A comprehensive guide for selected DV Lottery Applicants: Step 3

Step 3: Prepare Supporting Documents

Prior to your interview with a consular officer, you must obtain all required documents, following the guidelines below. It is strongly recommended that you begin this process early.

The applicant and each family member who will accompany the applicant to the United States will need to submit original documents or certified copies of the documents listed below from an appropriate office, authority, or issuing entity in your country. You will also need to bring a photocopy of each document. You will be required to bring these documents to your visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, along with any translations required.

Documents

Review the information below to determine which documents you will need to obtain. You will take the documents with you to your interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Do not send any of these documents to the Kentucky Consular Center. All paper documents or correspondence mailed to KCC will be destroyed. 

Translation Requirements

All documents not in English, or in the official language of the country in which application for a visa is being made, must be accompanied by certified translations. The translation must include a statement signed by the translator that states that the:

• Translation is accurate, and,
• Translator is competent to translate. 

Required DV Qualifying Education or Work Experience

The principal diversity visa applicant must have a high school education, or its equivalent, OR two years of qualifying work experience in the last five years.

Education: Submit to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview, a certificate of completion equivalent to a U.S. diploma, school transcripts, or other evidence issued by the person or organization responsible for maintaining records, which specifies the completed course of study. The diversity visa selectee must have completed a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education in the U.S. or a comparable course of study in another country, sufficient in itself to qualify a student to apply for college admission. The following are not acceptable:

• Equivalency certificates (such as the G.E.D.) are not acceptable.
• Vocational degrees that are not considered a basis for further academic study will not be considered equivalent to U.S. high school education.

Work Experience: Submit documentation to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview demonstrating that you have two years of qualifying work experience in the last five years immediately prior to application. Qualifying work experience must be in an occupation that, by U.S. Department of Labor O*Net Online Database definitions, requires at least two years of training or experience that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher. (See the section on Confirm Your Qualifications for information about using O*Net Online.)

Birth Certificates

Each applicant will need to obtain an original birth certificate issued by the official custodian of birth records in the country of birth, showing the date and place of birth and the parentage of the applicant, based upon the original registration of birth. Important Notice: You must submit a long form original birth certificate. Short form birth certificates will not be accepted.

 The certificate must contain the:

• Person's date of birth;
• Person's place of birth;
• Names of both parents; and,
• Annotation by the appropriate authority indicating that it is an extract from the official records.

Unobtainable birth certificates: Some birth records may not be obtainable if, for example:

• The applicant's birth was never officially recorded.
• The applicant's birth records have been destroyed.
• The appropriate government authority will not issue one.

In these cases, please obtain a certified statement from the appropriate government authority stating the reason the applicant's birth record is not available. With the certified statement the applicant must submit secondary evidence. For example:

• A baptismal certificate that contains the date and place of birth, as well as both parents' names (providing the baptism took place shortly after birth).
• An adoption decree for an adopted child.
• An affidavit from a close relative, preferably the applicant's mother, stating the date and place of birth, both parents names, and the mother's maiden name. Note: An affidavit must be executed before an official authorized to take oaths or affirmations. 

Court and Prison Records

Applicants who have been convicted of a crime must obtain a certified copy of each court record and any prison record, regardless of the fact that he or she may have subsequently benefited from an amnesty, pardon or other act of clemency. Submit to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview. Court records should include:

• Complete information regarding the circumstance surrounding the crime of which the applicant was convicted
• The disposition of the case, including sentence or other penalty or fine imposed. 

Deportation Documentation

Applicants who have previously been deported or removed at government expense from the United States must obtain Form I-212, Permission to Reapply after Deportation, from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and follow the instructions included on that form.

Marriage Certificate

Married applicants must obtain an original marriage certificate, or a certified copy, bearing the appropriate seal or stamp of the issuing authority.  

Note: Marriage certificates from certain countries are unavailable. More specific information is available online on our Reciprocity by Country webpage.

Marriage Termination Documentation

Applicants who have been previously married must obtain evidence of the termination of EACH prior marriage. Evidence submitted to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate must be in the form of original documents issued by a competent authority, or certified copies bearing the appropriate seal or stamp of the issuing authority, such as:

• Final divorce decree
• Death certificate
• Annulment papers 

Military Records

Persons who have served in the military forces of any country must obtain a copy of their military record. Submit documentation to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview.

Note: Military records from certain countries are unavailable. More specific information is available online on our Reciprocity by Country webpage.

Police Records

Which Applicants Need to Submit a Police Certificate

Each applicant aged 16 years or older must submit all required police certificates to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at his or her interview.

What Does the Applicant Submit

The applicant must submit police certificates that meet the following guidelines. The police certificate must:

• Cover the entire period of the applicant's residence in that area.
• Be issued by the appropriate police authority.
• Include all arrests, the reason for the arrest(s), and the disposition of each case of which there is a record.

How to obtain a police certificate

• Determine from which countries an applicant is required to obtain police certificates. The table below will assist in determining from where an applicant must obtain police certificates. Note: Present and former residents of the United States should NOT obtain any police certificates covering their residence in the United States.

• Contact the appropriate police authorities. Selecting the appropriate country from the Reciprocity by Country page will provide you with additional information on how to obtain a police certificate.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT POLICE CERTIFICATES: The Reciprocity by Country pages will indicate if a country's police authorities require the submission of a specific Police Certificate Request form. Some countries may require the submission of specific Police Certificate Request forms in order to properly request and obtain the applicable Police Certificate(s). Police certificates from certain countries are unavailable. More specific information is available online on our Reciprocity by Country webpage.

If you are 16 years of age or older, you must submit a photocopy of a police certificate from the following locations:

From ...			AND...			THEN the applicant needs a police certificate from...
the country of nationality if they resided there for more than 6 months			is 16 years old or older			the police authorities of that locality.
the country of current residence (if different from nationality) if they resided there for more than 6 months			was 16 years or older at that time			the police authorities of that locality.
any previous country or countries of residence if residing there for more than 12 months			was 16 years or older at that time			the police authorities of that locality.
any country where arrested for any reason, regardless of how long they lived there			was any age at that time			the police authorities from place of arrest.

Note: Present and former residents of the United States do NOT need to submit any U.S. police certificates.

Important: Police certificates expire after one year, unless the certificate was issued from your country of previous residence and you have not returned there since the police certificate was issued. If at the time of your interview the following three items are all true, you must bring a new police certificate to your visa interview:

• You are more than 16 years old;
• The police certificate submitted to NVC was obtained more than one year ago; and
• You still live in the country that issued the certificate.

For country-specific guidelines on how to obtain a police certificate, review the Country Documents section at Reciprocity by Country.

Unobtainable police certificates

If your police certificate is unavailable per the country-specific guidelines above, you do not need to submit one to the NVC. If you cannot obtain a police certificate for another reason, please submit a written explanation when you submit your other documents.

Custody Documentation

For adopted children, the adoptive parent must provide:

• A certified copy of the adoption decree;
• The legal custody decree, if custody occurred before the adoption;
• A statement showing dates and places where child resided with the parents; and
• If the child was adopted while aged 16 or 17 years, evidence that the child was adopted together with, or subsequent to the adoption of, a natural sibling under age 16 by the same adoptive parent(s).

Additional Embassy or Consulate Instructions

Civil and personal documents may differ from country to country, depending on availability. There may be either additional instructions for obtaining civil documents in a specific country or additional documents required, depending on the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you will apply. Select the embassy or consulate where you will apply to learn what additional requirements there are, if any. Please note that some of the information included in these instructions may apply to immigrant visa classifications other than diversity visas. If you have questions about the country-specific information included here, please contact the embassy or consulate where you will apply for your visa.

A comprehensive guide for selected DV Lottery Applicants: Step 2

Step 2: Submit a Visa Application

DV-2018 and DV-2017 Program Applicants

The principal applicant and all family members applying for a diversity visa in the DV-2017 and DV-2018 program must complete Form DS-260. You will need to enter your DV case number into the online DS-260 form to access and update the information about yourself and your family that you included in your DV entry.

If your family circumstances have changed after you entered the lottery, for example, if you have gotten married or had a child, you will need to add your new family members to your case. (“Family member” refers to a spouse and/or unmarried children who had not reached age 21 before you entered the lottery.) When adding family members to your case, you will need to upload a document to prove your relationship to the family member being added.

Important note: If you had a spouse or children prior to submitting your original entry, but you did not include them on your original entry form, then your case will be disqualified at the time of your visa interview. Neither you nor any of your family members will receive visas. For more information, see the DV Instructions.

On the Sign and Submit page of the DS-260, you will need to re-enter your DV case number without the zeros (e.g. if the case number is 2018AF0000012345, enter ‘2018AF12345’). Entering the full case number with zeros will generate a validation error.

After submitting the Form DS-260 online, print the confirmation page. You must bring the confirmation page to your visa interview. 

Please be aware that KCC can only tell you if your form has been processed. KCC cannot tell you whether or not you or your family members are qualified for diversity visas. Only the consular officer who interviews you can make that decision.

Contacting KCC: If you need to contact the KCC, always include your name, birthdate and case number exactly as they appear in the Entrant Status Check. Your case number should be clearly written in the upper right hand corner of your e-mail or in the subject line. KCC only receives inquiries by phone or email. Do not mail paper documents or correspondence to the Kentucky Consular Center. All paper documents or correspondence received will be destroyed. The KCC telephone number is 606-526-7500 (7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. EST). The e-mail address is KCCDV@state.gov.

A comprehensive guide for selected DV Lottery Applicants: Step 1

Step 1: Confirm Your Qualifications

The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program requires the principal DV applicant to have a high school education, or its equivalent, or two years of qualifying work experience as defined under provisions of U.S. law.

If you do not have either the required education or qualifying work experience, you are not qualified to be issued a diversity visa. (Only you, as the principal applicant, must meet this requirement. Your spouse and children do not have to meet this requirement.) You should not continue with your DV application if you do not meet the qualifying education or work experience requirements explained below. You will not be issued a visa, and any fees you pay will not be refunded.

High School Education: A high school education means successful completion of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to completion of a 12-year course in the United States.

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

The U.S. Department of Labor provides information on job duties, knowledge and skills, education and training, and other occupational characteristics on their website https://www.onetonline.org/. The O*Net online database groups work experience into five "job zones." While many occupations are listed, only certain specified occupations qualify for the Diversity Visa Program.

How To Find the Qualifying Occupations on the Department of Labor Website: Qualifying DV Occupations are shown on the Department of Labor O*Net Online Database. Follow these steps, when you are in O*Net Online to find out if your occupation qualifies:

• Under "Find Occupations" select "Job Family" from the pull down;
• Then Browse by “Job Family”. (For example, select Architecture and Engineering) and click "GO";
• Then click on the link for your specific occupation. (As an example, select Aerospace Engineers. At the bottom of this Summary Report for Aerospace Engineers, under the Job Zone section, you will find the designated Job Zone 4, SVP Range, 7.0 to < 8.0. This means using this example, Aerospace Engineering is a qualifying occupation.)

Again, you should not continue with your DV application if you do not meet the qualifying education or work experience requirements explained above.  You will not be issued a visa, and any fees you pay will not be refunded.

A comprehensive guide for selected DV Lottery Applicants

If you receive notification through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website that you have been selected for further processing in the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, you must successfully complete the following steps before a consular interview can be scheduled to determine if you will receive a visa. You should complete these steps as soon as possible!!!

If you receive notification through the E-DV website that you have been selected for further processing in the DV Program, and you are physically present in the United States, you may be eligible to adjust status to obtain permanent residence through the DV Program.

It is important to remember that selection does not guarantee you will receive a visa. In order to receive a DV to immigrate to the United States, selectees must still meet all eligibility requirements under U.S. law.

We will be publishing a series of steps to help walk you through the process of obtaining an immigrant visa. Stay tunned!!!

9 Frequently asked questions about selection of DV-2018 applicants.

                              




1. How do I know if I am selected? 

You must use your confirmation number to access the Entrant Status Check available on the E-DV website at dvlottery.state.gov starting May 2, 2017, through September 30, 2018. Entrant Status Check is the sole means by which the Department of State will notify you if you are selected, provide further instructions on your visa application, and notify you of your immigrant visa interview appointment date and time. In order to ensure the use of all available visas, the Department of State may use Entrant Status Check to notify additional selectees after May 2, 2017. Retain your confirmation number until September 30, 2018 in case of any updates. The only authorized Department of State website for official online entry in the Diversity Visa Program and Entrant Status Check is dvlottery.state.gov

2. How will I know if I am not selected? Will I be notified? 

The Department of State will NOT notify you directly if your entry is not selected. You must use the Entrant Status Check to learn whether you were selected. You may check the status of your DV-2018 entry through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website at starting May 2, 2017, until September 30, 2018. Keep your confirmation number until at least September 30, 2018. (Status information for the previous year’s DV program, DV-2017, is available online from May 3, 2016, through September 30, 2017.)

3. What if I lose my confirmation number? 

You must have your confirmation number to access Entrant Status Check. A tool is now available in Entrant Status Check (ESC) on the E-DV website that will allow you to retrieve your confirmation number via the email address with which you registered by entering certain personal information to confirm your identity.

U.S. embassies and consulates and the Kentucky Consular Center are unable to check your selection status for you or provide your confirmation number to you directly (other than through the Entrant Status Check retrieval tool). The Department of State is NOT able to provide a list of those selected to continue the visa process.

4. Will I receive information from the Department of State by email or by postal mail? 

The Department of State will not send you a notification letter. The U.S. government has never sent emails to notify individuals that they have been selected, and there are no plans to use email for this purpose for the DV-2018 program. If you are a selectee, you will only receive email communications regarding your visa appointment after you have responded to the notification instructions on Entrant Status Check. These emails will not contain information on the actual appointment date and time; they will simply tell you to go to the Entrant Status Check website for details. The Department of State may send emails reminding DV lottery applicants to check the ESC for their status. However, such emails will never indicate whether the lottery applicant was or was not selected. Only internet sites that end with the “.gov” domain suffix are official U.S. government websites. Many other websites (e.g., with the suffixes “.com,” “.org,” or “.net”) provide immigration and visa-related information and services. The Department of State does not endorse, recommend, or sponsor any information or material on these other websites.

You may receive emails from websites that try to trick you into sending money or providing your personal information. You may be asked to pay for forms and information about immigration procedures, all of which are available free on the Department of State website, travel.state.gov, or through U.S. Embassy or Consulate websites. Additionally, organizations or websites may try to steal your money by charging fees for DV-related services. If you send money to one of these scams, you will likely never see it again. Also, do not send personal information to these websites, as it may be used for identity fraud/theft.

These deceptive emails may come from people pretending to be affiliated with the Kentucky Consular Center or the Department of State. Remember that the U.S. government has never sent emails to notify individuals they have been selected, and there are no plans to use email for this purpose for the DV-2018 program. The Department of State will never ask you to send money by mail or by services such as Western Union.

5. How many individuals will be selected for DV-2018? 

For DV-2018, 50,000 Diversity Visas are available. Because it is likely that some of the first 50,000 persons who are selected will not qualify for visas or not pursue their cases to visa issuance, more than 50,000 entries will be selected to ensure that all of the available DVs are issued. However, this also means that there may not be a sufficient number of visas for all those who are selected.

You can check the E-DV website’s Entrant Status Check to see if you have been selected for further processing and your place on the list. Interviews for the DV-2018 program will begin in October 2017 for selectees who have submitted all pre-interview paperwork and other information as requested in the notification instructions. Selectees who provide all required information will be informed of their visa interview appointment through the E-DV website’s Entrant Status Check four to six weeks before the scheduled interviews with U.S. consular officers overseas.

Each month, visas will be issued to those applicants who are eligible for issuance during that month, as long as visas are available. Once all of the 50,000 DV visas have been issued, the program will end. Visa numbers could be finished before September 2018. Selected applicants who wish to apply for visas must be prepared to act promptly on their cases. Being randomly chosen as a selectee does not guarantee that you will receive a visa. Selection merely means that you are eligible to apply for a Diversity Visa. If your rank number becomes eligible for final processing, you potentially may be issued a Diversity Visa. Only 50,000 visas will be issued to such applicants.

6. How will successful entrants be selected? 

Official notifications of selection will be made through Entrant Status Check, available May 2, 2017, through September 30, 2018, on the E-DV website dvlottery.state.gov. The Department of State does not send selectee notifications or letters by regular postal mail or by email. Any email notification or mailed letter stating that you have been selected to receive a DV that does not come from the Department of State is not legitimate. Any email communication you receive from the Department of State will direct you to review Entrant Status Check for new information about your application. The Department of State will never ask you to send money by mail or by services such as Western Union.

 All entries received from each region are individually numbered; at the end of the entry period, a computer will randomly select entries from among all the entries received for each geographic region. Within each region, the first entry randomly selected will be the first case registered; the second entry selected will be the second case registered, etc. All entries received within each region during the entry period will have an equal chance of being selected. When an entry has been selected, the entrant will receive notification of his or her selection through the Entrant Status Check available starting May 2, 2017, on the E-DV website dvlottery.state.gov. If you are selected and you respond to the instructions provided online via Entrant Status Check, the Department of State’s Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) will process the case until those selected are instructed to appear for visa interviews at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate or until those in the United States who are applying to adjust status apply with USCIS in the United States.

7. I am already in the United States. If selected, may I adjust my status with USCIS? 

Yes, provided you are otherwise eligible to adjust status under the terms of Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), you may apply to USCIS for adjustment of status to permanent resident. You must ensure that USCIS can complete action on your case, including processing of any overseas applications for a spouse or for children under 21 years of age, before September 30, 2018, since on that date your eligibility for the DV-2018 program expires. The Departnment of State will not approve any visa numbers or adjustments of status for the DV-2018 program after midnight EDT on September 30, 2018, under any circumstances.

8. If I am selected, for how long am I entitled to apply for a Diversity Visa? 

If you are selected in the DV-2018 program, you are entitled to apply for visa issuance only during U.S. government Fiscal Year 2018, which spans from October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018. We encourage selectees to apply for visas as early as possible, once their program rank numbers become eligible.

Without exception, all selected and eligible applicants must obtain their visa or adjust status by the end of the fiscal year. There is no carry-over of DV benefits into the next year for persons who are selected but who do not obtain visas by September 30, 2018 (the end of the fiscal year). Also, spouses and children who derive status from a DV-2018 registration can only obtain visas in the DV category between October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2018. Individuals who apply overseas will receive an appointment notification from the Department of State through Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website four to six weeks before the scheduled appointment.

9. If a DV selectee dies, what happens to the case? 

If a DV selectee dies at any point before he or she has traveled to the United States or adjusted status, the DV case is automatically closed. Any derivative spouse and/or children of the deceased selectee will no longer be entitled to apply for a DV visa. Any visas that were issued to them will be revoked.

US Diversity Visa Program Statistics

                     

           

         Number of Online Entries Received During Each Registration Period

   

                                      DV Statistics 2013-2015

  

                                      DV Statistics 2010-2012

                                      DV Statistics 2007-2009

         

           Number of Selected Entrants for Recent DV Programs

                                      DV 2015

                                       DV 2014

                                       DV 2013

•                              DV 2012
•                              DV 2011

            Number of Visa Issuances and Adjustments of Status in the Diversity Immigrant Category

                                        DV 2005 - DV 2014

                                                                               Source: www.travel.state.gov

IMPORTANT: Frequently Asked Questions on Immigrant Visa Processing for Citizens of Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen (updated March 16, 2017)

A foreign citizen seeking to immigrate generally must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident immediate relative(s), or prospective U.S. employer, and have an approved petition before applying for an immigrant visa.

On March 15, 2017, the United States District Court in Hawaii issued a ruling barring the Department from implementing Sections 2 and 6 of Executive Order 13780 suspending visa issuance and entry into the United States.  On March 16, 2017, a federal district court for the District of Maryland separately issued a ruling barring the Department from implementing Section 2(c) of the same Executive Order.  Both are effective immediately.

As the Executive Order was not yet in effect, U.S. embassies and consulates continue to process visas for nationals of the six countries as before.  The Department will suspend implementation of provisions of the Executive Order as required by the relevant court orders.

The National Visa Center will continue to work on in-process cases for these applicants. You should continue to pay fees, complete your Form DS-260 immigrant visa applications, and submit your financial and civil supporting documents to NVC. NVC will review your case file and schedule a visa interview appointment if no additional paperwork is required.