Diversity Visa
Diversity Visa
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Complete your own application. The online entry application is easy and free.
DV-2025 Program: Online Registration
DV-2025 Program: The online registration period for the DV-2025 Program begins on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and concludes on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5). Individuals who submit more than one entry during the registration period will be disqualified.
· DV-2025 instructions (English) (PDF 374 KB)
· DV-2025 Instructions (Albanian) (PDF 413 KB)
Please view this page for an introduction to the Diversity Visa program, and step-by-step guidance to help you submit an entry. Applicants can access the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at the official E-DV website, during the registration period. DV instructions also are available on the Department of State’s public website.
DV-2025 entrants will be able to use their unique confirmation number provided at registration to check the online Entrant Status Check at E-DV website to see if their entry was selected. Entrant Status Check will inform successful entrants how to apply for DVs for themselves and their eligible family members. Successful selectees will be able to learn their visa interview appointments by checking the Entrant Status Check.
See the Diversity Visa Program Information See the Diversity Visa Program web-page for information about:
How to Check if You are Selected?
For those of you who have applied, official notification of selection will be made online through the Entry Status Check on the E-DV website. This is the only way you will receive notification of the status of your entry. Should you receive an e-mail notification or a mailed letter about your E-DV selection, be aware that the notification is not legitimate. It is only after you are selected and respond to the notification instructions made available to you via Entry Status Check, and processing begins on your case, that you may receive follow-up e-mail communication from the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) informing you to review Entry Status Check for new information about your application.
Notice: Selected entrants are encouraged to complete the online DS-260 application immediately to schedule an interview appointment at the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Online form DS-260 can be found here.
Educational and Employment Qualification Requirements
All entrants into the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery are advised to review educational and employment qualification guidelines prior to entry. In order to qualify for a visa under the DV Program, the principal applicant (the applicant whose entry number was chosen) must have qualifying education or employment.
Education: Applicants must have completed a full-time high school education that is at least equivalent to a U.S. high school education (4 years, full-time, general studies). Full time general studies high school degrees do qualify for the lottery. Full time vocational high school degrees may qualify as long as they substantially conform to the core requirements of an equivalent United States general studies degree program. The final decision will be made by the consular officer on the day of the interview.
Part time high school diplomas – may qualify for the DV. In order to qualify as comparable to a U.S. education, an applicant’s high school diploma must 1) be sufficient to allow him/her to apply for college admission without further education, and 2) the applicant’s high school transcript should contain a comparable number and type of courses consistent with a full-time high school education in the United States.
University degrees qualify for the DV program.
Employment: Applicants who do not meet the education requirement, must meet the work experience requirement of two years of experience in an occupation which requires at least two years training or experience within the five-year period immediately prior to application. Only certain specified occupations qualify for the Diversity Visa Program. To qualify for a Diversity Visa based on your work experience, you must, within the past five years, have two years of experience in an occupation that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) range of 7.0 or higher. Qualifying DV Occupations are shown on the Department of Labor’s O*Net Online Database.
The DV Interview
If you are a DV Selectee, you must read the following instructions on how to prepare for the interview:
· Visa Preparation Instructions for DV Selectees (PDF 457 KB)
After you have completed the steps on the Diversity Visa Process on usvisas.state.gov, including submitting the required immigrant visa application form (DS-260), you may receive an email from the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) to let you know that an interview has been scheduled for you. The e-mail will instruct you to log into the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website, using your DV entry confirmation number, to view the date, time, and location of your interview. You can learn more about the interview process on usvisas.state.gov.
Before your visa interview, we recommend that you review the information you provided in your initial lottery application. Make sure you have provided the correct information on your civil status at the time of the initial application.
Make sure you have uploaded the correct photo for each family member at the time of the initial lottery application. Mistaking photographs on the initial application will result in the visa being refused for you and your family.
Failure to declare an existing spouse or existing child at the time of the initial lottery application will result in visa denial for you and your family. Any fees paid to the United States government for your visa application are non-refundable.