The United States’ Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, also known as the visa lottery, is set to offer up to 55,000 foreign nationals and their families the opportunity to legally immigrate to the country with a green card in 2024.
Applicants who entered the 2024 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2024) will learn whether they have been randomly selected for a visa on May 6, 2023, according to a recent announcement by the US Department of State.
Applicants can check the status of their application at the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website. From May 6, 2023, to September 30, 2024, applicants can access the DV Entrant Status Check function to determine if they have been selected to receive one of the 55,000 diversity visas available for Fiscal Year 2024.
These visas are available to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the US. To find out if they have been selected, foreign nationals must enter their unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2024 entry registration through a blue button labeled “Check Status,” according to the official instructions for the 2024 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.
Selected applicants will be directed to a confirmation page that provides additional instructions, including information about fees connected to immigrating to the US.
The Department of State will not mail notification letters or notify selectees by email, and US consulates and embassies will not provide the winners’ list.
While there are 55,000 green cards available, not everyone who is selected will qualify for an immigrant visa or complete the necessary steps to obtain a visa.
Therefore, being randomly chosen as a selectee does not guarantee that an individual will receive a visa or the opportunity to make a visa application or schedule an interview. Instead, it merely means that they may be eligible to apply for a Diversity Visa.
Those who are selected and are eligible for a visa must apply for visa issuance during Fiscal Year 2024, which is from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sep. 30, 2024.
Before receiving a visa, selectees must be admissible to the US, electronically submit Form DS-260, the Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application, and pass an in-person consular interview, which includes criminal and security-related questions to determine eligibility.
US Visa lottery
Visa lottery selectees must bring appointment information printed from the Entrant Status Check website, a DS-260 confirmation page, a passport valid for six months beyond the intended day of entry into the US, and original documents or certified copies of civil documents submitted to the Kentucky Consular Center to the interview.
For those already living in the US under a non-immigrant legal status, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services will process adjustment of status applications.
These individuals must apply to USCIS for adjustment of status to permanent resident and ensure that USCIS can complete action on their case, including processing of any overseas applications for spouse or for children under 21 years of age, before September 30, 2024, as their eligibility for the DV-2024 program expires on that date.
The first step to obtain a green card under the Diversity Visa Program for this group of selectees is to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status and to provide the supportive evidence.
All selectees, including family members, must be issued visas by Sept. 30, 2024. While most people selected by the Diversity Visa Program live in a foreign country, some foreign nationals selected are already living in the US under a non-immigrant legal status.
How to find out if you won the 2024 Visa Lottery – To check on whether you or a family member were selected in the visa lottery, the following information is required:
▪ Log-on to – https://dvprogram.state.gov/
▪ Confirmation number or code issued when you registered for the program.
▪ Surnames as written in the electronic entry form.
▪ Birth year, with all four digits.
▪ Authentication code indicated by the website.
