So is there any way to increase your chances of selection based on the timing of the entry? No! It is a random selection.
The following two screenshots show a distribution of selectees in EU, AS and AF regions in DV2014, grouped by the day they entered.
You can see there is a pretty random distribution – that seems to peak toward the end. However, that says more about the way people behave, rather than the lottery process. Meaning – I think more people put off entering until the last few days and then there was an increase in winners to match the increase in entry volume…..
February 18, 2016 at 8:40 am
hi brit
please clarify if i let my sponsor fill my edv for fy2018 will i be a winner!!?
February 18, 2016 at 2:08 pm
It is a random lottery. Random. Meaning it does not change the chance based on who clicks the button.
May 7, 2016 at 2:29 pm
Somewhere in your other articles I read where it says, when a country reaches the allocated winning numbers, the rest won’t have no chance.
May 7, 2016 at 6:34 pm
I have never said that.
May 8, 2016 at 10:11 am
Is there any data available that determines the specific dates perhaps applicants from a specific country are selected on the draw process?
May 8, 2016 at 3:39 pm
What do you mean about dates??
May 8, 2016 at 11:02 am
BritSimon: “The next step is to decide the selectees that will be notified. A computer process takes the entries in rank number order, keeping a count for each country as well as an overall count. There seems to be a count on the individual selectees and also one on the derivatives for each selected case. At some point a country will reach a point where it will be limited. From that point onward the process will knock out further entries for that country. Again this produces holes after the point that a country maxes out, and of course, this means the density of real cases will be lower in higher case number ranges (at least in AS, EU and AF regions which each have limited countries).”
“At some point a country will reach a point where it will be limited” isn’t that the same as “when a country reaches the allocated winning numbers, the rest won’t have no chance.”
May 8, 2016 at 3:16 pm
Not the same at all! Not even close.
June 2, 2016 at 8:46 am
Hi Simon,
I have applied for DV 2017 and my case: HAS NOT BEEN SELECTED is there any chance I could win again the same ear, and if not why should I keep my confirmation number, I heard that sometimes they do another draw, each m0onth probably?
June 2, 2016 at 2:05 pm
There is a chance of a small second draw around September. Just once, and very few people.
November 2, 2016 at 10:22 pm
was this 2nd draw done in any past year ?
what makes youexpect there will be another draw?
November 2, 2016 at 11:04 pm
There was a second draw for DV2017 – it happened in September. There won’t be another in DV2017.
June 23, 2018 at 6:32 pm
Will he have a second draw for the Dv2019? what month should I check for a second draw?
June 23, 2018 at 7:09 pm
We don’t know yet.
Please start reading, rather than just asking questions.
June 5, 2020 at 7:18 pm
Hi Brit,
Can you please tell me how many Liberia won Dv lottery 2020?
June 5, 2020 at 11:32 pm
You can check the VB from last August for country numbers.
March 8, 2017 at 5:21 pm
I applied twice in the first week and nothing but the third year I finished my application about 12 hours before the deadline and got it 🙂
August 20, 2017 at 8:08 am
Hi, just a quick question, out of curiosity around when does the actual draw takes place or is it an ongoing process that takes x months to complete before the results are published? Thank you
August 20, 2017 at 2:34 pm
The results are all released on one day. How long the spend on the draw – I don’t know.
October 13, 2020 at 12:55 am
Will there be second draw this year?
October 13, 2020 at 3:29 am
No
November 18, 2017 at 12:11 pm
I was selected for the DV 2018 but I did not download the photos
I lost my chance to interview?
I want to know
November 18, 2017 at 2:26 pm
What do you mean about downloading photos?
November 18, 2017 at 2:39 pm
DS-260 online form is showing completed but i haven’t uploaded any pictures for the applicants
November 18, 2017 at 2:40 pm
You don’t upload photos to the DS260.
November 18, 2017 at 2:44 pm
Thankyou for the clarification
November 18, 2017 at 3:20 pm
Yes I don’t upload photo to DS260 form
March 7, 2018 at 9:10 pm
Meaning Mr Brits all dv2019 selectees will be released on 15May 2018?
March 7, 2018 at 9:18 pm
That is the plan.
April 19, 2018 at 4:35 pm
Hello BRIT, got two questions; first I played the lottery, when my confirmation form was printed I realised my names came in the wrong order , I’m in Cameroon, so I called a friend in the USA and he played for me there with right orders of my names, do u think they’ll see it as double playing and cancel my entries? My husband played too, what are my chances ??? Last question, how long approximately does it take from the time someone wins the lottery to the time they can be issued a visa?? Just give me a proximity, like the longest time …thanks in advance
April 19, 2018 at 4:40 pm
Double entries mean disqualification. So – you have either been disqualified (if they made the connection from the two versions of the names to the same person), or would be disqualified later if selected. If your husband is selected (and didn’t break the rules as you did), then you could be his derivative.
It can take up to 18 months for cases to be processed.
September 20, 2018 at 7:07 pm
i went to know if that statistics is true i never find any website that include dv lottery winners by day they apply can you give me source of the information plz.
September 20, 2018 at 7:35 pm
Of course it’s true. The source is the CEAC data.
September 27, 2018 at 3:38 pm
Hi, do you have a more recent graph of this?
September 27, 2018 at 4:48 pm
No – there is no need for an update. The finding is clear, and unchanged.
September 27, 2018 at 6:58 pm
Do you have an updated graph of this?
September 27, 2018 at 8:42 pm
I already answered that.
September 27, 2018 at 9:02 pm
Hi Brit .must one legally adopt a step child before applying for the green card .?
September 27, 2018 at 10:09 pm
No
October 3, 2018 at 10:38 am
Shoild i apply at begining or at end to get the high chance of winning dv.
October 3, 2018 at 3:29 pm
http://britsimonsays.com/dv2020-registration-period-begins/
October 6, 2018 at 9:45 am
Me and my husband(married)applied dv Lottery separately
I applied and included him as my spouse in my application and he also applied and included me in his application
Can it double our chances
October 6, 2018 at 2:30 pm
You each have the same chance.
October 22, 2018 at 1:04 pm
sir could you please give me statistics of the same above table of the latest year 2017 or 2018 please
October 22, 2018 at 4:58 pm
No.
http://britsimonsays.com/ask-questions/comment-page-284/#comment-146754
April 19, 2019 at 6:25 am
Hello please I applied in October 2018 and unfortunately misplaced my confirmation number any help please am confuse thank you very much
April 19, 2019 at 2:41 pm
You can retrieve your confirmation number on the ESC page.
May 4, 2019 at 3:22 pm
heloo brit, i submitted for 20 people at my work place and use the same email and postal address since they dont have personal email and postal address.
1. are they going to be disqualified? thank you
May 4, 2019 at 3:28 pm
Probably not.
September 15, 2019 at 2:59 am
That chart is interesting. I honestly thought there’d be a spike at the start of Oct, a wide U, and then the spike at the end. Sort of like people waiting at the store entrances at the start of a Black Friday sale. Fascinating that there isn’t, however, a “mad dash” at the start of the lottery process.
October 4, 2019 at 9:45 pm
Hi Brit, can i register myself for DV 21 without passport, bcz now I don’t have passport I will get passport letter .
October 4, 2019 at 11:31 pm
No
October 5, 2019 at 3:00 pm
Hi britsimon
The dv lottrey 2021 is not opening yet it shows that it stated 0n October 2
October 5, 2019 at 3:15 pm
It is open.
March 8, 2020 at 9:55 pm
Can I renewed my passport after I win dv?
March 8, 2020 at 11:03 pm
Yes
June 1, 2020 at 1:46 am
Will there be more winners this year, they have the passport regulations?
June 1, 2020 at 2:03 am
We dont know yet.
June 5, 2020 at 8:41 pm
hello brit I hope you are fine. I have already called Kcc several times and have a month send ds260 and they only tell me that it is being processed, and nothing of the documents if they are fine or not .. in theory we should be OK by the end of June but What else can we do? this is frustating
July 11, 2020 at 6:24 pm
Evening brit Simon
Please may you advise me. I am looking at applying for the lottery this year but not sure if the applications in October will still be running due to COVID. Do you know if this will still be open for application as there is controversial information on the web.
Regards
Stacey
July 11, 2020 at 7:39 pm
It will be open in October.
October 12, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Hi brit i have a burning question that seems not to be available on Google.
If am selected and i have a family of five ,are those five visas gone or one?
October 13, 2020 at 2:55 am
5
October 12, 2020 at 5:45 pm
Hi Brits,i am having difficulties filling my wife dv 2022 entry. On her passport she has only Surnames(three names) ie in the order; Joys Tekeh Etah followed by my own name.my problem is how to fill these names in the e lottery form
October 13, 2020 at 3:09 am
One of those names is a family name – shared by everyone in the family – right? That is the lastname.
Then other names are firstname and middlename
October 20, 2020 at 6:54 am
Thanks for your answers are really helpful. Will also wish you explain this.
All my name’s are on my family name on my passport, is there any need to srperate them into first name, last name and middle name on the dv form? Can it poss a problem if I win for further processing?
Thanks
October 20, 2020 at 8:23 pm
OK – so I think you are confused about names.
Lastnames/Surnames are typically family “shared” names. Consider former president Barack Obama as an example.
His Family name is Obama. He took that name from his parents, and his children have that name. It is the name that his wife took during marriage. Therefore Obama is the surname/lastname/family name. In Western countries that is typical.
Some western countries (particularly Latin countries) have a double barreled lastname. Often one name from the father, one from the mother. That gets a bit confusing since children have a different lastname to their parents, but I don’t think that is what you are describing – but let me know if I am wrong – I’d like to understand it in other countries.
Barack was the name given to him. That is known as his “given name”/”firstname”/”Christian name”.
Hussein is his middlename. It is also a given name, sometimes “inherited” from a grandparent, but in that case would be the given name of the grandparent. .