DV Lottery and the US Department of State

The Diversity Lottery program is a lottery run by the U.S. Department of State every year. Annually, the DV lottery offers up to 55,000 permanent resident visas to randomly selected applicants from qualifying countries. The lottery program happens once a year, normally in October, and eligible applicants are randomly chosen by a computer.

Kentucky Consular Center in the DV Lottery Process

The DV lottery program is administered directly from the U.S. Department of State Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky. The Kentucky center was established in 2000 by the U.S. Department of State to take over the DV lottery program administration from the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. KCC has extended its fine tradition of quality service to all applicants of the DV Lottery program.

It is very important to remember that the Department of State has only one Kentucky Consular Center. Other organizations using similar names are in no way connected to the Department of State or KCC. There is no submission fee or application fee charged by the Department or KCC for the lottery program. A processing fee is only charged when a winning lottery entrant applies for the Diversity visa. During the visa application time at a U.S. consular office in the applicant’s country, each applicant (the DV entrant and any accompanying family members) will be charged a DV processing fee and an immigrant visa fee. Both these fees are non-refundable even if the visa is refused. If the visa is granted, a separate visa issuance fee is then charged for each visa.

Off late, there has been instances of fraudulent emails sent to DV applicants. The Department of State advises the public of a notable increase in such fraudulent emails and letters sent to DV program (Visa Lottery) applicants. The scammers behind these fraudulent emails and letters pose themselves as the U.S. government with a motive to extract money from DV applicants. All applicants are advised to be familiar with information about DV scams provided by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Applicants should be aware of what to expect, when to expect it, and from whom.

All DV-2012 applicants must check their status online to know if selected or not. No applicant will receive a notification letter from the US government. DV Entry Status Check will only be provided through the Department of State online site, http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. The Kentucky Consular Center has decided that they will no longer mail notification letters to DV lottery winners. Those selected are NOT notified of their selection by email.

Successful DV Lottery Entrants

If you have been selected for further processing in the Diversity Visa program, after you receive instructions, you will have to prove your eligibility for a diversity immigrant visa by successfully completing the next steps. You will need to complete the immigrant visa application, submit required documents and forms, pay appropriate 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, when requested to do so by the Kentucky Consular Center.