Green Card Lottery Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When is the calendar year 2012 green card lottery (DV-2014)?

A: Application dates for the 2012 diversity visa/green card lottery (DV-2014) have not been announced by the U.S. Department of State. However, the registration period will likely run from approximately October 1, 2012 to approximately November 1, 2012.

The calendar year 2011 diversity visa lottery (DV-2013) began Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4), and ended Saturday, November 5, 2011 at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4). DV-2013 REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Q: What countries were ineligible for DV-2013?

A: Ineligible countries for the calendar year 2011 lottery (DV-2013) were: ANGUILLA, BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, CANADA, COLUMBIA, CHINA (MAINLAND BORN), BERMUDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, CAYMEN ISLANDS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, FALKLAND ISLANDS, GIBRALTAR, GREAT BRITAIN, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, MONTSERRAT, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, PITCAIRN, SOUTH KOREA, ST. HELENA, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland), VIETNAM are all ineligible.

NOTE: Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible. Those born in the newly recognized country of SOUTH SUDAN are eligible. POLAND is also a visa eligible country.

Q: Where do I register?

A: Applicants for the next green card lottery (DV-2014) can register at the official U.S. government website at: https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ from approximately October 1, 2012 to November 1, 2012. Or you can register any time of year using any one of the highly rated lottery services listed on our reviews page.

Q: How can DV-2013 green card lottery applicants find out if they won?

A: Applicants for the calendar year 2011 green card lottery (DV-2013) can check the status of their entry online at the State Department Entry Status Check (ESC) website beginning May 1, 2012 here. You must have your official confirmation number to check your entry. It looks like this: 20132UPV0LIQOL9D.

We confirmed with the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) that if you lost your confirmation number there is no way for the KCC to provide it. This means that if you lost your number, then you cannot check your status and you cannot win.

If you are using a reputable lottery service or attorney, they should provide you with your official confirmation number from the U.S. government after they register your entry for you. They should also check with the U.S. government to see if you won and notify you at no additional charge.

If you have a question about DV-2013 (except your confirmation number), you can contact the Kentucky Consular Center via email at: kccdv@state.gov or you can try to reach them by telephone:

+1-606-526-7500

Please check here for other important Green Card Lottery Dates and Deadlines for DV-2012, DV-2013, and DV-2014. Remember: Winning letters are no longer be mailed to lottery winners.

Q: What about these fake diversity visa winning letters?

A: Emails requesting fees for lottery "winners" are ALL frauds. Fraudulent spam emails have been sent on behalf of: The United States Department of State and at least two of the larger green card lottery service providers: USAFIS and USAGC.

Fraud letters on behalf of the Department of State were sent last year and are reappearing now (March 2012). See sample scam emails. These scam emails are nearly identical and begin with:

"Congratulations on winning a United States Permanent Resident Card through Diversity Visa Lottery"

Then they instruct winners to send USD $2640 (or other amounts) via Western Union to a U.K. address at: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 2LQ. Unfortunately this is just a repeat of the earlier scam since no payment of any kind is required until the visa process begins at a U.S. Consulate.

Q: If I win, what are the next steps?

A: If you are selected for further processing in the Diversity Visa program, you will need to demonstrate you are eligible for a diversity immigrant visa by successfully completing the next steps. When requested to do so by the Kentucky Consular Center, you will need to complete the immigrant visa application, submit required documents and forms, pay required fees, complete a medical examination, and be interviewed by a consular officer at the U.S. embassy or consulate to demonstrate you qualify for a diversity visa. Please note that the Kentucky Consular Center will provide application information online through the Entry Status Check on the EDV website at: https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ESC/.

Plus, our booklet Diversity Visa Winners ONLY has detailed information to help guide you thoughout the process. (Sorry for the shameless self-promotion, but yes, we rewrite the book every year. The 2012 edition will be available in May.

Q: When will your next lottery services reviews be available?

A: They are now published on our reviews page. We will also publish a press release in 2012 based on responses to our lottery service provider survey.

Q: How do I reach an Immigration Attorney?

A: Just visit our Contact Attorney page at myUSAi.org. This page connects with Mark Jacobsen, Immigration Attorney. Provide as much detail as possible, as clearly as possible. Include your phone number and a day and time you can be reached. Or you can post your question on the Discussion Forum at the United States Association of Immigrants at myUSAi.org. You can also visit the American Immigration Lawyers Association at AILA.org.

If you are an AILA member and wish to advertise at myGreencard.com or myUSAi.org, please Contact Us.

Q: How do I purchase Creative Networks publications?

A: The COMPLETE version of our booklet, Win the Green Card Lottery! for DV-2014 is now available on our Order Now Page. To purchase directly from myUSAi.org, you must have a credit card or Paypal account (or a friend with one).

Q: Why should I purchase your booklet since I can get the official lottery rules for free?

A: We provide additional information beyond that provided by the U.S. State Department. For example, we include tips to help you prevent common mistakes; additional rules for family and extended family members; a section explaining alternate state chargeability; detailed information for creating and scanning photographs; an entire chapter devoted to lottery winners, an immigration glossary, and much more. The ninth edition of Win the Green Card Lottery! is now available. It has been edited by immigration attorneys and thoroughly indexed for easy reference. If you are still not convinced of the incredible value of our booklet, compare our Table of Contents with the basic information provided by the U.S. State Department. Again, the first three chapters (when available) are FREE.

Q: Can I Resell Win the Green Card Lottery! on my website?

A: YES. If you may be interested in becoming a reseller please email us at: sales[at]mygreencard(dot]com.

Q: Do you accept advertising on myGreencard.com?

A: YES. Creative Networks now accepts limited advertising. Advertisements will only link to those services that pass our review criteria. These ads may appear on our website and in the electronic version of our booklet. Some advertisers may also be Resellers. We made this decision so we can continue to operate myGreencard.com to provide you with the latest immigration news, immigration opinions, and immigration reports. However, we will continue to provide unbiased lottery service ratings.

Q: I was contacted by a representative from myGreencard for payment.

A: This is a scam. We never ask for money of any kind for visas or anything else. But you can Donate To Us. We depend partially on your support for our survival. Our sister site, myUSAi.org accepts donations to myGreencard.com from $10 to $150.

Q: Can I send myGreencard.com my lottery application?

A: NO. MyGreencard is not a lottery service. We suggest you download our FREE booklet and enter yourself, OR use one of the top lottery services we review. If you have specific legal questions, you should contact an attorney.

Q: How can I get a list of lottery winners?

A: NO. There is no list of winners published by the State Department. 

Q: Where can I get the "official" U.S. State Department information?

A: The official rules are available at the U.S. State Department website and our free downloads page. We will post the final DV-2014 rules when they are available (likely in September, 2012).

Q: What are the mailing addresses?

A: Applications must be submitted online, not by mail. However, some of the websites we rate accept mail-in entries for a fee anytime of year. You can also enter at no charge at the official government web site at: www.dvlottery.state.gov. This site is only accessible during the open registration period. Mail-in applications to the government are not accepted.

Q: Must each applicant submit his/her own entry?

A: Applicants may prepare and submit their own entries OR have someone submit the entry for them. Regardless of whether an entry is submitted by the applicant directly, or assistance is provided by an attorney, friend, relative, etc., only one entry may be submitted in the name of each person.

Q: May persons who are in the U.S. apply for the program?

A: YES, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in another country, and the entry may be submitted from the U.S. or from abroad.

Q: Is each applicant limited to only one entry?

A: YES, the law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period; applicants for whom more than one entry is submitted will be disqualified. The Department of State employs sophisticated technology and other means to identify individuals that submit multiple entries during the registration period. Applicants submitting more than one entry will be disqualified and an electronic record will be permanently maintained by the Department of State. Applicants may apply for the program each year during the regular registration period. There are situations where more than one entry is possible. For example, a qualifying spouse can enter his or her spouse in a separate entry (see below).

Q: May a husband and a wife each submit a separate entry?

A: YES, a husband and a wife may each submit one entry if each meets the eligibility requirements. If either were selected, the other would be entitled to "derivative" status.

Q: What family members must I include on my DV entry?

A: On your entry you must list your spouse, that is husband or wife, and all unmarried children under 21 years of age, with the exception of a child who is already a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident. You must list your spouse even if you are currently separated from him/her. However, if you are legally divorced, you do not need to list your former spouse. For customary marriages, the important date is the date of the original marriage ceremony, not the date on which the marriage is registered. You must list ALL your children who are unmarried and under 21 years of age, whether they are your natural children, your spouse's children by a previous marriage, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country, unless a child is already a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident. List all children under 21 years of age even if they no longer reside with you or you do not intend for them to immigrate under the DV program.

The fact that you have listed family members on your entry does not mean that they later must travel with you. They may choose to remain behind. However, if you include an eligible dependent on your visa application forms that you failed to include on your original entry, your case will be disqualified. (This only applies to persons who were dependents at the time the original application was submitted, not those acquired at a later date.) Your spouse may still submit a separate entry, even though he or she is listed on your entry, as long as both entries include details on all dependents in your family.

Q: What are the requirements for education or work experience?

A: The law and regulations require that every applicant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or, within the past five years, have two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years training or experience. A "high school education or equivalent" is defined as successful completion of a twelve-year course of elementary and secondary education in the United States or successful completion in another country of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a high school education in the United States. Documented proof of education or work experience should not be submitted with the lottery entry, but must be presented to the consular officer at the time of the visa interview. To determine eligibility based on work experience, definitions from the Department of State's O*Net OnLine database will be used.

Q: How will successful entrants be selected?

A: At the Kentucky Consular Center, all entries received from each region will be individually numbered. After the end of the registration 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 the second registration, etc. All entries received during the registration period will have an equal chance of being selected within each region. The Kentucky Consular Center will process your paperwork until those who are selected are instructed to appear for visa interviews. Interviews will be held either at a U.S. consular office abroad, or a USCIS office in the United States to change status.

Q: How many applicants will be selected?

A: There were 50,000 diversity visas available, but more than that number of individuals will be selected. Because it is likely that some of the first 50,000 persons who are selected will not qualify for visas or pursue their cases to visa issuance, more than 50,000 entries will be selected by the Kentucky Consular Center to ensure that all of the available DV visas are issued. However, this also means that there will not be a sufficient number of visas for all those who are initially selected. Interviews with those selected will begin in early October. The Kentucky Consular Center will send appointment letters to selected applicants four to six weeks before the scheduled interviews with U.S. consular officers at overseas posts. Each month visas will be issued, visa number availability permitting, to those applicants who are ready for issuance during that month. Once all of the 50,000 DV visas have been issued, the program for the year will end. Selected applicants who wish to receive visas must be prepared to act promptly on their cases. Random selection by the Kentucky Consular Center computer does not automatically guarantee that you will receive a visa.

Q: Is there a minimum age for applicants to apply for the DV program?

A: There is no minimum age to apply for the program, but the requirement of a high school education or work experience for each principal applicant at the time of application will effectively disqualify most persons who are under age 18.

Q: Are there any fees for the DV program?

A: There is no fee for submitting an entry. A special DV case processing fee will be payable later by persons whose entries are actually selected and processed at a U.S. consular section for this year's program. DV applicants, like other immigrant visa applicants, must also pay the regular visa fees at the time of visa issuance. Details of required fees will be included with the instructions sent by the Kentucky Consular Center to applicants who are selected.

Q: May persons who are already registered for an immigrant visa in another category apply for the DV program?

A: YES, such persons may apply for the DV program.

Q: If the Principle Applicant in the Diversity Visa Lottery dies before visa he or she receives their visa, can his eligible family members still receive DV visas?

A: NO. If the applicant dies first, the DV case is revoked and any eligible spouse and/or children are no longer entitled to the DV visa for that entry.