Diversity Visa Lottery
Every year, the Department of State opens a limited online registration period for the Diversity Visa Lottery. As its name suggests, the Diversity Visa Lottery is about diversifying the pool of immigrants, so it is only open to nationals of countries that have sent a total of fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past 5 years.
Diversity Visa Lottery Overview And Requirements
As its name suggests, the Diversity Visa Lottery is about diversifying the pool of immigrants. It is only open to nationals of countries that have sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past 5 years.
The registration period is customarily open from a date in early October to a date in early November. All entries must be submitted online during the open registration period via the Electronic DV Entry Form DS-5501. No late registrations will be accepted, and duplicate registrations will automatically disqualify the applicant.
After submitting an electronic application, Diversity Visa applicants must use the information provided on their confirmation page from the DV registration period to check the status of an entry online, to find out whether their number was selected in the lottery – results become available the following May. The online case status check process used to be optional, but since DV2011, Diversity Visa Lottery winners are no longer notified by US mail, so checking online with the State Department is now a regular part of the process. **The Department of State will not mail lottery winners any notices! DV lottery winners must check their own case status online through the Department of State website, due to an increase in spam claiming to notify individuals of winning the Diversity Visa Lottery: winners will get a PDF of the Department of State selection letter in their “entrant status check.”
The program year indicated during the registration period dictates the fiscal year in which you must complete processing of your case: If you registered during the fall of 2024 for “DV 2026”, and your entrant status check in May 2025 revealed a winning lottery number that becomes available during the 2026 fiscal year, and then you either file for adjustment of status (if maintaining valid visa status in the US) or apply for an immigrant visa at a US Embassy in your home country, then your case must be processed to completion – i.e., immigrant visa issued and you entered the US, or adjustment of status granted – by no later than September 30, 2026, or that application becomes void. DV cases are extremely time-sensitive, but they are a low priority for both USCIS and the Department of State.
Do I Need a Sponsor?
Diversity Visa (“DV”) applicants do not need a sponsor, such as an employer or immediate family member in the United States, nor are they legally required to provide an Affidavit of Support, although some US Embassies may require one on a discretionary basis where the applicant has not previously had a work visa in the US. However, DV applicants must meet basic eligibility requirements for participation in the lottery, including completion of at least a high school diploma, or at least two years of full time work experience in a skilled trade within the last five years, in an occupation that requires at least two years of training, education beyond high school, or prior work experience. If you enter the DV Lottery more than once in the same year, all of your entries for that year will be void and you are disqualified, but you can enter the DV lottery once every year as long as your native country remains eligible. If nationals of your own country of birth are ineligible in a given year, but you are married, and nationals of your spouse’s country of birth are eligible for the the DV Lottery, then you can both register for that year’s lottery: this is known as “cross-chargeability.”
Act Promptly!
If you have a winning DV Lottery entry, then you must complete and submit your Form DS-260 timely, and proceed as soon as your number becomes current, so that immigrant visa processing or adjustment of status can be completed before September 30 of the relevant fiscal year. If you want to review your supporting documents to make sure you are eligible before the next DV Lottery registration period, or your Entrant Status Check shows that your entry has been selected and you need guidance on how tyo proceed, please use the Contact form to schedule an appointment so that we may assist you!
Contact Karin Wolman – she would be happy to walk you through the Diversity Visa Lottery process!