The registration period for DV2020 is about to open (about 1 hour from now) – so a few pointers to help make it successful.
- The entry period is from October 3 to November 6 and it opens at Noon EDT – East coast USA time – not the time where you might live. It also closes at noon on the USA east coast.
- Entry is FREE and it is very easy to enter yourself.
- Do not lie in this process, EVER. To clarify, a lie is when you don’t tell the truth, or omit a relevant detail. People who have lied (“forgetting” they are married or have a child for instance) often get offended when I point out they lied. Lies are toxic in this process.
- DO NOT let anyone enter for you. Every year I see cases of fraud, cases rejected and so on – simply because a third party entered the lottery.
- BEFORE you enter, read the instructions properly!
- The two biggest mistakes that people make are leaving a spouse or child off the entry (leading to certain denial) OR choosing the wrong country.
- Make sure you accurately choose your marital status correctly. Include your spouse and all children under 21 (including step children)
- Entry is based on country of birth. Not citizenship, country you are living at or ANYTHING else. The country where you were born. There are a couple of exceptions to that rule – but those are rarely used (and discussed here)
- Watch the video to know how to enter.
- You can enter even if you are already selected in DV2019. Anyone can enter.
- Enter here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/diversity-visa-program-entry.html
- Take a new photo for the entry. Photo examples and instructions are here. The photo tool available there is a very useful tool to ensure the correct proportions and image size. You can take a photo with phone.
- Tell the truth as it is on the day of your entry. For example, if you are not married, but expect to be married within a few weeks, the reality is you are single so enter as single.
- Only enter once. A married couple can each enter and list the spouse as a derivative. Likewise a child of over 18 could be on the parents entry and have their own entry.
- It does not matter when you enter – the draw is random, there is no “best time” to enter, and I have proof of that statement.
- You don’t need to have a passport at the time of entry, but if selected you will need a passport to process your application.
- This is a lottery with a small chance of winning (being selected). Some people are selected on their first attempt, others could try 20 years and never get selected.
- You can enter the lottery from anywhere, on a computer/smartphone/similar device.
- There are no special tips to help get selected. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a fool, or trying to scam you. Just follow the VERY simple instructions and you may get lucky.
OK – that captures most of the questions I am typically asked.
October 11, 2018 at 10:44
Proof for statement 13 above sir if you don’t mind
October 11, 2018 at 14:15
I have proven it – read the FAQ.
October 17, 2018 at 15:52
Hi brit i used the photo tool and crop my photo but the original photo and cropped photo there is a bit a difference is this aproblem?
October 17, 2018 at 17:15
Cropping a photo is by definition a difference.
October 17, 2018 at 18:15
Hi Brit. what if the pic was accepted and moved you to the confirmation page but you very know there is still problem with the picture. would that disqualify you in the selection stage?
October 17, 2018 at 18:48
I cannot say with certainty.
October 17, 2018 at 20:22
Thanks very much Brit.
October 18, 2018 at 09:44
Hi Mr. Brit; is there any possibility that DV 2020 be cancel?
October 18, 2018 at 14:13
If I could see the future, I would tell you.
October 20, 2018 at 09:46
Hiiii brit,is a truck driver eligible in the job description. Thanks
October 20, 2018 at 12:24
No
October 22, 2018 at 09:54
Quick Question how can i enter the information for women which has a children born before 1997 i mean they are above 21 years old.
Thank you
October 22, 2018 at 16:25
You don’t enter children over 21
October 23, 2018 at 01:16
Hi my wife is from Dubai and she is eligible to enter into lottery as per criteria . I am from India , can I also enter in the lottery and put my wife as spouse. 2 entries in this case is allowed. My wife can put me as spouse and enter into lottery and I can put my wife as spouse and enter as well
Plz correct me if that’s wrong
October 23, 2018 at 04:41
Correct
October 26, 2018 at 06:08
Thanks Brit. Appreciate your time and effort.
October 23, 2018 at 10:44
Hi Brit,
in case my spouse lives in US and he is asylee and wanna apply for DV lottery what should i select in this question
What is your current marital status?
October 23, 2018 at 14:21
The truth.
October 23, 2018 at 14:26
Sure I’ll put the truth
But if I select married and my spouse not a US citizen or LPR
I’ll enter his information them later how can deal with that??? !!!
?
October 23, 2018 at 14:50
If you are married you MUST include your spouse’s info and photo as your derivative.
If you get selected you can think about how to process.
October 24, 2018 at 15:52
The entry is not reach some time i entry site is down any problem
October 24, 2018 at 16:39
Please sir reply me again and again the error
October 26, 2018 at 03:14
Hello mr Brit ,
Thanks a lot for your help.
I am back again with another questions.
1. I entered dv2019 with ADAMU , SALIU AFFO where Affo is my middle name which does not figure on my documents.
Is that a prolem ?
2. Country of birth normally is “Ghana” but i entred as togo .
3. Foreign chargeability was also togo
Instead of ghana.
4.date of birth was 12/31/1990 during my entery instead of 09/08/1991 which is the real information on my documents.
Note :
Sr. Pls not yet fill ds260 and i would like to know if all these mistakes cant affect me.
Can i correct them on ds260 ?
My school cert , my birthcert , my passport , All contain ADAMU SALIU
borned in 09/08/1991 and my interview will take place in ghana.
My questions are somehow confused but pls try and give me solutions.
Thanks .
Stay blessed.
October 26, 2018 at 03:20
1. Why did you do that??
2. What do you mean “normally Ghana”. Do you mean you lied?
3. Blah blah
4. OK I am getting the picture by question 4.
You gave them the wrong name, place of birth and date of birth and you are interviewing in Ghana (the place with the highest number of refusals because there are so many people like you who have a weak relationship with the truth. And now you are wondering if there are solutions???
Yeah, I have a solution. Learn to tell the truth. Don’t bother trying to process your DV case unless you want to risk the fees.
October 26, 2018 at 03:37
Will I be able to apply if I am from Somalia. . Or the ban is still there ?
October 26, 2018 at 04:18
The ban still affects Somalis.
October 26, 2018 at 03:39
Okk togolese.
But What if it is only the date of birth ?
12/31/1990 instead of 09/08/1990 ?
Hmmmmm mr Brit ? , you are the only one who can guide us to the right parth. If i asked questions , is just to find the right way out .
Thanks again.
October 26, 2018 at 04:19
I can’t help you dig a big hole of lies.
October 26, 2018 at 05:02
Hi went you are selected in a dv lottery program they still take care of your previous registration on the past years when you were not selected???
October 26, 2018 at 07:11
Thanks a lot for your responds
October 26, 2018 at 07:15
I appreciate your effort mr.Brit
Thanks again.
October 26, 2018 at 21:51
Hello Mr Brit, i want to apply, but i have a question, maybe you could help me.
From last 3 years i live with a woman (not married but living together), we have one children (1year old) together and she have another girl (11 years old) living with us from her previous relation. From this post and another in this blog, i understand our only option its to apply by separated way because we are not married. Thanks in advance.
October 26, 2018 at 21:58
No. You are not separated. You are two single people, each can apply. She must list two children and you list one.
October 27, 2018 at 20:50
Hi Brit,
My sister entered the lottery on the 25th of October so she listed 2 kids as her number of kids,she gave birth to her 3rd kid on the 26th of October. Will she be able to add her new born when (positive) selected come May.Thanks.
October 28, 2018 at 05:03
Yes
October 29, 2018 at 08:01
Hi Brit,
Did you receive any complaints regarding the DV website does not working?!!!
I changed the internet connection twice but still same issue once I filled the first page and clicked continue immediately got an error.
I’ll try to clear all my cache memory and see also
Thank you
October 29, 2018 at 14:00
Yes others are having problems. Try again in a few days.
October 29, 2018 at 14:07
Hi brit!
In the mailing address section, can we mention our official mail address ?
Or does it have to be the address we live
October 29, 2018 at 14:09
It is self explanatory.
October 29, 2018 at 19:12
I have mentioned my official mail addeadd , because most of the day i am there and its the best and most secure place to recirec all my mails and courier.
My permanent address is just a few streets away , but in the past i have had problems in receiving couriers, hence have avoided that
Hope its fine!
Fingers crossed
October 30, 2018 at 09:40
Hi Sir Brit Simons,
I am married with three kids,the third one came in the early 26 September but was at the hospital.I could not get her picture to enter as the 3rd child.Can she be added in the DS260 should i be selected?I have no exceptions just that the situation couldn’t let me capture her in addition to the two kids.Please help me with your advice
October 30, 2018 at 12:17
No. If you enter without including all your children you will be disqualified.
October 30, 2018 at 12:55
Hi BritSimon. I have been trying to enter the lottery many times in the last six or seven days with no success. Each time I filled first page and clicked continue it shows connection error.
Do you know if there is some problem with DV website? I’ve tried on two different computers!
Many thanks
October 30, 2018 at 17:06
Yes there has been a widely reported problem. Wait a couple of days then try again.
October 30, 2018 at 17:22
Thanks BritSimon.
October 30, 2018 at 13:15
Hi Brit. I have tried to filled out the form several times but when I submit it the page doesn’t clear. Only gets a white freezing page. If I refresh gives an error. I cancel my entry and tried again. My concern is if I duplicate which I don’t think due never get a confirmation or if when I cancel I dismissed me and lose the opportunity to participate. I”ve tried in diff computers.
Thanks for your answer
October 30, 2018 at 17:07
Yes there has been a widely reported problem. Wait a couple of days then try again.
October 30, 2018 at 14:42
DVlottery.state.gov is not working since yeterday afternoon.
Once you fill up you information and press submit, it brings an error:
This site can’t be reached
The connection was reset.
Try:
Checking the connection
Checking the proxy and the firewall
Running Windows Network Diagnostics
ERR_CONNECTION_RESET
October 30, 2018 at 17:09
Yes there has been a widely reported problem. Wait a couple of days then try again.
October 30, 2018 at 15:46
Hi Britt. I need your help to let me know how to proceed in this regard.
I have tried to filled out the form but when I press to submit button the page freezes in white and no respond receive. So after 15 minutes I refreshed and the page says there is an error and I need to resume it or cancel it. I have done both but neither of the. Let me continue.
So my concern now is that after several intends I might disqualified myself. And that’s the reason why I am not able to submit my form now.
What do you think.
Thanks a lot.
October 30, 2018 at 17:12
Yes there has been a widely reported problem. Wait a couple of days then try again. If you don’t get a confirmation number your entry wasn’t taken.
October 31, 2018 at 13:30
Hi Brit, Same problem as well for me since 3 days, still triying to see. thanks
October 30, 2018 at 17:45
Can i marry after selected to add as my spouse ?is it possible to add form ds260 while i was applied as single
October 30, 2018 at 18:06
Read the FAQ.
October 30, 2018 at 18:09
Hi Brits
Can you play using your mobile phone?
October 30, 2018 at 18:17
Read above!
October 31, 2018 at 03:50
Hi, Brits due to the crisis displacement in are country, am legally married and wish to play as couples but now that I can get to my wife to have her picture, what if I play alone as single and been selected?
October 31, 2018 at 20:45
You would be disqualified.
November 1, 2018 at 03:41
Brits what if u fill the form as single leaving out your legal married wife since u could not get her pic to add her at the time of playing?
November 1, 2018 at 19:30
Same answer. That would be fraud.
October 31, 2018 at 06:23
Its fraud to register as single when you’re married, I know this crisis in Cameroon will led to low DV entries this year for Cameroon ,because most people especially the English Cameroon have became refugees at the Nigerian border and internally displaced, and most francophones too don’t understand English languages or want to speak it they prefer to live in France than almighty USA. Again the presidential elections which was rigged and brought opposition protesting leading to mass arrest will see a great number of entries dropping in Cameroon.
October 31, 2018 at 12:24
Good day Brit,
I just submitted my entry and received a confirmation number. My son (20 years old and busy studying a degree) was listed on my entry. I just want to clarify with you that my son is indeed entitled to submit his own entry also? He is very cautious to submit an entry that might be deemed a double entry for him and potentially having us disqualified. Looking forward to your answer. We find all your other comments very informative, thank you.
Victor
October 31, 2018 at 20:54
Yes he can.
October 31, 2018 at 12:50
Hi Mr brit,
I’ve been trying to apply for DV 2020 for 4 days now, but each time I hit continue I get message saying that the page is not working (www.dvlottery.state.gov didn’t send any data. ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE)
What can I do?
Thank you.
October 31, 2018 at 20:56
Try again in a couple of days.
October 31, 2018 at 13:59
Hi Jelinho,
are you from Cameroon?
October 31, 2018 at 21:31
Yes am from Southern Cameroons
November 1, 2018 at 01:47
Hi Brit, I was selected for DV2019, can I apply for DV2020 again or that might cause an issue?
November 1, 2018 at 19:27
Read the article above!
November 1, 2018 at 10:50
Hi britsimon, I have a step daughter who I am not staying with in my country,but in different country which is not eligible, her mother refused when the father ask, what do I do?
November 1, 2018 at 19:36
You cannot submit your entry without listing all derivatives. So – don’t enter.
November 1, 2018 at 11:23
Hi i am trying to fill an application for dv 2020 but it seems like the server or something does not working…
Did someone from here has the same problem?!
November 1, 2018 at 14:56
Yes. I think probably it’s a way to limit the number of entries.
November 1, 2018 at 19:38
Nonsense.
November 1, 2018 at 19:05
Hi
Yes I have same problem, tried different browser without any success, hope they solve the problem soon, it is only few days left to deadline, they should prolong the registration date.
November 1, 2018 at 19:42
Lots of others are reporting the same thing. So – try again in a couple of days.
November 1, 2018 at 19:37
Lots of others are reporting the same thing. So – try again in a couple of days.
November 1, 2018 at 15:29
same here. I’ve been trying for 2 days to submit an entry with no luck. Not sure what the problem is?
November 1, 2018 at 19:39
Lots of others are reporting the same thing. So – try again in a couple of days.
November 1, 2018 at 17:31
I have tried all morning to submit my application but the page freezes when i click submit. Please let me now if you people are able to do it. Im worried they are limiting the entries.
November 1, 2018 at 19:40
Lots of others are reporting the same thing. So – try again in a couple of days.
November 1, 2018 at 18:32
I’ve realized that in some countries is possible to complete the entry but others are giving the error. Is there a chance that countries not allowed to participate have been blocked to complete the entry from there?
November 1, 2018 at 19:42
I don’t see how you arrived at that conclusion.
November 1, 2018 at 20:01
Just guessing. Considering I’m in Mexico and my family are in Venezuela and all them could apply at the same time I was trying unsuccessfully.
November 1, 2018 at 22:52
Ok – well that theory makes no sense. I am British (not eligible) and applied from there (charging to my Spanish wife). There is nothing wrong with that – and no reason to stop people entering for that reason.
November 2, 2018 at 00:15
Wow Britt. You have your point and I agree that doesn’t make any sense to limit or bar some IP when this kind of visa is so rigorous with the application. However and at the end of the day my brother finally could complete my entry for me from Venezuela while I wasn’t able to do it.
November 1, 2018 at 18:43
Hi Brit,
Entries are not completing after first for submitting. It shows error lime URL not existing.
Can you suggest
Thanks
November 1, 2018 at 19:42
Lots of others are reporting the same thing. So – try again in a couple of days.
November 2, 2018 at 18:28
Hi Brit,
Quick question: I have entered my information on the dv2020. Now I mistakenly put last name in place of middle and middle name in place of last name. Which appear to be different from my passport. Is that going to be a problem in the long run?
November 2, 2018 at 19:31
Probably not. See if you are selected.
November 2, 2018 at 20:24
Probably not! Which means it could be a problem. What If I submitted another form with correct name order, would it fix it or risk disqualification?
November 2, 2018 at 20:39
Disqualification. So. Do what I said.
November 3, 2018 at 23:52
Hope to be selected. I have tried so many time.
November 7, 2018 at 14:07
Hi man,
I appreciate the information you provide here.
By the time that Democrats win the parliament election, how is it possible that the Muslim ban revokes by them?
November 7, 2018 at 14:58
That would be difficult and not quick.
November 12, 2018 at 20:14
If i apply for the dv2018 lottery for the last two days before it ends..stil im i going to get a chance to win or its gonna be too late for me
November 12, 2018 at 20:22
DV2020 entry period is over.
November 22, 2018 at 18:57
Hello!
I was winner and of dv 2018 but i have not taked an interviu day because i was eu25867. At this time i was single.now i am married and this year i had a new entry.i have refilled and my wife on my entry like derivate.my wife done her entry refilled me too like derivate.my question reguard the 12 point is:are we ok with that thing or are we disqualified automatically?
Thank you!
November 22, 2018 at 19:41
No problem.
January 21, 2019 at 23:54
Hi Mr Brit I play this gone time Dv but I’m just 21 years of age but I have my girlfriend we I paid her Darryl and trying to marry her but she oldest than me 1 year sis month and I’m out of high school so is I be successful can apply for her to go along with me?
January 22, 2019 at 03:13
Yes – as long as it is a genuine marriage.
March 27, 2019 at 08:38
Hi Simon, double checking, a child over 21 does/did not need to be listed in the entry correct? But listed on the DS-260.
March 27, 2019 at 14:28
Correct.
May 14, 2019 at 09:46
Hello Mr Britsimon.. if I register the lottery and I add my wife into it can she also register the lottery and can she also add me at the same time please?
May 14, 2019 at 13:49
Yes
May 14, 2019 at 17:11
Hello Sir Im a winner of dv 2020 with case number 2020AS00022xxx can you say do I have a chance of interview and what is expectation month still not fill ds260 .thanks
May 14, 2019 at 17:19
You have a long time to wait anyway, so no need to rush. Read and learn.
https://britsimonsays.com/dv2020-basic-questions/
September 4, 2019 at 16:15
Can you please let me know when will be start DV2021?
September 5, 2019 at 01:42
It will be early October – you can check here nearer the time.
https://dvlottery.state.gov