in the DS-260. Since you said you are single. Such results to fraud, and fraud definitely will deny you Green card visa, if you did this.

If you applied as single, yet you are married, be sure that you will end up being denied the visa because this is fraud.

If you’re married, indicate you’re married and include the details of your family. If you’re single, just include your single and continue the process.

If your family circumstances have legitimately changed after submitting your original entry, you should add those family members and all family members’ applications will be reviewed.

Find out more about Marriage-Based Green Card Interview Questions and Answers

Question: I filled married because I was customarily married, during the process i separated with my spouse and therefore I cannot obtain a separation document or a divorce document. What will I do?

Answer: To answer this, if at all you cannot prove your separation legally, then there’s no way you will receive your Green card visa.

If you can find ways to get a legal separation, then that’s the only way. But if you are separated and you cannot obtain the legal separation document, then you are screwed. You cannot receive your diversity visa.

Find out more about Marriage-Based Green Card Interview Questions and Answers

I hope the answer to those questions is very clearly.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

What is the selection process for DV-2025 lottery program?

Based on the allocations of available visas in each region and country, the U.S Department of State randomly select individuals by computer from among qualified entries.

DV-Lottery winners are randomly selected by computer, it’s just by a computer program that knows nothing about the time you entered the lottery or the day, but only the numbers that are given and then randomly selects or picks from those numbers.

A lottery is used as a fair, unbiased method to choose DV Lottery participants for the opportunity to continue the U.S immigration process.

There are Factors that will not affect your chances of getting selected in the DV (Green Card) lottery process, see more details>>>

Process of Checking DV lottery results

All DV-2025 entrants must go to the Entrant Status Check using their unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2025 online entry registration to find out whether their entry has been selected in the DV program.

Entrant Status Check will be available on the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov from May 4, 2024, through at least September 30, 2025. If your entry is selected, you will be directed to a confirmation page providing further instructions, including information about fees connected with immigration to the United States.

Entrant Status Check will be the ONLY means by which the U.S Department of State notifies selectees of their selection for DV-2025.

The Department of State will not mail notification letters or notify selectees by email. U.S. embassies and consulates will not provide a list of selectees. Individuals who have not been selected also ONLY will be notified through Entrant Status Check. All applicants are strongly encouraged to access Entrant Status Check their self. Don’t rely on someone else to check and inform you.

In order to immigrate, DV selectees must be admissible to the United States. The DS-260, Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application, electronically, and the consular officer, in person, will ask you questions about your eligibility to immigrate under U.S. law. These questions include criminal and security-related topics.

READ: DV Lottery (Green Card) Interview Questions and Answers

All selectees, including family members, must be issued visas by September 30, 2025. Under no circumstances can the Department of State issue DVs nor can USCIS approve adjustments after this date, nor can family members obtain DVs to follow-to-join the principal applicant in the United States after this date.

The U.S. government only authorizes issuance of approximately 55,000 diversity visas each year. Given the limited number of visas available, selectees should act promptly in submitting their materials and pursuing their application.

READ: What are the next steps after winning DV lottery?

 How do I know if I am selected?

You must use your confirmation number to access the Entrant Status Check available on the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov from May 4, 2024, through September 30, 2025. Entrant Status Check is the sole means by which the Department of State will notify you if you are selected, provide further instructions on your visa application, and notify you of your immigrant visa interview appointment date and time.

To ensure the use of all available visas, the Department of State may use Entrant Status Check to notify additional selectees after May 4, 2024. Retain your confirmation number until September 30, 2025, in case of any updates. The only authorized Department of State website for official online entry in the Diversity Visa Program and Entrant Status Check is dvprogram.state.gov.

The Department of State will NOT contact you to tell you that you have been selected.

How will I know if I am not selected? Will I be notified?

The Department of State will NOT notify you directly if your entry is not selected. You must use the Entrant Status Check to learn whether you were selected. You may check the status of your DV2025 entry through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website from May 4, 2024, until September 30, 2025.

Keep your confirmation number until at least September 30, 2025. (Status information for the previous year’s DV program, DV-2024, is available online through September 30, 2024.)

What if I lose my confirmation number?

You must have your confirmation number to access Entrant Status Check. A tool is now available in Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website that will allow you to retrieve your confirmation number via the email address with which you registered by entering certain personal information to confirm your identity.

Find out more details about How To Retrieve Lost DV Lottery Confirmation Number here

U.S. embassies and consulates and the Kentucky Consular Center are unable to check your selection status for you or provide your confirmation number to you directly (other than through the Entrant Status Check retrieval tool). The Department of State is NOT able to provide a list of those selected to continue the visa process.

Source: DV-2025 Lottery Program Selection Process Instructions faqs

In conclusion

Being randomly selected in the Diversity Visa Lottery does not mean that you have won a Green Card; however, it does bring you and your family one step closer to becoming Lawful Permanent Residents of the United States.

After you have been chosen in the DV-Lottery, you must file the DS-260 Form with the U.S State Department’s Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) so that the consular interview can be scheduled at the U.S Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence.

If the consular official approve you for U.S immigration, a Diversity Immigrant Visa will be placed on a page of your passport.

You will also need to pay the online Immigrant Fee to U.S Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) so you can receive your plastic Permanent Resident Green Card.

If all of this sounds a bit complicated, don’t worry, visit this site always for new and updated information.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

Let discuss in details about how to go through your DV interview process successfully. Learn the major and key points regarding the DV Lottery interview.

Tips To Pass Your DV Lottery Interview

In your second notification letter, it will contain the destination of your DV Lottery interview. It will state the address of the embassy or the consulate for your interview. In that destination details, you’ll also see the time of your interview and the date of your interview.

The first important thing for you to do, is to make sure that you present yourself on that date and at that time before the consular or the consulate or at the embassy.

Don’t be late. If your interview is at 9:00 AM or 7:00 AM, make sure you are at the location of your interview before that scheduled time.

The councilor officer will interview you as the principal applicant together with your derivatives or the beneficiaries. Your spouse and your children, if you have that is important to note.

Sometimes they may interview you alone. But some other times or depending on the consulate or the consular officer, they might interview also your derivatives.

Ensure during your interview, you go with all the members that are in your application, all the beneficiaries, your spouse and the children, including the adopted children, if you listed them.

It is possible for you to attend the interview alone if you are not intending to relocate immediately with your derivatives. But it is highly advisable if you can, make sure you are interviewed with your beneficiaries at the same time and on the same date. Go with them to the embassy.

But if it is not possible, maybe you are in one country and your derivatives are in another country and there is no way you can come together, then you can go for your scheduled interview and also talk with the embassy or the consular officer for the planning of your derivatives interview.

The derivatives interview in this case should happen before the end of the fiscal year, and that is 30th of each September.

So that year in which you are required to conduct or to go through your interview, make sure September 30th does not reach before your derivatives they receive their interviews and their visas.

Because if it goes past without them receiving their interview, then they cannot relocate or come to live with you in the U.S. You will have to file a petition for them to join you in later years after you have relocated to the United States, and it will be a lengthy and a tedious process.

Remember, if it’s possible, go with the derivatives during the interview to be interviewed together.

If at all you are not able to attend the interview on the scheduled date, you have to call the embassy early enough and inform them to reschedule your interview date. But again, the interview date should not go beyond the end of the fiscal year, 30th September. This is very important.

Note that in some countries, the visas are exhausted or get exhausted before the end of the fiscal year. So for you to reschedule your interview to a later date might be very risky.

Important documents that you need when you attend your interview

• The appointment letter, i.e the second notification letter (2NL). You print it and go with it through the interview as a printed document.
• The DS-260 confirmation page.

This is the sample of confirmation page that you’re supposed to print for the DS-260 and present it during the interview.

• The passports, both for you as the main applicant and the derivatives, the beneficiaries, the spouse and the children. Don’t leave them behind.
• The photos. These photos, they should meet the requirements of two-inch by two inch in size and they should be of good quality.
• The medical examination reports for all your beneficiaries together with yours.

Some medical centers will give you a sealed envelope containing the results that you are not supposed to unseal or to break the seal, but present it as sealed during the interview. Others will send the results directly to the embassy.

Other documents are the documents supporting your DS-260. They are called the supporting documents. This include the work experience document or the education documents, and every other documents that you filled in the DS-260, including the marriage certificate, the birth certificates for every individual, the police clearance certificates for all individual above 16 years of age in your application.

All these support documents, you are required to go with them without leaving them behind to the embassy.

Finally, if your language or your documents are not in English translation, then provide the English translations of the documents.

Don’t forget to carry with you the visa fee. It is normally per every individual that is in your application. You can find out more about the amount from your embassy.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

Although, many DV winners may still be waiting for their second notification letter, but what follows immediately after you receive your second notification letter? In this guide, we’re going to see the following steps after receiving the second notification letter (2NL) and Diversity Visa prepare for interview.

To learn more about how your second notification letter will be like, read: What is Second Notification Letter (2NL), in DV Lottery Program?

As you read through the second notification letter sent to you, you’ll see a link. This link is meant for you to get prepared for the interview correctly and completely.

When you click on this link, follow whatever you’ll get in that page. When you do so, it will take you to Diversity Visa Program page under the travel.state.gov website.

See image below:

There, you’ll see the processes of the diversity visa, step number eight is prepare for the interview. To prepare for DV interview is what you are going to do after receiving the second notification letter, 2NL.

Things You Must Do After Receiving Your Second Notification Letter

Below are the main things you must do immediately you received your second notification letter.

• Carefully review your scheduling information in the entrance status check, on the EDV website, noting the date, time, and location of your of your immigrant visa interview.

When you go to the entrance status check and you log in, you receive your second notification letter. On the second notification letter, you will see all this information, the date, the time, and the location for your interview.

• You review the United States embassy or consulate interview instructions

Remember, every consulate or embassy will have different instructions regarding the DV interview. You have to visit your embassy or your consulate and see the requirements for your embassy.

You will do so by following the list of U.S embassies and consulate, where you will find your embassy. Then you click on the embassy and see all the requirements/instructions.

• Schedule and complete a medical examination

This is very important. The third requirement is that you visit the medical specified by your embassy and then schedule a date with them for examination. You will be required to present the medical examination during your interview.

• Gather Photographs and all the documents required or specified

These documents include, two photos that are identical for each and every applicant in your application. Together with these photos, you’ll be required to provide the appointment information (this is the second notification letter printed), the DS-260 confirmation page printed, the passports of every member in your application, all the original documents that you filled in the DS-260 (make sure you have the original copies and certified ones).

• Review U.S embassy or consulate interview instructions

How do you check your embassy’s instructions?

(a) You will go to list of U.S embassies or consulates interview instructions link.

(b) You will see all the list of the available consulates and embassies.

(c) Select your embassy, for example, if you are from Ghana, select Accra-ACC embassy.

i. Go down you’ll see the first instruction by Accra embassy in Ghana. If you are selected to be interviewed in that embassy, the first instruction is you register online.

ii. Go to register and register to confirm your interview date, that you will be available during the interview date posted by KCC.

iii. Get a medical exam in Ghana. Follow the link there to register, to schedule for your medical exam with the center specified by the embassy.

Note: From the link, you will schedule an appointment with the medical center specified by the embassy.

iv. Complete your pre-interview checklist. Preview the documents that you are required to have in the interview. You do a pre-interview checklist to ensure you have all the documents.

v. You review the guideline.

Note: These steps above are applicable in all embassies eligible for DV Interview Appointment. Check embassies eligible for DV Interview Appointment.

That all about checking the instructions for your embassy for your DV interview and steps after receiving your second notification letter.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

Principal Applicant And Derivatives DV Interview: In previous guide, we learned the important tips that will give you a successful DV lottery interview. If you’ve not read the guide, it’s good that you go back and read that guide.

READ NOW: How to Successfully Pass DV/Green Card Interview

But in this guide, we will learn one of those tips that you that is regarding not leaving your derivatives when you go for the interview.

The Principal Applicant Must Attend DV Interview

Derivatives are those people that you include in your DV process as the DV principal applicant. The principal applicant is the main person that played the lottery and was selected a DV winner.

The principal applicant (either he or she) must be present during the interview. The principal applicant cannot be left behind and the derivatives attend the interview. It is impossible.

The principal applicant is the one that is known to KCC. He’s the one that was selected and has the case number. So he’s the person that KCC knows of.

Let’s say, if the principal applicant decides not to proceed with the DV process, that means an end to the whole process. The derivatives cannot proceed without the principal applicant.

In another uncertain situation, might be the principal applicant dies. If the principal applicant happens to die during the process, that is also a total end to the process.

Even if the DS-260 was submitted and maybe you are waiting for the interview, but the principal applicant dies, then the program comes to a halt. The derivatives cannot attend the interview without the principal applicant.

These Derivatives Must Be Present at the DV Interview

Having understood that, let’s come to the derivatives. Who are those that should count as derivatives and should attend the interview together with the principal applicant?

The first qualified derivative that must be present during the interview is the spouse of the principal applicant. That must be included in the whole DV process, the first or the initial application, and also on the DS-260 form and be present during the interview.

The spouse is not a girlfriend or a boyfriend. A spouse is not a person that you’ve lived with for many years. A spouse is someone to whom you are legally married and you have the marriage certificate.

The marriage certificate is the single document that proves that this is your spouse. He or she must be added on the DS-260 form. That is the document that proves he or she is your derivative.

Therefore, if you are with a person that you’re not legally married, he or she is not your spouse.

The second person that should be present at the interview and is one of your derivatives is the child or children. All the children that the principal applicant has must be included in the initial application, as well as on the DS-260 form. Clearly outlined with their details.

The children that are your derivatives are not just children you’re living with, no, they must fall under these three categories:

• Your biological children

The children that you gave birth to, your natural children, they are your derivatives and they must be added in the initial application on the DS-260 form and they must be present during the interview. If you leave them out, then that is a total visa denial.

• Your step-children

This is second set of children that must be included. Step-children are the children of your spouse. If you have legally married your spouse, then the children they came with, they are your stepchildren, and they must be added in the initial application on the DS-260 form and must be present during the interview.

If you leave one of them, that is a visa denial, they must be included in the whole process. Another thing to note about the step-children, you don’t need the consent letter of their biological father or mother. Owing to the fact that you are now legally married to this new spouse, they become his or her step-children and don’t need the consent of their biological father or their biological mother.

Don’t forget to include your step-children and also attend with them to the interview.

• Adopted Children

The children that you have legally adopted by a court procedure, a legal procedure, you’ve adopted the children. All those adopted children, they must be included in the initial application and also on the DS-260 form and must be present during the interview.

All those in the three categories above, those children must be under the age of 21. All the children have discussed about as your derivatives must be under the age of 21, and also they must not be married.

If your children are below 21 and they are already married, they don’t qualify to be added in your DV process.

Some frequently asked question regarding those people that should attend the interview

Question: If I don’t speak English, should I go with my interpreter?

Answer: Yes, you may go with your interpreter to the interview and the interpreter must be certified.

Question: Should you go with your parents to the interview?

Answer: No, you should not go with your parents to the interview.

Question: Should you attend the interview with the attorney?

Answer: The DV interview only requires you as the principal applicant and your derivatives. There is no need for an attorney.

Another thing that you should remember about the derivatives is that, they too may undergo questioning during the interview. So when you’re preparing for the interview, also let your derivatives know of this.

Make sure you prepare them as well with the example questions that they may be asked. Let them know about the DV process and let them know that they might be asked some questions and most cases they are asked most questions.

Finally, remember that you need to carry all the documents that are required, that pertains to your derivatives, e,g the birth certificate, the police clearance for those above 16years of age, the passports, those documents you need them.

Note: The qualification is based on the principal applicant. The principle applicant is the one qualified and is the one that needs to be academically qualified or qualified through work experience.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

In this guide, we will learn specific things that you must do for you to have a smooth and successful first DV interview and get your Diversity Visa approved.

It will focus mainly on the tips that you can use in preparation for the interview and also during the interview process to get your Diversity Visa approved.

As a first timer in the DV lottery interview or it’s your first time to attend the DV interview, there is a great tendency of panicking or missing some things in the preparation or during the interview.

Tips To Prepare For DV First Interview

1. You need to familiarize yourself with the whole interview process.

You’re going for the interview, just as the other normal interviews, the work interviews, or any other interview, you need prior preparation, you need to familiarize yourself with what it takes for the interview.

How do you do this?

You do this by simply consulting the previous interviews. Those people that have undergone through the interviews, and how do you consult with those interviews?

It is by going through the interview experiences. People are very generous with their information. Many that have gone to the United States, many that have passed through the DV interview, they have shared their interview experiences all over the internet and they are all different experiences.

You’ll find some for single persons, you’ll find some for married people, you’ll find some for married with kids, and others single with kids. When you go through those interview experiences, you’ll learn a lot of things. For example:

• You’ll know what happens during the interview.
• You’ll know what changes you can make during the interview.
• You’ll know what people to meet at the embassy.
• You’ll know what happens at the security check.
• You’ll know what size of baggage you should carry.
• You’ll know of the questions that you get during the interview, and you’ll know how to correctly go around those processes.

You need to go through the interview experiences.

Read: DV Interview Questions and Answers

Go through it, you’ll get to familiarize yourself with the whole process, and this will eliminate the panic that comes.

In other words, you will have gone through a mock interview. It’s like you’ve gone through a virtual tour of the whole interview process, and when you go for the interview, you’ll find yourself that whatever you’re meeting or encountering will be what you already know of.

So it’s very important to go through the DV interviews for you to get all this information. Go through the different interview experiences from those people.

2. You need to prepare the documents that are required correctly and they should be organized correctly.

The documents form the very important part of the DV interview because you’ll have to present those documents. What are those documents?

They are the supporting documents to the information that you field on your DS-260 form. Every document that is required, you need to have it.

Remember, there are some documents that need to be notarized. That is to certify them. They need a certified copy of the original one. So you have the original copy and a different one that is called certified.

READ: Original And Notarized Documents For DV Lottery Interview

You will get this certified from the custodian of your documents in your government. If it’s the birth certificate from the registrar of birth, for the marriage certificate from the registrar of marriage, etc.

For those documents that are listed as requiring certified documents, don’t forget to get the certified documents. Prepare your documents well, both you as a principal applicant and those of your derivatives, for a smooth interview.

3. Throughout the process, you have to be so honest.

Be honest with all information that you give. Be truthful. If you say yes, it’s a yes, and if it’s no, it’s a no.

If you don’t have these documents, don’t say you have them. Anything that you present should be true from the start to the end. Veracity is key. Lies are considered as fraud.

The principal item that will lead to your visa denial is for you speaking falsely, is for you presenting false information. That is fraud, and fraud is a definite visa refusal. So honest and truthful is what is needed in this process for a smooth interview.

4. You need to stay calm and be self-composed during the interview.

Fear can arise, the fear of unknown, not knowing whether you’ll be successful or you will fail and that can create anxiety. Fear can cause you not to be at ease.

Therefore, one thing that you need to do and you need to exercise is to be calm and to be self-composed. By this, you’ll have the confidence to answer the questions that are forwarded to you.

You create this confidence and calmness by going through the interview experiences for you to at least have the prior information of the process. Panicking can mess you up, be self-composed and calm when you are going through your DV interview.

5. You need to attend the interview with all your derivatives.

Derivatives must be present during the interview, if you leave the derivatives out then be sure you will not get your visa. All people that you included in your DV application as your family members (your spouse, your biological children, legally adopted children, stepchildren) you need to attend the interview with them, and they must be present there.

They should also have all the documents that they are required to have, e.g birth certificate, their passports, the police clearance certificate for all that are above 16 years of age. Every document that is attached to the derivatives must also be present.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

This guide will clarify you on this question, will previous visa denial affect your diversity visa interview?

The answer is that the embassy or the consulate, they have all your information regarding the former visa applications.

If you’ve ever tried to apply for any visa, the visit visa, the student visa, the work visa, any other visa, including the tourism visa, every other kind of information regarding those visas, they already have the information.

Also tied to that, they also have all the reasons that caused your visa denial. They have all those information.

But does this affect you? The answer is yes. It affects you either way. It affects you positively or it can affect you negatively, and this depends on the reason as to why you are denied that previous visa application.

If you had applied, let’s say for a student visa and you were denied the visa due to insufficient document proof, insufficient documentation or insufficient financial support.

If you had this reason, that is not a valid reason to cause any visa denial, be it any other type or the diversity visa, those are just common reasons.

So it will not affect you if you have a reason that is just general, that cannot affect you.

But let’s say for example, the cause of your visa denial was on legal grounds, maybe a criminal record. If that was the cause, then definitely you are sure that it will also affect you in the diversity visa or any other visa that you are applying.

Because they will have to go through your criminal record and if they find that you are not fit for the immigration, then you’ll be denied.

So it depends upon the reasons as to why you are denied the visa.

But if it’s on just general lack of information, general lack of documentation that proves then that will not affect you.

But if it’s on the legal grounds, they might have to check thoroughly. If that legal ground reason still affects you, then definitely you’ll get denied your diversity visa.

So does the previous visa denial affect you in the diversity visa interview? The answer is yes. Either positively or negatively.

I hope this is informative.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

Is there any second selection of the results in the DV lottery application processes and the results for the green card lottery? Is there any second selection for the DV Lottery?

For the DV-2024, the answer is no. The results are out once and for all, there are no second selection for DV Lottery or second results for DV Lottery.

These are some of the rumors people are saying, for example, I checked the first time I didn’t see anything, I came the second time, maybe two months later I was the winner.

Maybe you didn’t check it correctly, but if you check correctly, there are no second selection of the diversity visa rotary results.

The reason why sometimes it’s confusing which make people believe or think that there is second selection.

When you check the result, they say your entry has not been selected at this time. You may now ask, what about next time? They say at this time, maybe if I come next time it will be there. The answer is No.

It is at this time of the fiscal year of DV 2022, at this time of the fiscal year DV-2023, at this time of the fiscal of DV-2024, that particular fiscal year that we are talking about.

Another sentence which is confusing people is, “continue keeping your confirmation number until September.” So many people may say, “Oh, they say I have to keep the confirmation number, i didn’t win at this time.”

They didn’t say that if you are not the winner, keep the confirmation number. No, you needed to keep your confession number, especially if you are the winner, because you will use the confirmation number to sign in the DS-260 to process.

After September 30, it will be the end of checking the results of the one fiscal year and the next fiscal year. So no matter whether you keep it, if you are not the winner, that confirmation number means nothing at all.

How many times are you supposed to check the DV Lottery Results?

You can check your DV results first time, second time, many times you want. But even if you check 100 times, remember they cannot exceed more than the required number of visas per year.

If the winners is more than the number of visas, why should they put in the second selection? No, they don’t need to do that.

If you find out you have not been selected, will it change at a later date if you look again for the results?

The answer is no.

So if you check, you didn’t win DV lottery this time, prepare for the next lottery and you can also try to look for other opportunities which will be able to help you to continue and to be able to succeed with the process to relocate to the United States of America.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

This is about the journey of a diversity visa winner entering the United States and more so at the point of entry. This guide is important for you, even if you are among those who are not selected because there are still preparation for the application in the upcoming DV lottery.

So for those who are preparing to enter into the United States after the successful interview, what are you expecting? As the diversity visa winner, and you have gotten your visa after a successful interview, what are you supposed to do?

The Journey of a Diversity Visa Winner to U.S for the first time

Below are the next steps:

Preparation for the relocation itself i.e preparing the departure from your country to the United States.

Before embarking on your journey to the U.S, there are several things that you should take care:

• You need to book a flight

The key point here is depending on your ability, you can decide to book for your flight earlier. Remember, you have six months to relocate. Therefore, you can book for your flights two months before, and by so doing, the flights become cheaper.

The flight ticket depends on the time from when you book and when you intend to travel. So if you book the flight today and you set it two months away, definitely that flight will be cheaper than booking the flight today and you want to travel tomorrow or some three days after.

• Gather your required documents

There are several documents that you will need to carry with you and these documents includes the envelope that you received via the courier service or from the embassy after the interview.

The document that contains your passport stamped with the visa, plus the sealed envelope that is inside there that is supposed to be handed over at the point of entry. That is the passport and it will be stamped, the diversity visa and the sealed envelope. Those are the documents that you are required to carry with you for the whole trip.

• Packing your bag

Packing it smart. If it is in the winter season, you just pack the warm clothes. If it is the normal seasons, you just pack smart. Pack it smart. Don’t over pack.

• Arrival in the United States

What happens when you arrive in the United States? So the point where you land with your plane, that is what you call the point of entry, because you’ll need to go through the custom and border protection. This is where they do a recheck of you to verify your identity, to verify your validity.

The point of entry Procedures: The officer will ask you a series of questions. Here are just some few examples questions, they vary from one person to the other. They are just overall questions just to verify the identity, nothing more.

• What is the purpose of your trip to the U.S?
• How long do you plan to stay in the U.S?
• Where will you be staying in the U.S?
• Do you have any relatives or friends in the U.S? And so on.

Such type of questions. Just the overall question to confirm the validity, and what you’re supposed to do is to be truthful.

Biometric Collection

They will take your biometrics, of course, take a photo of you, you’ll undergo some checking, your luggage will be checked for anything and so on.

Once your documents are verified, then they’ll tell you, Welcome to the United States.

What are the documents that are contained in the sealed envelope?

It simply contains the following documents:

• Sealed envelope with “To be opened by a DHS(Department of Homeland Security) officer only” written on it.
• Sealed medical exam results in a brown envelope.
• Original civil certificate/documents (the birth, the marriage, etc) whatever you had provided during time of the visa interview.

That’s what is contained in that sealed envelope that you’re requested to hand it over at the point of entry without unsealing it, without breaking the seal.

In conclusion

Entering the U.S for the first time can be an exciting and nerve-wrecking experience. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure a smooth journey from start to finish. Remember to carry all necessary documents with you and answer all questions truthfully.

Some frequently asked question

Can I travel to the United States after the expiration of the visa?

No, you cannot travel to the United States after the visa that has been stamped on the passport gets expired and it only has six months to expire since the time of your interview or to be so precise, since the time of your medical examination. So after that, you cannot travel to that.

What happens if I forget to bring any of the required documents?

If you fail to carry, for example, the sealed envelope with you to the United States, then you’re not get through that point. If you don’t bring any required documents, then you don’t get through that point.

Can I extend my stay in the U.S after entering on a diversity visa?

After entering the United States, the visa is stamped on your passport. That is the diversity visa that gives you a stay of up to one year. So at the point of entry, there is a visa that will be stamped that gives you a stay for about one year.

During that stay, you are supposed to have taken your green card. The green card expires after 10 years, and after 10 years, you are supposed to renew that green card.

What should I do if I face any issue at the point of entry?

If you face any issue, just be calm and respectful and if you need any consultation, ask for the supervisor to clarify on those issues.

Can I travel within the United States after entering on a diversity visa?

Of course, yes. Once you land to the United States, you can move or you can relocate, or you can stay, or you can go to whichever location you want. You are not restricted to a certain jurisdiction.

You are not confined within any boundaries. You can relocate and move to whichever state you want, to whichever city you want, to whichever location you want, you are free to move around.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

Affidavit of Support is one of the list of official documents that may be required from the DV lottery winner when you go to the interview of the diversity visa. Affidavit of Support is also known as the Form I-134.

Not all embassies are requiring this particular document. Some of the embassies and consulates are requiring this document while some are not requiring this documentation.

DV Lottery Affidavit of Support

Who is supposed to fill this form, if the U.S embassy in the country where you are taking the interview, require this form?

Not everybody has the status or is allowed to fill this form. Only the person with green card or a person who is a U.S citizen is required to fill this form, if this form is required.

This form is not a sponsorship form. It is a form which the U.S government believes that if you get the financial difficulties, instead of going to the U.S government to request for financial support, the person who is filling this form will be required, will be responsible for supporting you during that financial hardship.

They prefer or they require a green card holder or U.S citizen to fill this form.

Again, even if you’re U.S citizen or green card holder, will be able to fill this form. They need to know how much your annual income is, and that annual income is related to the poverty guidelines of the poverty line.

If a person who is going to fill that form is single, he/she needs to have e.g $18,000 per year, and then if he’s going to sponsor or to put two or three people, then he/she need to have up to $35,000.

There is a poverty guideline to determine how many people and how much income you need to have. It’s not about the bank statement, it is about the annual income and the annual income is going to be proven by tax return or tax credit, the tax transcript, which will be able to include or say, this is the annual income of someone according to the IRS.

What is the challenge of getting this one?

People are assuming, if you are hosting me, you have to fill this form. No, you can have a person A as a host and person B can be the person filling the Affidavit of Support, if the embers in your account is requiring the affidavit of support.

The host is any person giving you the address or the place to stay. A host can be an international student. A host can be a person visiting America. A host can be any person with a non-immigrant visa. But the person filling the feeling the affidavit of support must be a green card holder or a U.S citizen with a certain required income.

The challenge usually is rising based on the following things to get someone to fill that form:

• Not everyone who is in America will have the income which will meet the poverty guidelines, if is adding you and your derivatives in that particular list. Though the person can be above the poverty line based on their income.

But if, for example you and your spouse and two children, that is four people on top of their salary or the top of their income, that will be difficult to find people who will be able to do that.

• The fact that the tax return or the tax credit has the social security number, why then should I give you the document which has social security of myself, my wife and three children?

He/she may not want to know what it will be used in those information and say no to you. So that is a challenge. Some people, they don’t like to share either how much they make or sometimes the exact social security number in that particular context.

Some of the embassies, they know that because of such reasons, they allow the person (the sponsor) to send it directly to the embassy. So if the country where you are, the embassy requires that, you can ask the embassy if they can give you the particular email so that the person can send that information directly to the embassy.

The person will be confident to send that information directly to the embassy than to you, because he/she do not know how you are going to handle Social Security Number, whether it’s going to be compromised or not. So that is a challenge in that particular case.

But the best way to avoid this issue, for instance, if the embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, requires affidavit of support and the embassy Tanzania does not doesn’t require, you have difficulties completing the form or you cannot get the affidavit of support, then you can move the interview location from Kenya, to Tanzania, then you are not required to provide the affidavit of support, and that will be the quick solution for that.

In all, the affidavit of support is not required in all embassies. But if your embassy requires it, you must go with it. If you don’t go with that particular affidavit of support, they are not going to deny you the visa, they will give you the time.

Maybe you have four weeks or five weeks or six weeks to go and bring this documentation so that they can give you the visa, or they are not going to give you the visa, if you completely fail to bring that document in the countries where the affidavit of support is a requirement.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

Welcome! In this guide, we will be discussing how to check your Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery results correctly and what to do if you are among those selected.

2024 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program entrants can now be able to find out if they were randomly selected for a visa (Started May 6, 2023).

The Diversity Visa Lottery, also known as the Green Card Lottery, is a program that allows individuals from countries with low rate of immigration to the United States to apply for a chance to win a Green Card and become a Permanent Resident of the United States.

Checking Diversity Visa Lottery Results

The diversity visa lottery results are announced once a year by the U.S Department of State.

If you have applied for the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery, you can check the results online by using your confirmation number and personal information on the Diversity Visa Lottery website.

Official DV-2024 Entrant Status Check

How to check DV-2024 Lottery Result

STEP 1: Login to the official website, click on “Check Status”

Make sure you have your Entrant’s Confirmation Number, Last/Family Name that was used on the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form, and Year of Birth to check the entrant status online.

STEP 2: Click “Continue”

You will see “Confirmation Number” box, “Last Name” box, “Year of birth” box and then “Authentication Code” box. Make sure you fill up the boxes with the right details.

STEP 3: After filling up the boxes correctly, including the Authentication box, Click “Submit”

After that, the Next page will bring out your Entrant DV-2024 Result on the Screen, print it for future use.

If you have been selected, you will receive a notification letter which is called First Notification Letter (1NL) from the U.S Department of State.

It is important to note that being selected does not guarantee that you will receive a Green Card or Visa, as there are limited number of green cards available each year.

What to do if you are selected

If you have been selected for the 2024 Diversity Visa Lottery, congratulations. This is a great opportunity to become a Permanent Resident of the United States.

If you are successfully selected, the first information that you will receive is called the First Notification Letter, 1NL. It is the letter that unveils your case number, if you are selected in DV Lottery.

The next step after you checked and found you are among those selected is to complete the online application form called DS-260, which will be available on the Diversity Visa Lottery website.

Immediately the DV lottery results are out and you get selected, fill the DS-260 form immediately, take some few days and fill it correctly, as early as that time, and submit it correctly filled.

You will need to provide personal information including your name, date of birth, country of birth, information about your Education and work experience.

After you have completed the online application form, you will need to submit supporting documents, including your passport, birth certificate and other documents that prove your eligibility for the Diversity Visa Lottery.

Those who submitted their DS-260 in the month of May, regardless of their case number, whether high or low, will be processed first before those who submitted in June.

Read: What to do after the DV-2024 selection

You will also need to attend an interview at the U.S Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence. During the interview, you will be asked questions about your background, education and work Experience, and your plans for living in the United States.

Read: DV Lottery (Green Card) Interview Questions and Sample Answers

What to do if you were not selected

If you were not selected for the Diversity Visa Lottery, don’t give up hope. You can still apply for other immigration programs such as employment-based visas or family based visas.

Note: It is also important to keep in mind that the Diversity Visa Lottery is not the only way to obtain a Green card, as there are many other options available.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

There are different types of documents/papers with different colors which are issued after a DV interview. Also, there are three possibilities of the outcomes of the visa interview.

Papers Issued After The DV Interview

Below are Papers issued after the DV Interview:

• The visa approval document/paper

If your visa is approved, and you’re given a specific document, normally it is green in color, it mean your visa has been approved.

• Visa refusal, 221(g) document/paper

Visa refusal means that you have not been successful and you cannot be issued with a visa because the embassy or the consulate has found some good reasons. By so doing you undergo the process called administrative processing. Under this refusal, there are three documents with different colors that are issued.

1. White Paper 221(g) Visa Refusal
2. The Yellow Slip After DV Interview
3. 221(g) Pink Paper/Slip Issued After The DV Lottery interview

Those are the outcomes of the DV lottery interview.

Difference between the 221(g) visa refusal and the administrative processing

What is the difference between 221(g) refusal and the administrative processing?

Administrative processing and 221(g) visa refusal are related but they are not the same thing. The two terms, they are used together but they don’t mean the same thing.

What is administrative processing?

The administrative processing refers to the additional checks or reviews that a visa application undergoes after the initial interview by the consular officer, if need be.

After the interview and the consular officer or the consulate find some reason of doing further reviews, further check on the information you have provided, then that is what is call administrative processing (AP).

That process of reviewing or checking or doing further checking, that process is the administrative processing. This can involve further background checks, additional documentation or information requests or need a further review of the application by the embassy or consulate.

On the other hand, the 221(g) visa refusal is the specific type that indicates the need for the further administrative processing or review.

For the 221(g) visa refusal, this is not a permanent refusal. It simply implies that you have some specific areas that need to be checked and it will be specific. It will tell you that “you are put on hold because of this reason, provide such and such a document to counter this reason for us to approve your visa or for us to see whether we can approve your visa.”

221(g) is specific type of refusal. When the specific type of refusal emerges, then you are put on administrative processing, meaning further review because of that reason of refusal.

This can happen when the consular officer needs more information or documentation to make a decision or if additional background checks or review is needed.

In other words, administrative processing is a broader term that encompasses any additional checks or review that a visa application undergoes. While the 221(g) visa refusal is a specific type of refusal indicating the need for that administrative processing.

It is important to note that administrative processing can sometimes lead to 221(g) visa refusal. But not all administrative processing lead to visa refusal.

For example, when you undergo a visa interview, the consular officer might see some reason for them to conduct additional check within the embassy, with maybe the supervisor because of the answer that you give.

They tell you, go with your passport and after some hours we will call you back to send the passport back after they have finished with some further checkups. Sometimes it may take some few minutes or some few hours just within the embassy checking and reviewing your documents. This is also administrative processing.

At other times they might require you to leave their passports behind, as they are doing further check or administrative processing, and in so doing they will issue a document to specify the reason for the refusal, i.e the 221(g) visa refusal. It may take sometimes maybe a week or two or even months.

If additional information or document is provided and the visa officer is satisfied with the review, the visa application can still be approved even after administrative processing has occurred.

Overall, it is essential to understand that administrative processing and the 221(g) visa refusal are related, but they are not the same. They are not interchangeable terms.

Does the 221(g) visa refusal apply to nonimmigrant visa as well?

Remember, we have two categories and the DV lottery visa is an immigrant visa. But we have other type of visas that are meant for the temporary visit, maybe for the reason of business or visit or student or any other just temporary.

Do the 221(g) visa refusal also apply to these temporary visas?

The answer is yes. The 221(g) applies for both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. Both of you can be refused and you can be refused under this 221(g) visa refusal.

The nonimmigrant visa is for the temporary stay in the United States, but the immigrant one is for a permanent stay, for example, the green card that is gotten from the diversity visa.

As explained above, the 221(g) visa refusal is issued when there is a need for further administrative processing or review of the visa application.

The final decision can only be made after you have met the requirements in the 221(g).

The next is on the white paper that is issued on the 221(g) visa refusal. What does it entail and what are you supposed to do once you get issued with this paper?

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

This guide will explain those things you must and must not, lest you risk your DV visa approval.

As we are approaching the date of the results for the DV Lottery 2024, many questions are coming up.

Questions like;

• If I get selected, what should I do?
• If I get selected, what is the next step?

Also, this guide will explain one important thing about the results and what you’re supposed to do.

If you applied in the DV Lottery 2024 and you are waiting for the result, and you have this question about adding a person into the DS-260 form who was not added during the DV lottery application.

To answer this question, let first discuss into detail if it is illegal to add another person in your DS-260 form or is it legal. The answer could be yes or no.

For the yes, what are the people or which people can you add in the DS-260 form even if they were not in the initial entry? The people that you can add include a newly born baby.

For example you are waiting for the DV result, and by the time you are applying, you are expecting a baby and after application you got the baby.

Even if you applied in the month of October, let’s say for example, October 15 and you got the baby a day after, on the 16th of October, that baby is eligible to be added as a derivative in your DS-260 form.

If you had gotten the baby a day before but when applying you said this child is too young to be added and you decided not to add, that child is not eligible and if you add that child, you are likely to get visa refusal.

So if you got the baby in the waiting period for the result, the baby is qualified to be added as a derivative. So you go ahead and add the baby in the DS-260 form.

The other yes, the person that you can add to your DS-260 form who was initially not added is a newly married spouse and he or she must be legal spouse and legalized by the certificate of marriage.

The certificate of marriage approves that this is your spouse, then you can add that spouse.

So in between the waiting period, if you get married, that spouse you are confidently supposed to add in the DS-260 form.

The other yes is about the step-children. If you got married in between waiting for the DV results and your spouse came in with other children, and they become your step-children. These children, they also qualify to be added as the derivatives in the DV process.

These categories of people are the only ones who are qualified to be added in the DS-260 form if you are selected.

Which people, even if you love them and you like to go with them, will not be qualified and if you add them, they will cost you your visa?

• Your girlfriend or your boyfriend

If you are in a relationship, i.e your boyfriend or your girlfriend, he or she does not qualify as a derivative.

• The spouse that is legally married to you, but you did not add him or her in the DV lottery application. That does not qualify.

All the kids that you have, either step-children, adopted children or your biological children, but you did not add them. Even if you are a single parent, and you did not add your children in the initial DV lottery application, those children don’t qualify to be added as derivatives in the DS-260 form.

If you do add them, you risk the visa refusal. Also, if the Embassy of the United States government come to realize that you had left out your derivatives, you had lied, then that is a total and instant disqualification.

You cannot add your brother, you cannot add your mother, you cannot add any of your siblings or your relative. They don’t qualify. Even if they are ailing and you are the custodian, you are the caregiver to your parents or to your people, and you are selected, you’ll have to leave them behind and go alone.

I wish you success and I pray for you to be selected for the DV interview.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

Original And Notarized Documents: This is a deep guide regarding the documents that you’re supposed to have during the DV interview. You will understand the difference between original documents and the certified document, the notary certified document.

What is the distinction between original documents and the notary certified document? Why are you required for some documents to have the both the original and the notary certified document?

What are original documents?

Original documents are the documents that you are issued with the documents that you have. For example, your academic document issued by that institution that governs your education, the education board, the certificate that you got from them, that is an original document.

If you are married, the marriage certificate that you are issued with the one that you have, that is called an original document.

Same case applies to the birth certificate. The birth certificate that you have, the document that you are holding now, that is called the original document.

What is the notary certified document?

When we come to the notarized document, every document that you have that is original, every original document that you have means that the government office, that is the civic department or the registrar’s department, or the vital statistics department of your government has your details.

So the original document simply says that the government has your details pertaining that original document. And that means that all your information is in that government’s office, that particular government’s office.

Since your details are with that office, then whenever you are requested by a certain organization to prove the originality of that original document, e.g if an organization requests that you prove that the original document that you’re holding is true, is legit and is original.

What you are supposed to do is, you are supposed now to visit that registrar’s office or the vital statistics office or the government office, or whichever name that you call in your country.

Once you visit that office, you request them of a certified copy to prove that this document you’re holding is true and legitimate. So that is the whole purpose of the notary of certified document.

Notary certified document is a proof of the originality of the document that you’re presenting to an organization. The same case applies to the embassies, the DV program, and all the types of visas.

You are required to prove the certification or the notarization of specific documents that will be explained in this guide. You cannot go through the diversity visa interview successful, without you providing copies of the notarized document of the following:

• The birth certificates

All of your dependents have their birth certificates, and all of them will have to get their notarized certified document of the birth certificate. So when you attend the interview, you will present your original document, the one that you are holding currently, plus that notarized document of the birth certificate that was issued by your civil department.

The notarized document are usually an advanced one of the original one. For example, they will have an embossed seal that is multicolored, or it might have watermarks just to enhance the validity of the document that you have.

So it will look totally different from the original. The same information, but with some additional proof of stamp. It will have embossed seams, for example, with multiple colors, or it might have any other type of seal and also water marks, just to prove that what you’re holding is true.

Simply because this comes from the civic department, then it stands as a surety. It proves to that body, and for this case, the embassy, that it’s true and it’s indeed that you are the holder of that birth certificate and it’s not fake.

So for the birth certificate, you need the original document together with the notarized document.

• Marriage Certificate

Another document that you need to have both the original and the notarized is the marriage certificate. The marriage certificate that you’re holding, the original, is not enough. You need to prove the validity, the originality, the legitimacy of that marriage certificate.

Therefore, you need to visit the Register of marriage Office and tell them to produce or to give you the notarized copy and they’ll give you that one. This is the second document that you’re supposed to present, both the original and the notarized document.

• Marriage Divorce Certificate

The other document that need notarization is the termination of your marriage or the divorce certificate. They also need to have the notarized document as an accompanied.

If you are separated or divorced, then the separation document or the divorce papers, they should be accompanied by notarized documents.

• Academic Documents

Another document that needs notarization are the academic documents. The academic documents, especially the high school diploma.

The high school diploma has to be notarized. That one must be presented during the interview, the original plus the notarized copy of the academic certificate.

In some countries, e.g Kenya, the notarization of the high school diploma is normally done online. You book online and the certified document will be sent directly to the embassy.

The academic document, especially the high school diploma, has to have the notarized copy.

• Translation Documents

Another documents that generally need to have notary certified document, they are the translation documents. For example, maybe your certificate or your documents, they are not in English.

Remember that all documents that are not in English, they are supposed to have their translation into English.

Those documents translations, they have to have the seal of approval of originality, and that means they need to be notarized. The translation document have to be notarized, be it translation of the birth, be it the translation of the academic documents, be it the translation of marriage certificate, court records, or every other.

All translations into English for your documents, they have to be notarized. If you don’t present a notarized one, then they will not be accepted.

So all translations have to be notarized.

Other documents like police clearance certificate, the passport, you don’t have to get the notarized one. The one that you presented with is enough, just go with that to the interview.

Some Frequently Asked Questions About Original and Notary Certified Document For DV Lottery Interview

Question: Do I need to have notarized documents by the time am filling in the DS-260 or I can get them ready by embassy interview.

Hint/Ans: No, when filling DS-260 you don’t need them, only during the interview.

Question: Can the copies be certified by the lawyer?

Hint/Ans: No, you have to do it from your government department dealing with it

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

This guide is an advice on filling DS-260 form, which has raised a lot of concerns to majority of the DV 2023 winners, and a solid advice to the DV 2024 prospect winners.

Advice on Filling DS-260 form

Majority of DV 2023 winners with the cases below the cut-of numbers are worried why they have not received their second notification letters, 2NL, even if they have very low case numbers. But what is the reason?

REASONS:

The reason revolves around the DS-260 and the DS-260 submission and the DS-260 processing. Below are the reasons as to why you have not yet gotten a second notification letter, 2NL.

The first thing that you should take keen concern is, if you are DV 2024 prospective winner, remember that it is very important and highly advisable that you fill in your DS-260 form as early as you can.

Immediately the DV lottery results are out and you get selected, fill the DS-260 form immediately, take some few days and fill it correctly, as early as that time, and submit it correctly filled.

Don’t wait till September or October or July or later dates for you to submit that form. Because KCC will always and have always been processing the DS-260 as they flow, as they come.

Therefore, those who submitted their DS-260 in the month of May, regardless of their case number, whether high or low, will be processed first before those who submitted in June.

Those who submitted fast will get their DS-260 processed before those who submitted later, regardless of your case number.

Also note this, all people with higher case numbers than you and submitted their DS-260 forms earlier, will have their DS-260 forms processed and their interviews scheduled before you with the lowest number. Simply because you submitted your DS-260 late.

Also, those people who are not yet current and they have very high case numbers but submitted their DS-260 forms before you, will have their DS-260 still processed before yours and put aside to wait for the time they will become current.

If you submitted your DS-260 late, even those with very high case numbers but submitted before you will have their DS-260 processed and put aside to wait for the time they become current.

KCC may waste a lot of time processing those numbers that are not current, rather than processing yours that is current simply because you submitted it late.

Submit your DS-260 form immediately you realize you are selected after the results are out, as early as the results are out.

Even if you as the principal applicant, you have the travel document, the passport, but your derivatives don’t have, fill in the DS-260 and for your travel information, you put in the details of your passport.

But for your derivatives, you can use your national ID as the number, in the place of their travel information and submit, so long as you submit the DS-260 on time, and as early as you can.

Let take for an example:

If you come from a region like, Asia or Africa, and your case number is 700 and you become current for the month of October, but you submitted your DS-260 form in the month of July.

When October comes, you are supposed to have received your second notification letter and you are supposed to have been scheduled for the interview and gone through your interview.

But you have submitted your DS-260 form in July and in the month of October when your interview is supposed to be scheduled. KCC has not yet reached processing the DS-260 submitted in July. So what happens?

It means that your DS-260 form has not yet been processed, but yet, your case number is current. Do you expect to get any second notification letter? Definitely not.

But in a different scenario, another person from the same region, Asia or Africa, and his case number is 1000 and submitted his/her DS-260 in the month of May immediately, after he realized that he had been selected.

So all the DS-260 forms for May have been processed and therefore the person with 1000 and is current for the month of October, will receive the second notification letter (2NL) and attend his/her interview.

But you with the 700 case number and your DS-260 has not been processed because you submitted it later, you will not get your second notification letter. You’ll be asking be asking questions, even when your case number is low, why have you not received your second notification letter? The problem is because you submitted your DS-260 form late.

Note: Same illustration case applies to all other regions.

The key point here is, you should as much as possible immediately you realize that you have been selected, try and start filling in your DS-260 and submit it early, so that when your case number becomes current, your DS-260 form will have been processed and therefore you will be scheduled for the interview.

Some Frequently Asked Questions On DS-260 Form

Question: What if in the case were u submitted Early,case no. Is low but u unlocked like 2 or 3 different times to make corrections then after resubmit the forms. Does such a scenario affect the processing of the forms at KCC?

Hint/Ans: It’s just slightly in case you were about to be scheduled for the interview, but just slight effect unless you updated travel information to terrorism prone country.

Question: What if the principal applicant submitted in May but the derivatives were submitted in September?

Hint/Ans: They will have to process for your derivatives as well. It is late.

Question: On my DS260 I wrote my host’s name and surname and i forgot the middle name. Will it be an issue or should I open my DS260 and correct it?

Hint/Ans: It should not be an issue. Don’t unlock, just go with the host document during interview.

Question: Is there any effect asking kcc about my ds-260 when my case is not current.

Hint/Ans: No.

Hope this advice on Filling DS-260 form is very clear. Thanks for reading this guide.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

There is this interview question that many people are concerned about, when you are at the interview desk, that is the DV lottery interview. This guide will focus on why are you going to the U.S answer and why do you want to go to the U.S interview questions.

DV Interview Question

The officer there, that is the consular, poses this question to you about, why are you intending to go to the United States? He or she may also ask you, what are you going to do in the United States?

This questions, when you look at it clearly and through experience and also through many testimonials, what the consul officer or the embassy is trying to deduce from you is, what are your laid plans of you immigrating to the United States? What have you planned about your stay there?

Remember very well that;

• this is not a temporary visa. It’s not a temporary stay. This is a permanent stay.
• this is not based on any merit. It was just a random selection and you are lucky.

Therefore, you’re not immigrating to the United States on the merit of your experience, your work experience. You’re not going there for a job position. You are just going there because you won the DV lottery.

So the consular officer will be wanting to know, how are you going to drive life over there? How are you going to sustain yourself over there? What are you going to do over there? What is the reason as to why you’re going over there? Why did you apply for the DV lottery? Those questions should run inside your mind.

What are you supposed to answer or how are you supposed to handle this question? Remember that you had applied for the DV lottery and you had a reason as to why you really longed to have a permanent stay in the United States.

You might be having one reason or the other. In most cases, if not all, is because you’re going to better your life.

Maybe the life that you are currently living, where you are now from whichever country you are in is not satisfactory enough. You want somewhere where you can better your life and that could be the reason as to why you played the lottery.

Since you have all those reasons, you have an answer to this question. Also, because you want to better your life, when you are successfully selected and you win the green card lottery, which means that you want to go there and do things that will better your life, e.g getting job employment, or doing some businesses.

Something to improve your life, of course, is something that will bring in some cash to better your life. So either you will seek for an employment, you will self-employ, or you do something that will bring resources to your family, resources to yourself to better your life.

Therefore, these things are the same things that you should base your answer when you’re answering the Consular officer.

If this question is asked to you, why are you going to the United States? Or what are you going to do in the United States? Then your answer should be around this argument.

You’re supposed to tell the Consular officer that you intending to go to the United States because you want to go there, live and work and also maybe study.

For example:

“I want to go and work and study”

That’s just a good example.

You can say that you want to go there and join the military, which is a very good answer as well.

The answer that you give will determine whether the consular officer will be confident enough in you to issue a visa to you. Because if you are asked, Why are you going to the United States? Or What are you going to do? And then you don’t have any answer, you become messed up.

Maybe you just won the green card lottery and you had no reason, and then you’re just joyous that you’re going to the United States. You don’t have any plan, then you lack an answer to that question. You become confused.

Maybe you say, I’m going there because I won the green card. Then the Consular Officer definitely will see that you don’t have any solid reason as to where you’re relocating to the United States. You might risk becoming a public charge, a person that will need government support to sustain his life over there. This is what the United States government does not want.

So if you don’t have any reason, then you risk your visa approval. You may not receive your visa.

The very best reason that you should have in your mind when applying for the DV lottery should be to better your life. Better your life means doing activities that will bring resources to your family. That’s a good reason to give there.

Be plain and simple and tell the consular officer that you want to go to the United States because you want to go there and work and also study, because you want to better your life as you better the economy of the United States.

I hope this guide have answered this DV interview question, why are you Going to the U.S.A? or what are you going to do in the U.S?

Thank you so much for reading this guide.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

This guide will focus on the first email response you will receive from KCC, after you have submitted your DS-260 form, how to request for your Case Status from KCC and all the possible responses that you might get from KCC.

These responses come after you have sent KCC an email requesting the status of your case.

There are several email all along the DV journey that you can possibly get from KCC when you send a request email.

After the selection, you find out that you are successful and you have filled your DS-260 form and finished up submitting it. After some time, you may decide to request KCC to know the progress of your case. Below is the first kind of response that you can get from KCC.

The First Email Response From KCC

This is the sample email that you might receive in response, and the email says:

Thank you for your inquiry.

Your forms have been received and are currently processing. Allow several weeks for processing. Interviews are scheduled numerically based on case numbers that have completed processing.

Once the KCC has finished processing your DS 260, you will receive an email from Kentucky Consular Center giving you instruction to complete in order for your case to continue processing.

In order for the KCC to assist with inquiries regarding a specific Diversity Visa (DV) case, you must provide the principal applicant’s full name, complete case number, and the date of birth in the following format (MM/DD/YYYY), as entered in the original entry.

Please remember that KCC does not have the authority to tell you whether or not your specific case will be disqualified. Only a consular officer can do that at the time of your visa interview. Do not send any papers to Kentucky Consular Center. For additionally information, please refer to the following…………………..

This might be the first response that you might receive immediately after submitting the DS-260 form, and the DS-260 form has not yet been completely processed.

If KCC has not opened your DS-260 yet, or they are in the process of processing it, then this kind of email will come in response to your email requesting the status of your case.

As stated from the email, interviews are processed numerically, i.e in the interviews, they follow one another from the lowest case number all the way to the highest case number, on case numbers that have completed processing.

For all DS-260 forms that have been submitted and they have been processed, the interviews will be scheduled numerically.

But if you have not submitted your DS-260 form and your case is low, definitely you will not be scheduled for the interview before another one with higher case number that’s submitted before you.

How to Request Your Case Status From KCC

When sending the email request to KCC, you must provide three things, i.e

• the principal applicant’s full names as you entered in the original entry,
• the complete case number, including the preceding zeros, and
• the principal applicants birth date in this format, month, day, then year.

Every time you send a request email to KCC, include those three things.

KCC is not authorized to tell you whether you will be successful or disqualified. For you to get the results, whether you will be successful in the interview or not, this is the work of the Embassies and the consulates.

The consular officer after interviewing you and receiving the details from KCC and going through the details, he or she is the one to determine whether you will be successful or disqualified.

This will be the first letter before your DS-260 has been opened by KCC or is in the process of being processed.

Below are other email responses that you might receive from KCC:

• The Third Email Response From KCC | When Requesting Your Case Status From KCC
• The Second Email Response From KCC | When Requesting Your Case Status From KCC
• The Fourth Email Response From KCC | When Your Case is Current for DV Interview Processing
• The Fifth Email Response From KCC | When Your DV Interview Has Been Schedule At U.S Embassy

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.