If you’re hoping to immigrate to the United States, one of the best ways to do so is through the Diversity Visa Lottery (aka the DV lottery). Every year, U.S. law allows approximately 50,000 people from underrepresented countries a shot at obtaining legal permanent residence and a pathway to citizenship through diversity visas (also known as green cards). This annual lottery provides visas to people from countries that have historically low rates of immigration to the US. Applicants are able to check if they won or not through the DV Entrant Status Check website.

American Diversity Immigrant Visa program is administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which runs a lottery every year and randomly selects successful applicants who are then given permission to live and work in America.

Even though only 5 percent of green card recipients are granted entry through diversity visas, their winners can bring immediate family members along with them and an unlimited number of derivative family members (spouses and children) after they become lawful permanent residents. So how do you get one? Check if you won the DV lottery with this quick and easy guide on how to check if you won the DV lottery!

DV Lottery Status Check

According to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs website, the DV-2025 Entrants may check their status starting at noon (EDT) on May 4, 2024. The DV-2025 registration period opens on October 4, 2023, and closes on November 7, 2023. DV-2025 Entrants should keep their confirmation number until at least September 30, 2025. The DV Entrant Status Check is only possible through the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs website.

To check your Electronic Diversity Visa Status, you will need the following information.

• Confirmation Number
• Last/Family Name
• Year of Birth

The Confirmation Number, Last/Family Name, and Year of Birth are available on the DV-2025 Submission Confirmation file that you’ve downloaded after successfully submitting the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form or DS-5501.

Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website

To check your status, please click on this link or the “official page” button (at the bottom of the page) and follow the given instructions below.

Click on “Check Status” and “Continue“. Type in information as shown below.

A. Confirmation Number

Please type in the confirmation number that was given when you applied in the provided field as shown in the picture below.

What can I do if I lost my confirmation number?

If you cannot remember your confirmation number or lost it, there is a way to recover it. Please click on the Forgot Confirmation Number and provide the following information to recover it.

1. Diversity Visa Program Year
2. Last/Family Name
3. First Name (if you used a first name)
4. Middle Name (if you used a middle name)
5. Date of Birth
6. Email Address (The email address used on the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form).

B. Last/Family Name

Provide the Last/Family Name that was used on the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form, including punctuation in the field as shown in the image below.

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C. Year of Birth

Please provide the year of birth for the primary entrant or principal applicant. Check the picture below for the visual representation.

D. Authentication

Type the characters as they appear in the picture and click on the submit button. Please note that the characters in the image below are just used as examples. You must type in characters that are shown on your screen while checking your status.

If you’re not selected for this immigration program, you will see a message similar to the following:

If you won the DV lottery, you will see a message similar to the following:

Please note that The Department of State never sends letters or notifies selectees by email, and U.S. Embassies and Consulates will not provide a list of selectees. Individuals who have not been selected will also be notified ONLY through the Entrant Status Check. You are advised to check your DV lottery status yourself and not to rely on someone else to check and inform you.

While filling in information on the DV Entrant Status Check page, you may receive an error message telling you that the “Information entered is not valid…” despite the fact that you think you have entered everything accurately. Several characters in the Confirmation Number can be confusing due to their similar appearance. Please pay attention to the following characters in order to type in your information accurately.

I’m not selected for DV lottery 2025, what should I do?

If you’re not selected, it is not finished yet and you should keep our confirmation number and all necessary information to check your status until at least September 30, 2025. In fact, U.S. law allows around 50 000 visas through the DV lottery program.

The first selection round selects sufficient candidates to whom they will allow these visas. However, during the fiscal year, if there are more visas available, fewer DV selectees to process, and enough time till the end of the fiscal year, the program may do a second selection. It doesn’t happen each year but it may happen. That is why you should keep your confirmation number till September 30, 2025. Besides this, the other thing you can do is to wait for the next application round and try your chance again. Please click here to know more about the application process.

How to apply for the 2026 DV lottery (DV-2026)

Be aware that there are many frauds on the internet about the DV lottery. You can only apply for the DV lottery program through the E-DV website. Please click here for more details on the application process.

Following what is said above, the 2026 DV lottery start date should probably fall between 1st – 4th of October 2024 and finishes about four weeks later. Greatyop wishes you good luck and please do not fall prey to DV Lottery Visa scams!. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.