Tag Archives: U.S Green Card

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.

The Diversity Visa Bulletin for the month of September DV2024 and DV2023 is already out. This Visa Bulletin have some few things to note on it.

It is the first Visa Bulletin that gives us a glimpse into the DV Lottery 2024. Actually, it gives the cutoff numbers for the month of October. That is the very first interviews to be conducted for the DV Lottery 2024.

As a DV selectee, you are supposed to keep track of the visa bulletins, it is important for you to always check the visa bulletins.

This visa bulletin essentially marks the beginning of the DV Lottery 2024 interviews and also the closure of the DV Lottery 2023.

From the last visa bulletin, that was the visa bulletin for August, we saw the last cutoff numbers for the DV Lottery 2023.

So what about the DV Lottery 2023? As of now, we only expect a very few number of 2NLs sent to the winners because majorly the month of September, that is the last month of a DV lottery, tend to focus more on the 221G visa refusals.

Recently, there is a cumulative number of 221G visa refusals of around about over 5,000 cases and this number of 221G refusals is quite big and it will be handled within this last month.

Only a few visas for the DV Lottery 2023 are remaining, there is speculate that majority of those might go to the 221G visa refusals, those who will be lucky and also the adjustment of status, which is ongoing. So very few 2NL may be sent out.

Remember the interviews are ongoing and therefore we expect them to continue till the 30th of September. So if you have your 2NL, you get prepared well and don’t risk a chance. If you have been scheduled for the interview, make every effort not to fall in the 221G visa refusal.

From the visa bulletin we have some cutoff numbers for the month of October, and this is for the DV lottery 2024.

For the region of Africa, it is 10,000, for Asia 2,000, Europe 4,500 and so on and so forth. There are some exceptions and what this means is that if an exception is put on a country, it simply means that below the cutoff number, there are many cases from that country.

Therefore, if they can be given up to the cutoff number, then the embassy might be overwhelmed with cases for them to handle within a month. For example, if you come to Egypt, they are given up to 5,500, and that means that they have many cases within the lower bracket, the low case numbers. And therefore, if they can be given up to 10,000 as the rest of Africa, then the cases might be very many for the embassy to handle within that month to all others in the various regions.

What is the total number of selectees in the DV Lottery 2024?

A total number of 143,000. As up to now, this is the highest number of selectees in a DV lottery. Also in this DV lottery 2024, we’ve also seen exceedingly high or huge case number. For example, someone with a case number of 122,000.

There was a total of over 22 million applicants. This is the number that applied for the DV lottery. Again, note that the 143,000 includes the selectees together with their derivatives. It is the principal applicant together with the family members.

Also, there are only 55,000 visas available for the DV lottery program. So a big number of this will miss their visas. What makes them miss their visas? Their case numbers.

If your case number is so huge, you might not find an opportunity to get visas. That is important to note.

Note that the dates for the DV Lottery 2025 will be publicized in the coming months. The DV Lottery 2025 application period will be on the website, the DV Program official website and not from any other source.

For the exact number of selectees together with their derivatives for every country. You can get the exact number of selectees together with the beneficiaries from this list.

So what are you supposed to do? Visit this Diversity Visa Bulletin For September 2023 and go through these numbers.

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.

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.

DS-260 Expiration and Submission Deadline:

• Does the DS-260 form expire?
• Is there a deadline of submitting my DS-260 form?
• After winning the DV Lottery, when should you fill out the visa form, DS-260?

Those three obvious questions are going to be answered in this guide, read and get the knowledge.

Does the DS-260 form expire?

Yes, the DS-260 form expires. Just as with the other forms by the Immigration Department, other forms by the USCIS, they do expire. But let’s understand what expiry means on these documents.

Every batch of documents or forms that are released by the USCIS or any other department of the United States that needs to collect information from individuals, all those forms have an expiration date.

So their batch numbers always change, and when one batch or serial number comes to the end of when it was intended to serve, then it needs a replacement with a newer version. When it comes to this, then the end date for which those forms were to serve is called the expiration date.

If you take the example of DS-260 form, the DS-260 form normally changes over time, and when we are shifting from one DS-260 form to the next one, the next version with some updates, then we say that the form has reached its expiration.

You’ll see the notification that the DS-260 form will expire at such a date. That’s what we call the expiration. So when you see an expiration date of a particular form, e.g form I-134, form DS-260, form DS-5535, etc, that means that the end of that batch number or that serial number has come and a newer version, normally with some few updates, is going to be rolled out.

Does the expiration date affect your DS-260 form that you have filled and you have submitted?

Definitely no.

When you are filling the DS-260 form, the only form that you get, is the form that is currently serving, even if it has only one day to expiry, that form that you’re filling is the one that is valid at that moment, and there’s no problem with that.

It is the form that you are supposed to fill. Once you fill it and submit it, even if a new version is enrolled after the expiration of the one that was serving your details, they are safe. They are not affected in any way. You are not required to fill a newer DS-260 form. It won’t be possible. So it does not affect your DS-260 form at all.

Is there a deadline for submitting the DS-260 form?

The answer is an absolute yes. The deadline for submitting the DS-260 form is normally 30th September of that fiscal year.

For example, if you are a DV selectee for the DV Lottery 2023, then the deadline for submitting the DS-260 form is the end of the fiscal year 2023, and that is 30th September 2023.

If you are a DV Lottery 2024 winner, then you have until the end of the fiscal year 2024 and that is 30th September 2024.

Normally the end of the fiscal year for a certain DV program is the end of all the interviews regarding that DV program.

So if you are waiting to submit the DS-260 form at the end of the fiscal year, then that’s a very perfect lateness and that means you cannot be scheduled for the interview. Even your DS 260 form wouldn’t be processed. There’s no time for that.

Therefore, if you are a DV winner, the best practice is to submit your DS-260 form as early as you can.

After winning the DV Lottery, when should you fill out the visa form, DS-260?

After checking the results, you find out you are the winner of the diversity of the lottery. The question is, after knowing that you are the winner, when should you go and fill the famous DS-260 form (visa form)? How long should you wait until you go to fill that particular form? Should you feel right away? Should you wait a little bit longer? Does the U.S government through Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) process the visa interviews on first come, first serve basis?

If you find out you have won the diversity of the lottery, you can fill the visa form as soon as possible. But there are some of the things you need to know because you might come to regret later.

You must fill the form for the visa and submit only if you have everything required to have to complete the form. Make sure you have all the important documents.

If you are planning to get married, get married first before you complete the DS-260. Let’s say if you were the winner and you are pregnant or you are dependent of someone and you are pregnant and the child is going to be born in June or July, don’t rush to fill the submit form. You can fill the form, but you don’t need to submit yet. Wait until the child is born, get the passport, and just going to submit all at once.

Once you fill the form and submit, and for sure you know there are some of the information you don’t have, then you need to request for KCC to unlock the DS-260 so that you can fill that particular information to make it complete.

Sometimes KCC can take even seven weeks or nine weeks to just go and unlock your document. Sometimes the stress of waiting for them to unlock the DS-260 is higher than just if you could wait for one more month to go to submit.

Make sure that you have everything before you go to apply, before you go to fill the DS-260. Make sure everything is ready before filling and submitting.

I hope this guide on DS-260 Expiration and Submission Deadline have answered those questions above.

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.

Diversity Visa Derivatives Issue: You have family members or you have derivatives that you added in the DV lottery application, the results are out and then you discover that you are among the DV lottery winners, you have been selected but you don’t want to immigrate/relocate with them to the United States. What then happens in this case?

Let’s say your children or the spouse, the legally wedded spouse, maybe due to some reasons that you have, you don’t want to immigrate with them or you have come into an agreement that you will go alone to the United States. This guide explains about the derivatives or family that you don’t intend to relocate with to the United States. This guide answers all those concerns, and also towards the end we shall learn the impact of you excluding them in your process.

To answer this question in various ways and various scenarios:

• Diversity Visa Derivatives First Scenario:

There are those people that don’t want to immigrate with their derivatives immediately after the DV interview, but they want to later have them immigrate and join him or her later.

If you are this person with the derivatives that wants to first go to the U.S and establish yourself and then bring your family to come and join you, then this would be the best answer for you.

You have to fill the DS-260 form for each and every person. You’ll fill yours as a principal applicant and list your derivatives in your DS-260 form, create DS-260s for all of those that you’re going with.

Remember, the DS-260 form is an immigrant Visa form. This is the form that you fill for you to get a green card. Therefore, winning a DV lottery is not the visa you need to fill the DS-260 form for each and every person that will require the visa, because it is the Visa application form. It is for everyone that needs a green card.

So in that case, whereby you want to first go establish yourself for some few months and bring your family to join you, that is the way to go.

• Diversity Visa Derivatives Second Scenario:

If you have decided that you completely don’t need to move with your family, your derivatives to the U.S, then this is what to do. Once you have realized you have been selected, after the results are out, you will fill the DS-260 form for yourself alone. That is the principal applicant’s DS-260 only.

In the DS-260 form you’ll fill the full length, i.e filling your personal information and listing all your derivatives inside there and then you just select “Not Immigrating with you”.

After filling your principal DS-260 form to the end, then you submit it. You don’t need to create other DS-260 forms for your beneficiaries, because you don’t want them to have a green card. They don’t need it because they won’t move with you.

But the point is, you will have to list all of them in your DS-260 form, but select Not Immigrating with them, and thereafter not submitting their DS-260 forms. By so doing, you’ll go along to the U.S, and then you will have your own green card, but your family won’t come and join you later.

If you will want at some point later to have them come and join you on a green card basis, after you have stayed there for several years, you will have to go the full breadth of the process of filing the family visas for them.

Does eliminating some of your beneficiaries from your form harm you?

Yes, indeed. If you have a family and you did not include them in the initial entry, that is a visa denial. But what about you included them, but you don’t want to move with them to the U.S?

As pointed above, you’ll include them in your DS-260 form and select not immigrating with you. That is the way to go. But if you eliminate them in the DS-260 form, meaning you don’t add them, you omitted them in your DS-260 form, then that can ruin your chance.

But understand this, by you not moving with your derivatives to the U.S and you have correctly indicated them in your principal DS-260 form, that is not a problem.

For example, if you have a family, you have filled their details well or properly, but you don’t want to move with them and you have indicated that you’re not moving with them, that will not ruin your chances. It’s normal, it’s your choice.

If you have a family, you have indicated them in your DS-260 form. You indicated them also in the initial application, but you said you don’t want to move with them. It’s your choice. That does not harm your chances. You’ll go through the interview successfully and if you pass the interview, you just go alone and that is normal and that is okay. There is nothing you lose by doing that.

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 the fifth possible email response that you might get from KCC. This email is specifically on DV interview date at the U.S embassy in your country of residence.

The Fifth Email Response From KCC | When Your DV Interview Has Been Schedule At U.S Embassy

“Thank you for your inquiry.

An interview for this case has been scheduled at the American Embassy in [it will mention your interview venue, your embassy].

You will receive a notification letter by email within the next 7 to 10 days from noreplyply@state.gov. Within 3 to 5 days of receiving the letter, you will be able to log into https://dvprogram.state.gov/ to verify your interview date.

Please follow the instructions provided at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/diversity-visa-program-entry/diversity-visa-if-you-are-selected.html for the interview preparations and fee payment.

The Kentucky Consular Center has completed the process of your case and forwarded it to the interviewing office. Further inquiries should be addressed to the interviewing officer listed above and you should carry any new or change information with you to the interview appointment.”

That’s it. So let’s just go through some points that have been pointed in the email above.

This is the email that you get from KCC in response to your inquiry email.

It says that an interview for this case number has been scheduled. Meaning that when you send the request email to KCC, had been scheduled and this means that if you have not received any notification to your email telling you to check the dvprogram.state.gov for a notification, then within 7 to 10 days you are supposed to receive that notification.

For example, when your case becomes current and the embassy has a slot for you, they will allow KCC to send or to transfer your details and your information to them. After they transfer to you, consequently, the KCC will send you a notification letter and also send you a notification via your email.

The email that you used in your application, which must be the same email that you filled in the DS-260 form because it should be so.

So through that same email, they will send you a noreply email notification. It will tell you that you have a notification in the dvprogram.states.gov that you’re supposed to go and check.

It also says after you’ve gotten your second notification letter, within 3 to 5 days, you are supposed to verify your appointment.

What are you supposed to do within the 3 to 5 days after the second notification letter? You are supposed to create an account with your embassy, at least for most of the embassies, and then you book an online appointment with the embassy, by so you’ll be verifying your appointment date.

Still while doing that, don’t you forget to register with a courier service to deliver your passport, once you get successful. Also don’t forget to book a medical appointment.

You will follow that link that is shown in the email response and then you’ll go to the list of consulates and then you select your embassy and view all the pre-interview checklists.

Remember there are documents not mentioned in the pre-interview checklist like the affidavit of support that you need. After checking the interview preparations, if you need to make any changes, you go with the new information that you are intending to update, go with it to the interview.

The next email that you might get will be different because you’re not supposed to request for any status for you to receive this next email. It is the notification telling you that you have your second notification letter in the dvprogram.state.gov.

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

• The First Email Response From KCC and How to Request Your Case Status From KCC
• The Second Email Response From KCC | When Requesting Your Case Status From KCC
• The Third 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

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 fourth email response that you might get from KCC.

Note: There are other series of Email Response From KCC that you might get. Today we will learn the fourth email response that you might get from KCC.

The Fourth Email Response From KCC

Thank you for your inquiry.

Your case number is now current for interview processing. Once the interview date has been scheduled, you will receive notification via email to check https://dvprogram.state.gov.

If you need to make changes to your DS-260, you should contact your consular section where you will be interviewed or bring the information about your changes to the interview appointment. Because your case is ready to be scheduled, KCC can no longer unlock your application.

In order for Kentucky Consular Center to assist you 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 on the original entry.

Please remember that KCC does not have 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 document to KCC. For additional information, please refer to the following……………………………

This is the fourth response that you should expect. Clearly, as you can see, this says that your case number is current for interview processing. You only get this response after your case has become current.

Let’s say you’ve checked the visa bulletin, and you realized that your case number lays below the cut-off number indicated on the visa bulletin. That means that your case number is now current and you are qualified to be scheduled for an interview in the mentioned month of the visa bulletin.

You should be anticipating for the long anticipated 2NL.

Few things to note:

This email has revealed some important information, and that is about updating the DS-260 form after your interview has become current. If your case has become current, this means that KCC now has no authority to unlock your case.

If you realize that you have made some mistakes or you have something that you need to update, then it says, “once your case is current, the only way that you can do the changes is by contacting the consular section.” That is the embassy of your interview and is the only way because they are the only one who can unlock at this point, KCC has no authority to unlock a case that is current.

Alternatively, it says, go with those changes that you are intending to do to the interview. At the interview, you are able to change those details and you do this specifically on the first desk that you go, where your request is for the documents, you can do the changes.

This is the major point that has been emphasized by this note.

Note: Do not send any paper documentation to KCC. Initially, after filling the DS-260 form, you were supposed to send the papers to KCC for them to process and then wait for the interview and again go with the paper. This process was scrapped off.

So after filling the DS-260 form, you only are required to wait for the second notification letter (2NL), and after you get the second notification letter, then you can go with the documents to the interview.

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

• The First Email Response From KCC and How to Request Your Case Status From KCC
• The Second Email Response From KCC | When Requesting Your Case Status From KCC
• The Third Email Response From KCC | When Requesting Your Case Status From KCC
• The Fifth Email Response From KCC | When Your DV Interview Has Been Schedule At U.S Embassy

Question: Can you transfer your case when your case has been processed and your case is current on the bulletin too?

Answer: If current, KCC has no authority to open DS-260 for you to edit. However email KCC for the changes, to see their response.

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 guide, we will discuss how soon the DV Lottery 2024 selectees should start checking their CEAC status.

In previous guide on how to keep track of your visa status, we saw there were two ways majorly, that is through keeping track of the visa bulletins as they are released every month. Secondly, is by checking the CEAC status continually and we saw how you can check your CEAC status. We outlined the different statuses.

For the DV Lottery 2024 winners/selectees, the information on the CEAC status will be out or will be available starting January 1, 2024, that is next year.

Before then, you cannot access any information regarding DV Lottery 2024. You cannot access your status, it’s not yet availed.

So you will have to wait till the 1 January of the year 2024. But remember, even before January, and to be precise, as from the 1 October, the interviews for the DV lottery 2024 selectees will begin.

So the interviews will begin on October 1 and will continue up to September 30 of 2024. But between October and January 1, the status of the DV lottery 2024 will not be available.

From the 1st of January onwards, you can check your status. But for the DV lottery 2023 winners, the status is open and it was opened from the 1 January this year (2023). You can keep track of your cases through the CEAC website. That is for the DV lottery2023.

This guide is to explain how soon DV2024 & DV2023 Winners should start checking their CEAC Status.

READ: How You Can Check Your DV 2024 Processing Status

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.

Still on the email responses that you might receive once you send a request to KCC about the current status of your case. This guide will focus on the third response that you might receive from KCC.

The Third Email Response From KCC | When Requesting Your Case Status From KCC

Below is a sample of third email response you might receive from KCC:

“Thank you for your inquiry.

Records indicate you have submitted a complete and valid DS-260 application for each family member, and you have provided all required documentation to the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC).

Interviews are scheduled numerically based on case numbers that have been completed processing.

Please refer to the Visa bulletin at http://travel.state.gov to locate the current numbers being processed. This bulletin is updated after every 15th day of each month.

Once an interview date has been scheduled, you will receive notification via email to check the dvprogram.state.gov.

In order for Kentucky Consular Center to assist with inquiries regarding a specific Diversity Visa (DV) case, you must provide the principal 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 KCC does not have authority to tell you whether or not your specific case will be disqualified. Only the Consular Officer can do that at the time of your interview.

Do not send any paper documents to KCC. For additional information, follow the following……………….”

This is the third email response. From previously guide, we saw an email response that you might get once your DS-260 has been completely processed.

The above email follows after checking with them and you waited for some time and still your case number is not current, and later on you request the status of your case, then you might receive this email.

It says, records show that you have already submitted a complete DS-260 form for all the members, and it is a valid DS-260 form. It also says that interviews are scheduled numerically from low case number to the highest case numbers.

It insists on the importance of checking the Visa bulletin that is released after the 15th day of every month, to know the status of the cases that are current. It says that only the Consular Officer can tell you whether you are successful or not, and not the KCC.

It also says that once your interview has been scheduled, once your case is current, and once the Embassy has some vacancies, then you will receive your second notification letter and that is the letter informing your date of interview.

That is it about the Third Email Response you might receive from KCC, when requesting your Case Status from KCC. I hope you are now conversant with this email because you might receive this email response.

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

• The First Email Response From KCC And How to Request 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

Thank you for reading this guide.

Some Frequently Asked Questions About DS-260 Form and Case Number

Question: When filling the DS-260 form for a family, is it only the principal applicant passport number that is required.

Answer: For all.

Question: Did this email means that the DS-260 have been processed?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can you fill the DS-260 form without the passport?

Answer: No, as the principal applicant you have to have 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.

How do I check the status of my DV processing? This guide will give you brief and direct answer to that frequently asked question.

You can only check the status of your DV processing by visiting the CEAC website. That is the place where you will check and see the current status of your DV processing.

It is important to note that the CEAC for a certain DV lottery will open at the beginning of that certain year for that DV lottery. What does this mean?

For example, the CEAC for the DV 2022 opened up at the beginning of the year 2022.

For the case of DV 2023, the CEAC information or the CEAC website will be available for status checking at the beginning of the year 2023.

If you are a DV 2024 lottery winner, then you cannot access your information about the status of your processing at the time of posting this information. You will have to wait until January 1, 2024, that is next year.

Another question in connection with that, at the same beginning of the year, it is the time when we shall all be able to know the highest case numbers in the regions.

As at the time of posting this information, we cannot tell which case number is high in which ever region.

After the first day of 2024, that’s when we can know or we can have the CEAC information and we shall be able to know what the highest case number for each region.

Therefore, if you’re wondering whether your case number is safe or not safe for now, for the DV 2024, we cannot tell.

You might be having AF58,000 case number from Africa and it ends up being a safe number, or it might end up being a risky number.

You might be having AS23,000 and you think it’s a risky number but when that information comes, we may find out that though it is a high case number, it’s not a risky one, or it might be very risky.

So at this moment, it’s hard to tell that. Wait until January the first and onwards, for you to check your DV processing status if you are DV 2024 winners.

I hope this information is helpful. Thanks.

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.

What does your case is current for processing mean? Many people ask this question because when they check their status, they receive the notification that their case is ready for processing, their case is current for processing, and they’ve been wondering what does this mean in. This is what will discuss in details in this guide.

When you submit your DS-260 to KCC, KCC normally goes through your DS-260 form to process it. They go through your data to see if it’s correctly filled up and if the information is correct.

Once they have approved your information, they will allocate a visa to your case.

All the DS-260 forms submitted to KCC will undergo this processing and if they are correctly filled up and the information is truthful, then all those will be allocated visas.

After the visa allocation, your status change and it changes to, “Your case is current for processing.”

It means that KCC has already allocated a visa to your case.

Therefore, when many DS-260 are processed, all of them are put in a queue, and this queue is based on the case numbers from the lowest case number up to the highest case numbers. All of the allocated visas will be put in a queue called Allocated Visa queue (AVQ).

This also means that you are ready for the next step, and the next step is the interview, i.e you are ready to be scheduled for an interview

How long does it take from “your case is current for processing” to the interview?

This depends majorly on two aspects:

The first one is, what is the position of your case in the AVQ (Allocated Visa Queue)? Are you in the highest end or are you in the lowest end?

The second aspect is the performance of the embassies i.e your embassy. If your embassy capability is high, if they handle many cases in a month, that definitely means that you can receive your interview scheduling quicker or faster than those whose embassies are slow.

For instance, some embassies are really doing very well in terms of handling many cases per month, but others are unfortunately doing very badly.

Those two factors affect it.

Lastly, a very key thing to note is that, even if your case is current for processing, it does not mean that you must receive your interview. It does not mean that you will be scheduled for the interview. You might be in this status but never receive your interview.

Depending on those two factors discussed above, especially if we are in the last months or the last few months to the end of the fiscal year, you might be in the AVQ or your case is current for processing but never receive your interview because time will have already run out for you.

For instance, in the case of DV 2022, most of them are current for processing, but most of them may not receive their interviews. It may look sad, but that is the fact.

I hope this guide have answered the question.

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.

Does unlocking the DS-260 form cause you harm or delay on your DV Process? Does it cause any delay in the processing of your case? This is what has been answered in this guide.

Contrary to what information you get regarding unlocking your DS-260 form, unlocking your DS-260 form once you’ve realized you had made some serious mistakes, is ultimately an important step to take and it is very crucial for your case.

Those that says that unlocking your DS-260, you harm your chances or you cause delay to your cost and therefore you should not unlock, they are actually not correct.

There are errors that you might do on your DS-260 form that will end up ruining your chances. They will lead to your visa denial.

For such type of errors, the only way around them, the only remedy to them, is to write to KCC and request them to unlock your DS-260, specifying the specific DS-260, whether it is yours or your derivatives, and update it to the correct information.

Can that process cause you any harm or will it cause any delay?

The answer on the highest side is definite no, and on the lowest side is yes. What does that mean?

Majority of the corrections made on the DS-260 forms, they never cause any delay. For example, you are a DV Lottery 2023 winner and you submitted your DS-260 around May of last year, and later on you discovered that you had error in entering some critical information.

In around August you requested the form to be unlocked and it was unlocked and you updated the DS-260 and submitted. Then the interviews began in the month of October last year. If you take such a scenario, and let’s say your case number is around 10000AF, or 5000AS, if you take that case, there will be no delay.

What does it mean? If you have a case number that is not yet near to getting current and then you request unlocking and you update the information, there will be no delay at all. On this other side, if your case number is current and at that time of which you cannot tell, KCC is about to transfer your details to the embassy for the interview scheduling, at that time of which you cannot tell, and then you request unlocking of your DS-260.

Then definitely they will hold back, until you do the changes for them to hand over the case to the embassy. That is obvious. But those, as you can tell, are very rare cases.

So people saying that you are causing a harm to your case by you unlocking, then they are not correct.

On the other hand too, what will be the benefit of you not updating your DS-260, yet you realized you had a grievous mistake and you end up being denied the visa, yet you had the chances of unlocking?

What if, even if you request unlocking and the case is delayed for some time and then you get to the interview and you are issued with the visa because you had corrected the errors?

Or what if it might cause any delay? Which one of these will you take?

For the first scenario, you realize you have made a mistake, you decide not to change anything at all, you end up in the interview with the errors and because of the errors you get visa denial.

For the second scenario, you realize that you have made some mistakes, you write to KCC to unlock your case, you do the necessary changes or amendments and you submit your DS-260 form and if it happens, then it delays.

Then you go to your interview and simply because you corrected the errors, you get your visa approved. Which of those would you take?

That’s why the idea that people are giving you that you should not unlock for you not to cause any delay is not correct.

What would you benefit if you lose your chance because you did not update the information?

In conclusion

A bigger percentage of those cases that are corrected, they are never delayed, and only a small percentage get some kind of delay. It is better for you to even get a delay and correct the errors and get your visa approved, then not to correct the errors in fear of your case getting delayed, and at the end of it, you get denied the visa.

So, if you realize that you have made any mistake, don’t hesitate to request unlocking for you to update the information, to be on the safe side.

The mistakes that should cause you to request unlock, they should be those critical mistakes. For example, if you made errors in your names or some other personal related information, you need to change them.

Thank you for reading this guide. I hope it gets you at the right time and it clears your doubt and your worries.

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.

What next after Submitting DS-260 form? This is another guide of interest to diversity visa applicants and it has to do with what comes next after you have submitted your DS-260.

Everyone is aware that after you get to elected in the Diversity Visa Lottery, the next thing to do is to fill out and submit your DS-260. But remember that you should consider your circumstances and not rush into submitting the form.

After submitting your DS-260 form, what do you do next?

In recent years after submitting your DS-260, you were also required to submit a list of supporting documents to KCC. But that is not always the case.

Depending on what the State Department decides for a particular year, you may or may not be requested to submit supporting documents to KCC.

So if submitting supporting documents to KCC is a requirement that applies during your program year, then after submitting your DS-260, you will have to submit your supporting documents.

But in case submitting supporting documents to KCC is not a requirement during your program year, then after submitting your DS-260, your next line of action will be to turn your attention to the Visa Bulletin.

Remember, after the Diversity Visa Lottery results are released in the month of May and you see that you were selected, the Visa Bulletin that is published in that month of May does not concern interviews for your program.

The one that is published in the month of June does not concern interviews for your program. Neither does the one that is published in the month of July.

It is from the month of August that the Vista Bulletin is going to show information regarding interviews for your program and that is when you have to begin to follow the Visa Bulletin, if you are selected from the results published in the month of May.

It is the Visa Bulletin that will tell you when your diversity visa interview is supposed to be scheduled.

When you see from the Visa Bulletin that your case number has become current, then it means that there is a Visa number available for you and that is when your diversity visa interview is actually supposed to be scheduled.

How do you know when your case number is current?

Every month the Visa Bulletin shows a number for each region. That number is referred to as the cut-off number for that region, for that month.

So when you see that the cut-off number for your region for a given month is higher than your case number, then your case number is current for that month and it means that it is in that month that you are supposed to be scheduled for your diversity Visa interview.

That is for cases that submit their DS-260 before their case number becomes current in the Visa Bulletin.

There are cases when the applicants have not yet submitted their DS-260 but the Visa Bulletin shows that their case number has become current. In such a case, there will be a Visa number available for such applicants, but their Visa interview will not be scheduled because they have not yet met the necessary requirement, which is the submission of their DS-260 and in cases where they are required to submit documents, the submission of their documents.

For clear understanding, if you submit your DS-260 and possibly your documents before your case number becomes current, then you will have to wait for your case number to become current, in order for you to be scheduled for interview.

For example, your case number is 7200 in the Africa region, and you check the Visa Bulletin in the month of August. You will realize that there’s information for the month of September and the month of October.

The month of September concerns the previous program. So it is the information that relates to the month of October, which is the first information concerning your program that you are going to change your attention to.

You see that the cut-off number that applies to the region of Africa in the month of October is 2500. It means that you cannot be scheduled in the month of October because the cut of number is lower than your case number.

So you will have to wait until the Visa Bulletin is published in the month of September, when it will be showing information for both October and November.

Also, you look at the information that pertains to the month of November. If the cut-off number for the Africa region is, e.g 5000, you will still not expect to be scheduled in the month of November. You will have to follow again for the month of December.

The Visa Bulletin that will show information for the month of December will be released in the month of October.

So let us say that the cut-off number that is shown for the month of December is 8000. Because that cut-off number is higher than your case number of 7200. It means that it is in the month of December that you can expect to be scheduled for interview.

On the other hand, if you do not submit and your case number becomes current, you will have to submit before you can expect to be scheduled for interview.

For example:

You saw that your case number will be current for the month of December, but up until December you have not yet submitted your DS-260. You submit the form after December.

When you submit after December, that is when the form will be processed and your interview is expected to be scheduled along with the next batch of interviews because your case number has been current since the month of December.

So that is how things are after you submit your DS-260.

Note: For the past few years, things have not worked in that way, maybe due to the effects of COVID-19.

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 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.