On or about May 1, 2014, the U.S. Department of States released the result of the DV Lottery 2015. The official date to file for benefits will be October 1, 2014 for those who won the lottery depending on when you priority date appears in the Visa Bulletin.

According to the U.S. State Department, “The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky has registered and notified the winners of the DV-2015 diversity lottery.  The diversity lottery was conducted under the terms of section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and makes available *50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.  Approximately 125,514 applicants have been registered and notified and may now make an application for an immigrant visa. Since it is likely that some of the first *50,000 persons registered will not pursue their cases to visa issuance, this larger figure should insure that all DV-2015 numbers will be used during fiscal year 2015 (October 1, 2014 until September 30, 2015).

Applicants registered for the DV-2015 program were selected at random from 9,388,986 qualified entries (14,397,781 with derivatives) received during the 30-day application period that ran from noon, Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, October 1, 2013, until noon, Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, November 2, 2013.  The visas have been apportioned among six geographic regions with a maximum of seven percent available to persons born in any single country.  During the visa interview, principal applicants must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or show two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience within the past five years.  Those selected will need to act on their immigrant visa applications quickly.  Applicants should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete the information requested.

Registrants living legally in the United States who wish to apply for adjustment of their status must contact the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services for information on the requirements and procedures.  Once the total *50,000 visa numbers have been used, the program for fiscal year 2015 will end.  Selected applicants who do not receive visas by September 30, 2015 will derive no further benefit from their DV-2015 registration.  Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2015 principal applicants are only entitled to derivative diversity visa status until September 30, 2015.

Dates for the DV-2016 program registration period will be widely publicized in the coming months.  Those interested in entering the DV-2016 program should check the Department of State’s Visa web page in the coming months. 

*The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulated that up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas be made available for use under the NACARA program.  The reduction of the limit of available visas to 50,000 began with DV-2000.”

Winners who are residing in the United States without status might not be able to obtain the full benefit of the lottery but must talk to an attorney immediately to see what could be done. If you are in the U.S and you are out of status or entered without status, it is imperative that you speak to an attorney now to draw up strategies on what to do to help you get some benefits from the lottery.

As is well known, the U.S. Department of State will not contact any winner by email, by mail or by phone. All applicants are required to check result online using their confirmation number.

All immigrants must beware of scammers. They are out to exploit you. Do not send your money in response to any email or call. Do not send your money by western union to any address in the U.S. or abroad.

According to warning posted on the U.S. Government website, “The Department of State, Office of Visa Services, advises the public of a notable increase and reporting of fraudulent emails and letters sent to Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants. The scammers behind these fraudulent emails and letters pose as the U.S. government, and attempt to extract payment or favor from DV applicants. We strongly encourage you to review the procedures for the DV program provided below, so that you know what to expect and from whom. Remember that this website is the source of official information about the DV program.”

I must clear the myth that says that those in the United States will not receive green card even if they win. That is very far from the truth. Some winners in the United States will be able to obtain green cards through the process. Some might be able to get only work permit. For example, any immigrants in valid status such as student visa, religious worker visa, P-3, H1-B, visitor’s visa, etc will be able to obtain their green card.

Likewise some immigrants who have overstayed their visas but had an approvable petition filed for them before April 30, 2001 will be able to obtain their green card by payment of $1000 as penalty.

This article is for your information only; it cannot be substituted for legal advice to be rendered by a qualified immigration attorney after reviewing the facts of your case.

If you have any question or comment, please feel free to contact Joseph Rotimi Famuyide, Esq. at 2750 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100 Brooklyn, New York 11207 (718)-647-6767 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it website: www.lawyerfamuyide.com

                                                                                    USI News

Share Link: