DV processing

Which countries are not eligible for DV Lottery 2025?

Countries in these regions whose natives are not eligible for this year’s (DV-2025) DV program are listed below. The list shows the countries and areas whose natives are not eligible for DV-2025, grouped by geographic region.

Africa

In Africa, natives of Nigeria are not eligible for this year’s (2025) Diversity Visa program.

Asia

Natives of the following Asia Region countries are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program:

Bangladesh, China (including Hong Kong), India, Pakistan, South Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam.

NORTH AMERICA

In North America, natives of Canada and Mexico are not eligible for this year’s DV program.

SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN

Countries in this region whose natives are not eligible for this year’s DV program:

Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Venezuela.

LIST OF COUNTRIES/AREAS BY REGION WHOSE NATIVES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR DV-2025

SEE DV LOTTERY 2025 ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES LIST>>>

When can I apply for DV Lottery 2025?

The U.S Department of State Web site for the 2025 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2025) is open for interested individuals who are eligible are encouraged to apply, including selectees who were unable to obtain a visa during a prior program year. The choice of winners of the U.S diversity visa lottery is completely random. The entry form will only be available for submission during this period and this period only.

Some frequently asked questions about Diversity Visa Lottery Eligibility

Question 1: Can I still apply if I was not born in a qualifying country?

Answer: There are two circumstances in which you still might be eligible to apply. First, if your derivative spouse was born in an eligible country, you may claim chargeability to that country.

As your eligibility is based on your spouse, you will only be issued an immigrant visa if your spouse is also eligible for and issued an immigrant visa.  Both of you must enter the United States together, using your DVs.

Similarly, your minor dependent child can be “charged” to a parent’s country of birth.

Second, you can be “charged” to the country of birth of either of your parents as long as neither of your parents was born in or a resident of your country of birth at the time of your birth.  People are not generally considered residents of a country in which they were not born or legally naturalized.

For example, persons simply visiting, studying, or temporarily working in a country are not generally considered residents.

If you claim alternate chargeability through either of the above, you must provide an explanation on the E-DV Entry Form, in question #6.

Listing an incorrect country of eligibility or chargeability (i.e., one to which you cannot establish a valid claim) will make you ineligible for a DV.

Question 2: Why do natives of certain countries not qualify for the DV program?

Answer: DVs are intended to provide an immigration opportunity for persons who are not from “high admission” countries. U.S. law defines “high admission countries” as those from which a total of 50,000 persons in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based visa categories immigrated to the United States during the previous five years.

Each year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counts the family and employment immigrant admission and adjustment of status numbers for the previous five years to identify the countries that are considered “high admission” and whose natives will therefore be ineligible for the annual Diversity Visa program.

Since DHS makes this calculation annually, the list of countries whose natives are eligible or not eligible may change from one year to the next.

Question 3: If I apply for a DV, but don’t qualify to receive one, can I get a refund of the visa fees I paid?

Answer: No. Visa application fees cannot be refunded. You must meet all qualifications for the visa as detailed in these instructions. If a consular officer determines you do not meet requirements for the visa, or you are otherwise ineligible for the DV under U.S. law, the officer cannot issue a visa and you will forfeit all fees paid.

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.

In this post, we will learn the differences between the country of birth and the country of citizenship, when entering the DV Lottery, and also the importance of Country of Birth and Country of Eligibility in DV Lottery.

These two terms are very important and understanding them will help you avoid many mistakes that could emerge during the application of the diversity visa.

• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are eligible to apply…..view list
• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply…..view list

Importance of Country of Birth and Country of Eligibility in DV Lottery

In the application form you will find this page below.

This means that the first item that we are going to cover will be the country of birth. The country of birth is that country in which you are born. To be specific, it is that country that is indicated on your birth certificate, and that is how important you should have your birth certificate during application.

The country indicated on the birth certificate, that is the country of your birth and that is the country that you insert in item number five, in the application, i.e the place where it says country where you are born.

Don’t make any mistake in choosing the country in which you are born. Select the country indicated on the birth certificate, this is regardless of whether you are living in that country or you immigrated to a different country. Even if you took the citizenship of a different country, the birth country remains as it is on the birth certificate.

In most cases, majority of the cases, the country of birth is what country qualifies you for eligibility in the DV Lottery. It is the country of birth that qualifies many people into the DV Lottery.

Also, in this second part country of eligibility. If the country in which you are born is eligible to enter into the DV Lottery for that year, then selecting the correct country of birth will also qualify you in the eligibility category.

Therefore, in that case, you would select the same country of your birth. But remember, you can qualify based on a country of chargeability of either your spouse or your parents. So it’s not a must that the country of your birth be the country of eligibility. That is the importance of the country of birth.

Country of citizenship

From the image below, in item number nine in the DV Lottery application form, and it says mailing address.

The country of citizenship is that country in which you have immigrated and taken citizenship. It might also be the country of your birth if you have not immigrated.

But if you have attained citizenship of a different country from that of your birth, and you are currently living and working in that country of citizenship, which is not your birth country, then it comes in handy when filling in the mailing address.

In the mailing address, you indicate your current address, in whichever country you are in and you are living at the moment.

So the mailing address is not based on the country of birth. It is based on where you are currently residing and this helps KCC to know where to schedule your interview. This is also important to note, that if you are currently living in a certain country, you cannot select the mailing address of a different country in which you are not living in, as at present.

Some people can decide to select some other country because they had their embassies work faster. No, don’t do such mistake. If you do that mistake, then you risk being denied the visa.

The current country in which you are living in at the time you are making your application that is the country that you will use in filling in the mailing address.

Country where you live today section

This can be the country of your citizenship, it can also be the country where you are working, even though you are not a citizen there. It can also be your country of birth if you are still living in the country where you are born in.

So, the country of citizenship may also be important in this area. The country of birth may also be important in this area, only that you are currently living in that place in which you are indicating here.

I hope the information about Importance of Country of Birth and Country of Eligibility in DV Lottery is clear.

Question: What if I did a mistake during the process of typing my place of birth can I correct it before the results comes out and please how?

Answer: You will do it on DS-260, if selected.

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.

The 2025 Diversity Visa Program opens at 12:00 p.m. EDT on October 4. Thinking about entering? Read the program instructions.

The 2025 Diversity Visa (DV) Program will open from October 4 to November 7, 2023, and allows those from countries with low U.S. immigration rates, who meet eligibility requirements, to enter for a chance to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa.

Below are the 10 Tips for Applying for 2025 Diversity Visa Program:

Tip 1 – Read the instructions at dvprogram.state.gov to find out if you qualify. Do NOT enter if you do not meet the qualifications.

Tip 2 – Only rely on U.S. government websites. travel.state.gov and dvprogram.state.gov are the only official source of DV-2025 information.

Tip 3 – Go to dvprogram.state.gov to submit your entry. This is the ONLY way to enter. Do not be fooled by scams or fraudulent sites.

Tip 4 – There is NO fee to enter. Beware of those who claim they can improve your chances if you pay them, or who offer to complete your application for free.

Tip 5 – Use a photo taken in the last six months. Using an old photo will disqualify you.

Find out DV-2025 photo requirements.

Tip 6 – Only submit ONE entry per person. Individuals with more than one primary entry per DV season will be disqualified.

Tip 7 – Remember to list your spouse and ALL unmarried children under the age of 21 in your application, even if they will not be traveling or immigrating with you. Incorrect or missing information in your entry can mean disqualification, even after you are selected.

Tip 8 – Keep your unique confirmation number. You will need this to check the status of the entry when selections are made in May 2024.

Tip 9 – Selections will be made in May 2024. The website dvprogram.state.gov/ESC is the ONLY way to see if you were selected. Do NOT be fooled by any letter or e-mail announcements; these are scams.

Tip 10 – Remember, being selected does not guarantee you an interview or a visa.

Any individuals or services that claim they can increase your chances of being selected are being dishonest. DV selection is performed completely randomly from the eligible entries.

Read Now: Double or Triple Your Chances Of Selection In DV-2025 Application

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 concerns filling of names during the application of the DV lottery and also during the filling in of the DS-260 form.

If you are currently making your application into the DV Lottery, or if you are currently dealing with the DS-260 form because you are a DV selectee, then this guide is for you.

Make sure you read this guide to the end because the answer is found in the end. Don’t read the first parts and jump into conclusion.

Names on DV lottery Application and DS-260 Form

The issue on names has raised a lot of questions to many, and the concern is on what to fill in the DV lottery application or in the DS-260 form.

In an earlier guide, I discussed in details, that the birth certificate is a very important document when doing your DV lottery application.

That means that the names that you have or that are indicated on your birth certificate in their order, you’re supposed to use that. Because that will eliminate a lot of errors or mistakes that can face you later on.

If you are married and you have a different name, maybe you took the name of your spouse, and on the marriage certificate, you have the name of the spouse added onto your names. You are allowed to use those names because they are your legal names as of now. You can use your married names in the application.

Another thing, many people are wondering that the names that appear on their passports differ from the names that appear on the birth certificate. That on their birth certificate they might be having two names, but on their passport, they have three names.

First of all, remember that in every country there is an embassy, a United States embassy. In those countries, the embassies in those countries, they are well-conversant and they know how your birth certificate and your passports look like.

For example, if you take an example of Ghana, the birth certificate might be having either two or three names, and the passport you might find others having up to four names. The embassy in Ghana, Accra, they know the naming systems that will apply on those both documents.

So when you use your birth certificate as the names during the application, then the embassy knows of that. Even if you come with your passport and it has four names, they well know the naming system of your country.

In Kenya, for example, majority of the birth certificate, if not all, they have two names, your two names, and there below we have the parents, the male parent and the female parent. But when it comes to the birth certificate and any other documents, the academic documents, you’ll find majority having three names. That is, they are given names plus the family name.

The embassy in Nairobi, the United States embassy in Nairobi, they are aware of that the birth certificate contain two names, the names of the parents. But any other document, including the passport, may have three names: the given name plus the family name.

This is not an issue that should bother you so much. But what happens when your birth certificate has two names, for example, and your passport has three name, for example, and your academic documents, some have two names while others have three names?

First of all, if you apply and you’ve used your birth certificate name, then if you get selected and in the process of filling in the DS-260 form, you will put the names that you used in the application and any other extra name.

If you have an inclusive family name, an additional family name, then you will include during the DS-260 form where it says, have you ever used other names? That is the maiden, the religious, the professional, etc.

In that slot, if you select yes, it gives you a slot where you are to insert any other name that you used. So it is in this place that you will add that extra name. Having done so, then you have no problem at all.

You have to include all the names used in the DS-260 form, and this will help because it will give additional information of all the names that you used, covering those on the documents, the academic documents, the passport, and also the birth.

So make sure during the filling in of the DS-260 form, you include all the names that you have ever used.

Secondly, you will have to go ahead and swear an affidavit of name. This is just to keep you on the safe side. If you have two names on your birth certificate and maybe three names on your passport or four, then it’s good that for you to be on the safe place, you swear an affidavit of name.

This is done before an advocate or before the court. It is a stamped document proving that though the names they differ, the number of names on your different documents they differ, you are still the same person holding that name.

An affidavit of name would be very effective. Before you go for your interview and you have different names appearing on your different documents, swear an affidavit of name and go with it to the interview.

In any case they ask you why they differ, you will present the affidavit of name. Also, the names that appear on your DS-260 form will also act as an evidence.

Some Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Question: If you added a name which is different from the one on your high school certificate, where can you indicate the old name on the DS-260 form, incase of background check?

Answer: Other names used.

I hope this guide is clear.

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 is guide on how to properly fill out the DV Lottery Application Form (DS-5501) and win Green Card.

DV Lottery Application Form: Applicants must submit entries for the 2025 Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery program electronically between first week of October 2023 and November  2023.

Do not wait until the last week of the registration period to enter, as heavy demand may result in website delays. No late entries or paper entries will be accepted. The law allows only one entry per person during each entry period.

There are so many mistakes many people do and these mistakes are divided into too many parts. There are mistakes people are doing which will cause them to be automatically rejected, and there are some of the mistakes, despite of those mistakes, you will be selected, you will become the winner, but you will be denied the visa.

If you are filling the DV lottery application by yourself or if someone is filling this form for you, avoid these mistakes, which will be point out as we proceed, learn now on how to properly fill this diversity visa lottery application.

This form is famously known as the DS-5501, the electronic diversity visa application form or entry form. The form has main part (part one) and Part two, which will depend on some of the information you’ll be filling.

Part one is the most crucial one because it has the information of what is call the information of the main applicant, or rather the person who will be selected as the winner.

Part two will depend if the main applicant has derivative. Derivative means dependence. So part two will depend if the person has dependence, if the person either has children or the person has got married in that particular way.

If you are married or if you have children, party two is open for you. But if you are not married, if you don’t have children, that means you apply as unmarried with no dependence, you will fill just part one, not part two.

In order to fill this form, few things we should note.

There are no any documents which are needed to do the application. You need to make sure that certain information are correct, but there is no uploading of any documents, exception is on the DV lottery photo, which has been explained very well here.

If you want to go with your passport is up to you, but there is no requirement which needs you to fill the DV lottery application form with the passport.

There is no passport requirement in the DV-2025 lottery application. What is required is passport photo, not passport as a traveler. There are no place to put your ID number. But if you want to give someone who is helping to fill to look the names on the passport or to look at the name of your ID, so that they can match correctly spelling, that’s okay.

But there are no place to upload any documentation.

How to Properly Fill Out the DV Lottery Application Form (DS-5501)

Part One: Entrant Information

All application must done at dvprogram.state.gov. If you open this form, it starts with the following:

1. Name: The names are arranged as follows. It starts with the last name or family name. Then it comes with the first name, then the middle name. The biggest mistake people are doing, they are assuming the names are arranged this way, they start at first, the middle, and the last. That is incorrect arranging of your names.

Make sure the names are arranged orderly. You start with your last name (i.e your Surname), your own first name and then your middle name.

Incase you don’t know what is your last name. Surname is the last name, your family name.

First name: Some people have two first names or two middle names. Some people don’t have middle name. So it will be last name and first name. You will tick no middle name.

Also, some people have four names or more than four names. You have to know which one are two first names or if you have two middle names, make sure you arrange it correctly. Because how you arrange these names, when you win, the names will appear that way, and that will be able to guide you on getting the visa.

But if you make a mistake on arranging the names, they are not going to affect anything, whether you’re going to win or not to win. It doesn’t affect you. You can fix that one after winning, but you cannot fix it after submitting the form.

Find out more about Names filling on DV lottery Application and DS-260 Form

2. Gender: Male or Female, you select one.

3. Birthday: You start with month, day, and year. Make sure you start with the month.

4. City Where You Were Born (Place of birth): Enter birth city only. Do not enter district, country, province or state. If you using your passport to fill the form, write what it is written on your passport.

5. Country where you are born: This is one important part. If you make a mistake on the place you were born, there is no problem. But if you put a mistake on the country of birth, that can cause you to be denied the visa.

Because the eligibility to participate in the diversity visa lottery depends on the place of birth, not citizenship. For example, you can be born in Ghana, but currently you are a citizen of Canada. Canada is not eligible country. Fill in your country of birth.

Find out more about eligibility country for DV Lottery.

According to the instruction for the DV lottery, listing an incorrect country of eligibility or changeability will make you ineligible, meaning you’ll be not eligible because of wrong filling. So be careful when you put the country of birth, because that is going to be used.

6. Country of Eligibility for the DV Program

• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are eligible to apply…..view list
• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply…..view list

7. Entrant Photograph (Photo): This is a very important part you need to do correctly.

Find out more about Photo Requirements for DV Lottery.

Note: The photo of the derivative can cause the entire family to be disqualified, because it did not to meet the requirements.

8. Mailing address: You can put address where you receive physical mail, maybe post office. Mailing address will not cause you not to win the DV lottery.

9. Country where you live today: Type in the country are you currently in.

10. Phone number (is optional): Whether you put a phone number, or you don’t put, means nothing, there is no problem.

11. Email Address: It is important. You must put the email address. Make sure you use your correct email address. If you want to use the email of a person, make sure you know the person. If you don’t have email, you can use your wife, your husband or your brother email, it’s better to use your close relative or the person you trust.

Email address is very important because this email will be used to provide additional information if needed. When selected, you’ll be using this email address.

12. What is the highest level of education you have achieved, as of today?

You must have a minimum of a high school diploma reflecting the completion of a full course of study or be a skilled worker in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to qualify for a Diversity Visa.

Find out more about filling Education and work experience.

13. What is your current marital status?

Fill in your marital status correctly.

14. Number of Children

Fill in the number of children you have correctly.

Proceed to PART TWO: DERIVATIVES SECTION>>>

If all parts are completed successfully, the entry will be submitted to the DV-2025 Processing Center. After you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number. Make sure you print this confirmation screen for your records.

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.

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.

Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery Entry: Interested individuals who are eligible are encouraged to apply, including selectees who were unable to obtain a visa during a prior program year.

The Diversity Visa Program (DV Program) makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States, based on a random drawing among all applications. The DV Program is administered by the Department of State (DOS) of the United States.

During each fiscal year, you can register for the Diversity Visa Program (DV) for a limited amount of time. Each year, the Department of State publishes comprehensive guidelines for applying to the DV Program. These instructions contain the dates of the registration period during which you may participate

All entries must be submitted electronically during the specified registration period on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website. No late entries or paper entries are permitted. During each registration period, the law authorizes only one entry per individual.

To detect multiple entries, the Department of State employs sophisticated technology. You will be disqualified for submitting more than one entry. This website cannot be used to submit an entry until the date and time specified on the DV Instructions page.

Diversity Visa Program Cost

There is no fee to enter the green card lottery.

Diversity Visa Lottery 2025 Start Date

When can I apply for diversity visa 2025 lottery? The U.S Department of State Website for the 2025 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2025) opens for entry submission from interested individuals who are eligible are encouraged to apply, including selectees who were unable to obtain a visa during a prior program year.

Only those from countries with low U.S. immigration rates, who meet eligibility requirements, qualifies to enter for a chance to apply for this U.S. immigrant visa. The entry form will only be available for submission during this period and this period only.

Eligibility for DV lottery 2025

DV2025 applicants must be native of a Qualifying Country to Enter the Green Card Lottery.

1. LIST OF COUNTRIES/AREAS BY REGION WHOSE NATIVES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR DV-2025

• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are eligible to apply…..view list

2. LIST OF COUNTRIES/AREAS BY REGION WHOSE NATIVES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR DV-2025

• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply…..view list

Diversity Visa Qualifications

• High School Education

A high school education means successful completion of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a 12-year course in the United States.  Only formal courses of study meet this requirement; equivalency certificates (such as the G.E.D.) are not acceptable.

• Work Experience

If you are qualifying with work experience, you must have two years of experience in the last five years, in an occupation which, by U.S. Department of Labor definitions, requires at least two years of training or experience that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher.

The U.S. Department of Labor provides information on job duties, knowledge and skills, education and training, and other occupational characteristics on their website http://www.onetonline.org/. The O*Net online database groups work experience into five “job zones.” While many occupations are listed, only two years of experience in certain specified occupations qualify an individual for a Diversity Visa.

Find out more about Education/Work Experience Requirement for DV-2025 Lottery Program>>>

DV Photo Requirements

DV entry photos must be of the same quality and composition as U.S. visa photos.  You can see examples of acceptable photos here.  Do not submit a photograph older than six months or a photograph that does not meet all of the standards described at the link below.

Find out more details about DV-2025 photo requirements.

How to apply for DV lottery 2025

You will submit your Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form) online at dvprogram.state.gov.

The entry form is prepared in two parts, one for the primary Entrant and one for derivatives (if any). Each part must be completed correctly and completely before going to the next part. After all parts are completed, the entry will be submitted to the DV-2025 Processing Center.

After you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number. Make sure you print this confirmation screen for your records.

Must READ:

• How to Double or triple your chances of getting selected for DV2025 lottery
• How to Properly Fill Out the DV2025 Lottery Application Form (DS-5501)
• These High School Students Can Apply For DV Lottery

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 are the photo requirements for DV lottery?

For the DV Lottery, applicants must upload a recent photo of themselves and all their derivatives (spouse and children). Derivatives are those people that you include in your DV process as the DV principal applicant.

DV entry photos must be of the same quality and composition as U.S. visa photos.  You can see examples of acceptable and not acceptable photos here.

Are you allowed to use the Green Card Photo from previous DV Lottery Application?

Do not use images from the previous DV Lottery year. The U.S authorities take a close look at the photo. Registering with an old picture will lead to your disqualification.

Do not submit a photograph older than six months or a photograph that does not meet all of the standards described below.  Submitting the same photograph that  you submitted with a prior year’s entry, a photograph that has been manipulated, or a photograph that does not meet the specifications below will make you ineligible for a DV.

Photo Requirements for DV Lottery

Your photos or digital images must be: 

• In color
• In focus
• Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50 percent and 69 percent of the image’s total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.  View the Photo Composition Template for more size requirement details.
• Taken within the last six months to reflect your current appearance
• Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background
• Taken in full-face view directly facing the camera
• With a neutral facial expression and both eyes open
• Taken in clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis
• Uniforms should not be worn in your photo, except religious clothing that is worn daily.
• Do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose.  Your full face must be visible, and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your face.
• Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.
• Do not wear eyeglasses.

Photos copied or digitally scanned from driver’s licenses or other official documents are not acceptable. In addition, snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine or mobile phone photos, and full-length photographs are not acceptable. Review the Photo Examples to see examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos.

Also, for entering the Diversity Visa (DV) Program online, you must upload your digital image as part of your entry. Your digital image must be:

• In JPEG (.jpg) file format
• Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size
• In a square aspect ratio (height must equal width)
• 600×600 pixels in dimension

You want to scan an existing photo?  In addition to the digital image requirements, your existing photo must be:

• 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)
• Scanned at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimeter)

Taking photos of your baby or toddler

When taking a photo of your baby or toddler, no other person should be in the photo, and your child should be looking at the camera with his or her eyes open.

• Tip 1: Lay your baby on his or her back on a plain white or off-white sheet. This will ensure your baby’s head is supported and provide a plain background for the photo. Make certain there are no shadows on your baby’s face, especially if you take a picture from above with the baby lying down.
• Tip 2: Cover a car seat with a plain white or off-white sheet and take a picture of your child in the car seat. This will also ensure your baby’s head is supported.

Examples of Acceptable DV Lottery Photo

Examples of not acceptable DV Lottery Photo

Your photo is a vital part of your visa application.

Eligibility for DV lottery 2025

DV2025 applicants must be native of a Qualifying Country to Enter the Green Card Lottery.

1. LIST OF COUNTRIES/AREAS BY REGION WHOSE NATIVES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR DV-2025

• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are eligible to apply…..view list

2. LIST OF COUNTRIES/AREAS BY REGION WHOSE NATIVES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR DV-2025

• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply…..view list

Proceed to Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery 2025 entry period and other procedures>>>

Must READ:

• How to Double or triple your chances of getting selected for DV2025 lottery
• How to Properly Fill Out the DV2025 Lottery Application Form (DS-5501)
• These High School Students Can Apply For DV Lottery

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.

DV2025 Lottery Application Checklist: The online registration for DV-2025 lottery will only be available on the State Department website (dvprogram.state.gov) between October and November 2023. This guide will focus on key things you need to easily apply for DV-2025 lottery (DV-2025 Lottery checklist).

The DV lottery is intended to diversify the American population and provide immigration opportunities for people from countries that only send a small number of immigrants to the United States of America.

This year’s (2023) Green Card Lottery is called the DV-2025 (where 2025 is the year selected applicants can enter the U.S) and it is scheduled to close for further applications by November, 2023.

Entries are open for all eligible applicants in addition to selectees from a prior program year who were unable to obtain a visa.

There is a limited period of time during which you can register for the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program during each fiscal year.

Applicants may be in the United States or any another country when they apply for the DV2025 lottery. The application can be submitted from the United States or from any country abroad.

Applicants that want to participate in the Diversity Visa Lottery must complete the on-line registration process at: dvprogram.state.gov

It is the applicants’ responsibility to check on-line, by themselves, if they were selected in the DV-2025 lottery.

The qualified applicants are selected randomly by a computer and all applicants have an equal chance of being selected.

However, if you are married, you have the advantage that you and your spouse can both apply and enter the lottery on separate applications where you include each other on both applications and you thereby double your chances of getting selected in the lottery draw.

Below are things you should know about before time and before applying for DV Lottery (Green Card) 2025.

DV Lottery Application Checklist

Passport Tips

• Passport size photo
• Dimension 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) in size
• Taken with a white background
• Recent (within the last six months)
• For you and derivatives
• No Selfies
• No Glasses

Your photo is a vital part of your visa application. Checkout sample below:

Find out more about Photo Requirements for DV Lottery.

Access to Smartphone/Computer

• Good enough
• Internet Enabled
• Doesn’t have to be expensive

Access to good internet connectivity

• Able to search through browser
• Good speed
• Away from distraction

Have your details and of your derivatives

• Have birth certificates for reference
• Use information on birth certificates
• Leave none of your derivatives out

Relevant qualification

• Either academically (High school diploma)
• Or work experience (two years experience within last 5 years, job with SVP 7 or more)

Find out more about filling Education and work experience.

Eligibility by country

• You qualify by country of birth
• Or country of your spouse birth
• Or country of your parents’ birth
• Not all countries are eligible
• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are eligible to apply…..view list
• For DV-2025, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply…..view list

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.

When it comes to the Diversity Visa lottery (i.e Green Card Lottery), every applicant is treated equally. Everyone has an equal chance of getting selected. The DV Lottery selection is fair.

The diversity visa is only meant to diversify the immigration to the United States, and the selection process is not incumbent to anything. Everyone that enters into the lottery has an equal chance of getting selected. That is the beauty of this program.

Always try to apply because regardless of anything that you have or any other person have or the position, you are all the same when it comes to the Green Card lottery.

Everyone have equal chances of getting selected, regardless of the education level beyond the high school or the secondary education that is a requirement.

If you have any advancement in education beyond high school, probably the college degree, the university degree, the PhD or the master’s degree or any level beyond high school, that is not a factor in selection.

If you have your PhD and the other person has the high school diploma, all of you have equal chances. You are treated equally. You are equal when it comes to the diversity visa.

If you qualify through work experience and the other one qualifies through academics, all of you have equal chances of getting selected. You are treated equally.

The title that you hold

Having a higher title or a stronger title does not give you higher chances of getting selected than the other one without that title. Maybe you are a professor or you are an engineer or a doctor or any other specialization or any other title.

Regardless of the title you hold back in your country, you have all equal chances.

Your current profession

If you are in the teaching profession, it does not mean that you will have higher chances of getting selected because of your teaching profession. Or you are a doctor, you will not get higher chances of getting selected simply because you are a doctor and the other person who is just a casual laborer.

Regardless of the profession you are doing, be it an engineer or a doctor or any other profession or a casual laborer, it does not matter. All of you become equal when it comes to the diversity visa selection.

Your country

Whether you come from the first-world countries like those in the Europe or Asia, or you come from a second-world country or a third-world country, whether you come from a wealthy country or from a poor country, that one is not a factor.

You are all equal when it comes to the diversity visa. All of you qualify equally when it comes to the Green Card lottery.

It does not matter the race, whether you’re white or Asian or Latinos or blacks, it does not matter your race. A black person doesn’t have higher chances of getting selected than a white person and vice versa.

An Asian does not have higher chances of getting selected than the white or the white higher than the Asian or the Latinos. It does not matter the race. All people in the application, they are treated equally.

It doesn’t matter how many times you have ever tried your luck in the diversity visa lottery. Even if you have applied several times, it does not increase your chances of getting selected. It does not bring you closer to getting selected.

You might try the first time and get selected. You might try the seventh time and don’t get selected. The higher you try does not mean the closer to winning. Whether you are a first timer or you have applied separately, all of you have equal chances. You are treated the same and equal.

Having visited the United States for several times or for many times doesn’t guarantee you a higher chances of getting selected. Even if you’ve toured the United States 10 times or 20 times or whichever number of times, that doesn’t give you a higher chance of getting selected.

Whether you’ve never visited the United States or you have visited there several times, you are all treated the same. You have the same chances of getting selected.

What happens during the entry and selection is, whenever a person submits his or her entry into the DV Lottery Program, a special number is assigned to that particular application.

Every application into the diversity visa or any entry into the diversity visa, will be having an assigned number, and that number is what will be used when the computer program is selecting the winners. It will use just the numbers and not any other factor.

When the numbers are plugged into that program and then they are randomly selected, meaning you all have equal chances of being picked as a winner.

If you have applied and you’re waiting for the results, know that you have the same chances as the other applicant.

Yes, DV Lottery selection process is fair. I hope the information is clear and very useful to you.

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-2025 Application: Doubling your chances of getting selected in the DV2025 lottery or tripling your chances of getting selected is exactly what this guide will focus on.

At the time of posting this guide, we have exactly one month to the DV Lottery 2025 application.

To apply for DV2025 lottery, you need to be well prepared and by preparation, have your photo ready. Your photo as the principal applicant together with all those members of your family that you will apply with.

Make sure you get your photo ready and because that is one major requirement. You don’t need to have a passport, only the passport photo that meets the requirements for you to apply the DV2025 lottery.

But remember, it is good also to have by your side the birth certificate, and this is not a requirement, but it is a good item, a piece of document that will guarantee you that you fill in the correct information.

Some people messed up with their place of birth or the city of birth. Others also messed up with their names and many other minor mistakes and they ended up not getting their visa.

So having the birth certificate by your side as you’re filling the DV lottery, together with those birth certificates of your derivatives, it is of great help. It will help you eliminate such errors, those mistakes that will cost you your visa.

How do you double or triple your chances of getting selected for DV2025?

Let discuss two sets of people:

1. The couples or the parents, and number two, the children.

Every person from a qualifying country, an eligible country, and has met all their requirements, and they are simple requirements, having achieved a high school education or if not, have a qualifying work experience within the past five years, and that is a two-year work experience within the last five years. That is the only requirement.

Remember, it is either of the two, either a high school diploma or if you don’t have a high school diploma, then a two-year work experience within the last five years and you should be coming from an eligible country.

If you are a couple, that is to mean you are married, you can double your chances, the both of you. This is by you applying for the DV2025 lottery and including your spouse.

If you are the husband, you apply and then include your wife or your wife applies and includes the husband. That is how you double the chances, both of you apply, including one another.

2. The Children

If you have children that are not married yet, they should be under the age of 21 years, then you also include. Also, if the wife fills as the principal applicant, she should includes the husband and the kids. The husband applies, includes the wife and the kids. All those kids that have fulfilled those qualification.

Remember, even if your kid is under 21 years of age but he or she is married does not count as a qualified derivative. The child must be under 21 and not married. By you doing that, you’ve doubled your chances of getting selected as the couple.

For tripling your chances of getting selected for DV2025 : How does it happen?

Your parents, both of them and each one of them applies and includes you as their kid. That is the father applies, includes the mother and you.

Again, the mother applies includes the father and you, those are two, and you also apply, that is three. So long as you have the high school diploma or certificate or you are just about to do your final exam in the high school education.

So if you are about to sit for your final exam, let’s say, for example, you will be doing your final exam at the end of this year. If you are there and you will be sitting for your high school final exam within this year, then you are qualified to apply for it because by the time the results will be out, that is May next year, you will have already sat for your exam and you will be having your certificate, that is the diploma.

So if you are in high school and you will be sitting for your final exam this year, just go ahead and apply.

In summary

How do you triple your chances as a kid?

If you are a kid and you are about to sit for your exam or you are under the age of 21 and you have your diploma, that is the high school certificate. Then you can triple your chances of getting selected by you applying for the DV lottery and then let your father apply and include you, because that is what is required, and your mother apply and includes you and the family.

By so doing, you will have a chance from your father, a chance from a mother, and a chance from you yourself. That is triple the chance of getting selected.

For doubling chances

If you are a couple, ensure that you apply the both of you, including each other in the application.

I hope that the information is clear and well understood.

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.

The Visa Bulletin for the month of October 2023 for DV-2024 has been released and there’s some little concern that we need to go through, regarding this visa bulletin.

For the previous cut-off numbers from the previous visa bulletin i.e the visa bulletin for the month of September, it affected the interviews that are scheduled for the month of October.

Also, the visa bulletin for the month of October affects the interviews that will be scheduled for the month of November.

When you look on the last visa bulletin, that is for the month of September, that affects the interviews for the month of October, you will see that the cut-off numbers were 10,000 for Africa with its exceptions (Algeria 7,500, Egypt 5500, Morocco 5600), 2,000 for Asia with the exception of these countries (Iran 1750, Nepal 1300), 4,500 for Europe and with its exceptions (Russia 4400, Uzbekistan 1250), and so on.

Diversity Visa Bulletin For October 2023

The current visa bulletin for the month of October 2023 has cut-off numbers 10,000 for Africa, 2,300 for Asia, 5,000 for Europe and so on.

Why Have Cutoff Numbers Just Slightly Changed?

What you immediately notice is that, for Africa, nothing has changed, it has not increased. For Asia, it has already increased, but by a very slight increment. The same case for Europe, just by some few hundreds.

Why has there been just a slight increase? Why is it that Africa has not increased even by a little bit? That’s what will be discuss on this post because many questions in the minds of the winners because, especially since many have seen how it went with the DV lottery 2023.

The first thing that you should know and importantly it is that for the cut-off numbers, it does not mean that there are as many DV winners as the cut-off number.

For example, Africa cutoff number is 10,000, it does not imply that there are 10,000 cases under this cut-off number. Within this 10,000 cut-off number, you might find there are fewer DV winners. Maybe there is about between 5,000 to 6,000 cases and the rest are holes.

Under the cut-off number, you might find even fewer cases that are scheduled for the interview.

Why has it not changed, having known that? Let’s start with Africa. It has remained on 10,000 as the cut-off number, and we’ve seen that we can have roundabout 5,000 to 6,000 individual cases within that number. Within those cases under this cut-off number, you might find out, that of those cases, KCC might not have processed all of them.

You might find among that example of 6,000, they managed only to process fully around 2,000 cases. Those 2,000 cases are the cases that have been scheduled for the interview for October and they have already received their second notification letters.

The remaining about 4,000 in this example, they will have their DS-260 form processed and then they will be scheduled in the following month, that is the month of November.

It mean that, even without increasing the cut-off number, it is sufficient enough to have cases scheduled still under the cut-off number for the month of November, and that speaks of why the cutoff number has not changed.

So the reason as to why the cut-off number has not changed is because of all the cases under the cut-off number, you might find out that KCC could not be able to process all of them.

They processed some of them, and those processed, they were scheduled for the interview for the month of October, and the remaining cases that had not been processed, then they processed them and they are scheduled for the month of November.

Those cases are still under 10,000. So there’s no need for them to increase the cut-off number. Yet they can suffice the numbers to be scheduled for the month of November, even within the 10,000 cutoff numbers. That is the reason.

It also applies to Asia and Europe and other regions. For Asia, just a slight increase from 2,000 to 2,300. It’s because you find out within the last cut-off number 2,000, not all the DS-260 forms of those individuals had been processed.

Those whose DS-260 forms were processed, they were scheduled for the month of October and 2NLs have been sent to them. But the remaining one, still under 2,000 that had not been processed, they were pushed forward to the month of November.

When they were pushed to the month of November, only a small number of cases were to be added and that’s why only a slight increase in the cuto-ff number was placed for Asia.

Same case apply to Europe and to the other regions.

I hope you have understood that well because that is the major reason as to why the cut-off number has not changed for Africa and has slightly changed for other region and has not changed for the North 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.

This is DV2023 CEAC Data which was obtained from the Consular Electronic Application Center of the U.S. Department of State.

DV2023 CEAC Data

You can also download the current state of data in a form of csv file at FY2023-ceac-current.csv.

For a second fiscal year in a row, State Department exceeded the annual 55,000 cap on Diversity Visa issuances!

In FY-2022, State and USCIS issued 55,774 DVs. In FY-2023, State issued 55,010 DVs alone!

The above information was obtained from Curtis Morrison verified twitter page.

Get more details about this Data at https://dvcharts.xarthisius.xyz/ceacFY23.html

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-2023 Update: Are you ready for the DV2025 Lottery? These are the dates predicted for the Green Card Lottery Application this year. The 2025 Diversity Visa Program entry period will open on Wednesday October 4 and ending Tuesday November 7, 2023.

On September 7, 2023, the United States Travel – State Department shared DV-2023 update on their official verified twitter page. Below is the message shared on Travel – State Dept.

The read:

“The Department of State has issued all available diversity visas (DVs) for the 2023 Diversity Visa (DV) Program.  We know the conclusion of the 2023 program may be disappointing to selectees who were unable to receive a visa.

The DV Program is limited to issuing approximately 55,000 visas each fiscal year. Selection does not guarantee that an applicant will receive a visa interview or a visa. Selection merely means the person may be eligible to participate in the DV program and may potentially apply for a visa.

Given that some of the first 55,000 persons selected will not  qualify for visas or ultimately choose not to participate in the program, more individuals are selected to participate each year than visas available. This is done to ensure we are able to issue the maximum number of visas available under the DV program in any given year.

The 2025 Diversity Visa Program entry period will open on October 4, 2023, and we encourage all who are eligible to apply, including selectees who were unable to obtain a visa during a prior program year.”

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.

This is a bonus guide for high school students and also the parents to a high school students, in regards to DV lottery application.

Having a high school diploma or the local equivalent is a basic requirement for a successful DV lottery entry.

If you are in your final academic year in high school and you will be sitting for your final examination at the end of this year, maybe around December or November, you are still eligible to enter into the DV lottery, which will begin from the first week of October and will run through to first week of November.

At the time of posting this guide, if you have not sit for your final examination, you are still qualified. Why? Because by the time the results for the DV lottery come out, you will have already sat for your final examination and you will be already having your high school diploma.

This is the key: When you are entering into the DV lottery program under the Education, check the image attached below.

You select high school degree and it’s because of the reason explained above. You select high school degree because by the time the results will be out, you will be having your high school diploma or certificate.

To be clearer, don’t make a mistake of selecting “High school no degree”. No, don’t select that. Select “High School Degree”. Also for those parents of those students that are in their final academic year in high school, make your children know this and let them apply in the DV lottery.

This guide is necessary so that you can have a chance to also enter into the DV lottery as a high school student in the final year.

I hope the information is clear and important to you.

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 is very important things that you must do when your case becomes current and after you’ve gotten your Second Notification Letter (2NL). Read this guide to the end and get these important things.

When your case has become current

After a case has become current, do you remember that email that you put on your DS-260 form? That email is so important. You should keep on checking on that email because it is through this email that you will get the notification notifying you of a pending update on the entrance status check, for you to check for your second notification letter.

You need to always check your email, check the spam, the spam folder of your email. Go to the spam folder and check. Some of the winners have gotten their notification sent to the spam because of the settings. So check the email together with the spam folder if you have any communication from KCC.

Also remember, KCC will use the same email for any form of communication to you. So don’t forget that email.

That is what basically you’re supposed to do when your case becomes current.

When You Get Your 2NL

After you have received that email notification telling you that you have a pending status, you should immediately visit that link in that email and it will take you to the entrance status check. That is where you will put your details and then there will be your second notification letter.

This second notification letter should be read thoroughly, get everything it says, what it has. It gives you the details about your interview, the venue of your interview, and so on. Again, on the 2NL, there is a link in the body of the 2NL, that link is so important. The second thing that you’re supposed to do is to click on that link.

Once you click on that link, it will take you to the list of consulates and embassies. On that list, you are supposed to click on your embassy. Select the embassy in which you’ll take your interview from.
Once you select it, the web page for that embassy will come, and then you’ll see a lot of instructions there.

It is very important that you go through the instructions of your embassy because the instructions, they differ from one embassy to the other. Some things on one embassy might not be the same things on your embassy. So read the instructions of your embassy.

After you have read through the instructions:

• Register your interview appointment online

Register for the courier service to deliver your passports: For some embassy, you will be required to register for a courier service for them to deliver your passports, once visas are stamped on the passport. So the point is, if your embassy requires you to register for courier services, go ahead and do that.

Apply for the notarization of your high school document: This is for some countries. Some countries will require you to notarize the high school certificate or diploma after you’ve gotten your second notification letter. If your country requires such, then go ahead and do that.

If your country is of that type, then you cannot notarize your high school diploma before you receive the second notification letter, at least for the purpose of the DV interview.

Book for your medical examination appointment

Remember to book your medical examination, immediately you get the second notification letter.

Go through the interview checklist

The other thing that you should do is go through the interview checklist. The interview checklist contains the list of documents that you need to prepare upfront for the interview.

After you’ve gone through the interview checklist, then obtain all the documents. Go through the documents. Ensure that you have all the documents with you.

On top of these documents listed in the interview checklist, there are some additional documents that you must go with, for majority of the embassies. These additional documents include:

The affidavit of support, for showing that you cannot become a public charge after you’ve landed in the United States. You need an affidavit of support that is either a Form I-134 or a bank statement showing your savings that can take you through as you take on life in the United States.

Another document, additional one that you need to have is, if you got married after you’ve been selected or after you have applied for the DV lottery, that means you applied a single and now you are married, you need to go with whatever document that you can come across to solidify or prove that your marriage is legal.

You did not marry to give an opportunity to your spouse to be in the United States. You need to have documents to prove that you had an existing relationship even before you applied for the DV lottery.

Those are just some of the few documents that you need in addition to the checklist documents. In some embassies, you’ll be required to also add the DS-5535. You prepare that in advance.

There are documents that are not mentioned here, but you might need them. For additional documents that you might need as you prepare for the interview, read this: Documents Required After Winning DV (Green Card) Lottery

Prepare yourself well for the interview

The last thing is about preparing yourself thoroughly. Go through some interview experiences by people from the same embassy or from other embassies. Go through what they were asked.

• How was the interview?
• What was the experience?

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

Remember you should be over-prepared than being less prepared and lose your visa approval.

Thank you for reading this guide, I hope this helps you so much.

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 is important to all the DV winners, including the DV lottery 2023. Because towards the end, you’ll learn a lot of information regarding the questions on DV program and first email response before or when DS-260 is processed.

For the DV lottery 2024 winners, your time is not yet. That is the time for your interview. As you know, the interviews will begin from October and will run through to the 30th of September 2025. So as we are speaking, it’s not yet time.

Regarding how you can check your status at the moment, your information on the CEAC is not yet, that is the CEAC website. Your information is not yet and you cannot check on that website for your status. Your information will be out from the first of January and therefore, at this very moment, how can you check the progress of your case?

The only legal and legit way to check the status of your progress is by contacting KCC. You email KCC and then ask off the progress of your case.

Another thing that you need to know is majority of the DV Lottery 2024 winners have already submitted their DS-260 forms and only a few have not. Once you submit your form DS-260, then KCC will go through your form.

As they are looking or going through the information on your DS-260 form, we say they are processing your DS-260. When KCC begins or decide to process DS-260 forms submitted at a particular time, for example, if they decide to begin to process DS-260 forms submitted, let’s say in the month of May, all the DS-260 forms submitted in that month will be processed, regardless of the case number.

They’ll move to another time, let’s say, for example, the month of June. If they take on the month of June, all the DS-260 forms submitted in the month of June will be processed, regardless of the case number. If it’s high or low, that will not matter.

And then they move on, maybe to the month of July, and process all the DS-260 forms that were submitted in that month, regardless of the case numbers.

When you send KCC a status request, and at that time, they have not opened your DS-260 form yet, or they have opened and they are currently going through the information in there, then this is the email response that you expect to get.

First Email Response Before / When DS-260 is Processed

Read through it and get some important things that you should know today. This is the email.

“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 Kentucky Consular Center, that is KCC, has finished processing your DS-260, you will receive an email from the Kentucky Consular Center giving you instructions to complete in order for your case to continue processing.

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

Please remember that Kentucky Consular Center 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 paper documents to the Kentucky Consular Center. For additional information, please refer to the following………..”

Basically, this is the email response that you expect to get, if your DS-260 form has not been opened or has not been completely processed.

Some few things to get from the email is that you should add allow for some weeks for processing. So it takes some time for KCC to get your number and process it. This means it may take any time between two weeks and several weeks, up to several months.

Then interviews are scheduled numerically based on case numbers that have completed processing. Scheduling of case numbers are scheduled numerically. By numerically, it means from the lowest case number to the highest case number of all the cases that have been processed.

If you have a considerably lower case number and you fail to submit your DS-260 form early enough, you’ll find out that someone with considerably higher case number than you will be scheduled for the interview before you because your case was not processed at the time.

You had submitted your case number late and therefore it was processed later. And this one with higher case numbers than you who had submitted the DS-260 early enough will have DS-260 form processed and scheduled even before you.

So for all the cases that are processed for a particular period, the numbers will be arranged from the lowest case number to the highest case number within that time. If you have a low case number and you fail to submit it early enough for it to be processed, then you will find out some higher case numbers scheduled before you, even if that is not the case.

Submit your case, your DS-260 form early so that when they are scheduled numerically, you are also included and you receive your interview invitation, i.e the 2NL (Second Notification Letter), before someone with higher case number than you.

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.

The Diversity visa bulletin for the month of August 2023, which shows the cut-off numbers to apply in the month of September 2023 in the diversity visa program has now been released.

In this guide, we will learn the cut-off numbers to apply in the month of September 2023, as well as those cases, if any, that have become current.

What is very important about this bulletin is that it shows the final cut-off numbers to apply in the DV 2023 program. So the release of this diversity visa bulletin for August 2023 will be good news for some applicants but bad news for others.

Bad news for those whose case numbers are exactly the same or above the cut-off number that we will see for their region in a moment.

Let’s go over to the bulletin and consider the cut-off numbers to apply during the month of September 2023, which are the final cut-off numbers for the DV 2023 program.

Diversity Visa Bulletin and Cut-off Numbers

Africa Region

Beginning as usual with the Africa region. The Africa region has been made current for the month of September 2023. That region was almost current with the exception of only one case, the case with case number 63,502.

In case that case is assigned to an embassy that is performing very well, then that could be the chance for that case. That case could be scheduled for interview in this year’s program.

When it comes to the exceptional countries from the Africa region, there is no change in their cut-off numbers. Algeria was at 45,000 and Algeria remains at 45,000 for the month of September, which means that case numbers from Algeria beginning at case number 45,000 and above will unfortunately not receive a diversity visa in the DV 2023 program.

Those case numbers that were previously current from Algeria are the ones that remain current. And if your case number is one of them and you have not yet been scheduled for interview, then you have the chance of being scheduled during the month of September 2023.

In the case of Egypt, the cut-off number for the month of August was maintained for the month of September and it is 43,000 which indicates that those case numbers from Egypt that were previously current are the ones that remain current for the final month of the DV 2023 program.

So in case you are an applicant from Egypt with a case number beginning at 43,200 and above, it means that unfortunately you will not receive one of the diversity visas in the DV 2023 program.

For Morocco, the 63,400 case number was maintained for the month of September. And like in the two previous cases, applicants from Morocco with case numbers that were previously current, are the ones that remain current for the final month of the DV 2023 program.

So if you’re an applicant from Morocco with a case number beginning at 63,400 and above, then unfortunately, you cannot receive one of the DV 2023 visas.

Asia Region

To the Asia region, and the 21,000 cut off number for the month of August was maintained for the month of September. And so the cases from Asia that were previously current are the same cases that remain current for the month of September, with the exception of cases from the two exceptional countries.

So if you are an applicant chargeable to Iran, the cut-off number for Iran moved from 14,000 to 16,000, and it made case numbers beginning at 14,000 up to 15,999 current. And in case such cases are assigned to embassies that are performing well, then those cases have the chance of being scheduled for interview before the end of this year’s program.

The case is similar for applicants from Nepal. The cut-off number for Nepal moved from 20,000 to 2500 to 21,000. And so applicants from Nepal with case numbers beginning at 20,500 up to 20,999 now have the possibility of being scheduled in this year’s program.

All other applicants chargeable to all other countries from the Asia region remain in their respective positions. That is, in case their case numbers were previously current, they remain current. And in case they were not current, they remain not current and will not receive one of this year’s visas.

Europe Region

To the Europe region, where most applicants find themselves in that same situation, the 32,000 cut off number for the Europe region for the month of August has been maintained for the month of September.

Case numbers chargeable to Uzbekistan are the only exception because the cut-off number for that country has moved from 15,000 to 17,000. It made case numbers beginning at 15,000 up to 16,999 to have become current and those case numbers now have the possibility of being scheduled for interview.

But other cases from Uzbekistan with case numbers beginning at 17,000 moving above, unfortunately, did not become current and will therefore not benefit from this year’s visas.

For applicants from all other countries in the Europe region, those whose case numbers were previously current, remained current, and those whose case numbers were not current, remained not current and cannot be benefit from the visas on offer in the DV 2023 program.

North America Region

The North America region was already current.

Oceania Region

We move to the Oceania region and that is where we have good news because the cut-off number for the Oceania region has increased from 1,650 to 2,500 which has made many case numbers from that region current.

So cases with case numbers beginning at 1,650 up to 2,499 from the Oceania region have just become current, and they now have the chance of being scheduled for interview before this year’s program come to an end.

South America Region

Finally, to the South America region where the cut-off number was increased from 2,900 to 3,150. And that has made the South America region to almost go current, which is good news for many applicants from that region.

Case numbers beginning at 2,900 up to 2,149 are now current and they have the possibility of being scheduled for interview in this year’s program.

Those are the final cut-off numbers to apply in the DV 2023 program, as well as case numbers that still have the chance of being scheduled for interview before the program comes to an end.

In upcoming guides, we will have the opportunity to discuss on diversity visa bulletin and those cut-off numbers in detail.

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.

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.

Let discuss four (4) important things that you might have forgotten or you might forget while filling the DS-260 form. This is very important and very crucial to the success of your DV process.

4 Important Things You Might Easily Forget When Filling The DS-260 Form

1. Medical Section

The first one is regarding the medical section. There is a part on the DS-260 form that regards the medical, and specifically that part that requests you or asks you whether you have any form of documentation to prove that you have received the vaccines as per the United States law.

On that very part where you are supposed to check either a yes or no, regarding whether you have the documentation to prove whether you have received all the vaccinations. On that section, you are supposed to select yes.

You might ask, but I’ve not received the vaccinations, why should I fill a yes?

First of all, whether or not you have received those vaccinations as per the U.S government law, you are supposed to select yes. If you select no, do it at your own risk, but select yes. Below are reasons:

(i) This question applies during the interview when you are before the consulate or the officer interviewing you. At that time, this question applies at that time. That is when you will be required to present the proof of the vaccination, and that proof of vaccination, you get it from your medical examination.

Remember, you get your medical examinations prior to the interview, which means you will have received all the necessary vaccinations that you don’t have. If you don’t have any of the vaccination or some of the vaccinations, then you will get them administered to you during the medical examination.

So when selecting these, select a yes. Don’t forget this during filling the DS-260 form.

2. Social Security Number

Another thing that people mess up when filling or they might forget during filling the DS-260 form is on that part that talks on the Social Security Number information towards the end of the DS-260 form.

That section that requests you if you can give authorization to the United States government, that is the Homeland Security Department, or the Social Security Administration to access your information on the DS-260 form for them to assign you a Social Security Number.

In that section, you are supposed to check either a yes or no. You might choose to deny them access, or you might select to allow them the access. That is the best way, giving them access to your information for them to assign you a social security number, as well as that social security card.

So when filling that part, ensure you check on the yes button. Select yes that you authorize the access of your information to the Home Land Security Department and the Social Security Administration and any other government office, for them to assign you the Social Security Number.

When you select that option, which is a yes, that means when you land in the United States, you will not be required to do another application for the Social Security Number.

If you select a no, then upon landing in the United States, you will be required to do an application for the Social Security Number with the United States.

You’ll go to the Social Security Administration Office and do an application. So why go through this process? You can save yourself from this whole process by choosing Yes on the DS-260 form to allow those administrations to access your information.

3. Creating DS-260 forms for your derivatives

Remember, as a principal applicant, you fill the DS-260 form and you include all the information, including those of your derivatives. Once you have finished up with your DS-260 form as the principal applicant, you need to create other DS-260 forms for your derivatives for each one of them.

If you have a spouse, you create her DS-260 form. If you have kids, you create for each one of them. Many people forget doing this. Remember to create DS-260 forms for each and every one in your application.

4. Printing Confirmation pages for each and every member in your application

Another thing that people forget is to print their confirmation pages for each and every member in the application, i.e your derivatives.

So upon finishing and submitting your form DS-260, together with those of your derivatives, if you have, then you need to print the confirmation pages for each one of you.

These confirmation pages are important during the medical examination, as well as during the interview. You will be required to present these confirmation pages for each and every one in your application.

Those are just four of the things that you might forget when filling the DS-260 form.

I hope this information is very useful to you.

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.