We will have many DV2023 selectees with very basic questions. Let me try and address the most frequent ones here in the hope that people will read this. If you ask a question and I give you a link to this page, it is to indicate that your question can be answered by reading this page and using some common sense. Please use the links in the title at the top of this page for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the DV lottery guide. There is LOTS of information available on my site – so a look through the FAQ and guide will take care of most questions.
Please read the ground rules at the bottom of this page.
Here are two links to help those still not able to check their entry:
https://britsimonsays.com/faq/checking-esc-page-check-without-mistakes/
And here is a video to explain how to check your entry result.
This one with tips about submitting the DS260.
And for those that cannot submit their DS260.
https://britsimonsays.com/faq/ds260-case-number-doesnt-match-case-number/
Now – some questions.
Is there a deadline to submit my DS260?
There is no official deadline to submit your DS260. People will continue to submit DS260s for DV2023 cases well into 2023. Submissions as late as April, May or perhaps (but more riskily) even June of next year will still get processed in time. Now – submitting as early as you can without rushing and making mistakes is always the “normal” advice, unless you want to delay your interview date for some reason (which does apply to some people).
How long does it take to process the DS260?
The actual processing time of the DS260 is quite short – probably 3 to 4 weeks, but since KCC are flooded with DS260s in May and June, there is a backlog that builds up meaning you will wait for them to even start processing your DS260. That backlog should be mostly removed by January or February at the latest.
Does every DS260 take the same time to process?
No. There is some background checks required on each case that vary according to the situation of the selectees. The precise details of the checks are not published, but we can guess they are mainly about ensuring security of the USA. That means they communicate with agencies and foreign governments about the details you provide on the DS260. Some countries co-operate with the USA, some don’t. In countries that don’t co-operate you can expect DS260 will take longer. So, some cases are very simple, and some not so simple. If a selectee was raised in Western Europe, works in an office and has never travelled to certain high risk countries we can expect the DS260 processing (once the case is ACTUALLY processed, not queued) to be quick. If on the other hand someone has travel history around certain countries in the Middle East or lists their work as “Nuclear weapons specialist”, well they can expect the US government to take longer over those checks.
So – never assume that all DS260s submitted on the same day will complete processing on the same day. There will be variations.
When will I be interviewed?
Interview timing is mainly based on your case number, and where that number is ranked within each region. If you submitted your DS260 early, but have a high case number within your region, you will wait until that case number is ready to be interviewed. So – if you are case number 10000 in AS region for example you can expect a long wait before being interviewed. However regions have their own numbering, SO that same number in AF region (where the highest case number could be a lot higher) that 10000 number would be very low. So “low or high” number is relative within the region.
When will interviews start and how will I be told of my interview date?
No DV2023 interviews will happen before October 2022. DV2023 interviews will continue until September 30th 2023. So stop packing your bags. It’s a long process. Interview scheduled are notified in monthly batches about 6 weeks before the interview month. The notification for an interview is called the 2NL (an email telling you to check the ESC page).
When will KCC send the first 2NLs?
The first 2NLs (the interview notification) for DV2023 will go out in mid/late August. That will be for cases that have been processed AND are current for October, AND have submitted their documents. Then 2NLs will come in a monthly schedule, also late in each month. So – late in September for November interviews and so on.
When are the visa bulletins published?
The visa bulletins are published around the 8th to the 15th of each month. It can be a little earlier or later, so don’t get worked up if it hasn’t arrived on the 15th.
“My case number is XXXX when will I be scheduled?”
Oh man. These questions are tiring. I really expect people to use some thought process about this, and if you can’t do that, then asking me to think for you is not going to be warmly welcomed by me. I have made available more than enough information to get an idea of how scheduling works, but remember, cases are scheduled according to ALL the following three things.
- The case number. No case will EVER be scheduled until the case number is ready.
- DS260 submission. Until the DS260 is submitted AND PROCESSED, you will not be scheduled.
- Embassy capacity – the embassy must be open and have enough capacity to schedule all the cases that are current and processed.
How do KCC schedule the cases?
Roughly speaking all interviews are spread out over the year, starting in October and ending the following September. KCC release numbers via the visa bulletin to say which case numbers can be interviewed. Check out this article to understand how to read the visa bulletin.
KCC will increase the number made current on each region at a pace that ensures they have enough interviews to match the embassy capacity during each month.
So – to take an example. If OC had a highest case number of 1000, we could roughly expect to see that number increase by 100 each month. It might be 75 one month and 125 the next, but you get the general idea – it is a slow progression over the year.
Should I unlock my DS260 or will that cause a delay?
Unlocking generally causes no delay to DV2023 cases. It is far more important to have an accurate DS260 than be worried about a delay, but unfortunately some inexperienced lawyers have misunderstood the process and comments made by government officials to give an impression that unlocking should be avoided. They are quite clearly incorrect. We have many people that have unlocked DV2023 cases and have been fully processed. So – if you need to unlock, do so.
More information about the bad advice to not unlock is here.
Will there be a second draw?
In some years it is possible that there would be a small second draw around September/October. We don’t know how likely that is for DV2023 yet.
Selectees, cases and case numbers
OK – so there is some confusion about this – so let me cover it here.
When the selectee numbers are published (in the July or August visa bulletin there is a number shown for each country within each region. That number is the number of *selectees – INCLUDING derivatives*. So – if a winner was single, that is one selectee on one case number. If the winner was married and had one child, that would count as three selectees. The global quota of visas is ~55,000, so if the three person family were to be approved, that is 3 out of 55,000.
Each winner gets a case number. The derivatives are on that same case number. Each region has it’s on set of case numbers – so there can be an AF1, AF2, AS1, AS2, EU1 and EU2 ands so on. So when you tell me your case number is case number 12345 – it is meaningless. I need the year and region.
As I explain in this post about holes theory – the case numbers assigned have “holes” (or gaps between them). So – case number 2023EU20000 does NOT have 19999 cases in front of them. The number will be less. However, there may be less case numbers – but each case has the selectee and derivatives.
To understand your “place in the line”, you have to understand the density of cases, number of derivatives on each case, how many cases will respond, how many will be approved and so on. There is a lot to understand. I wrote a series of articles a couple of years ago – and all can be understood by reading those – start with density analysis, and use the links at the bottom of that article to get to the others. The analysis was specific to DV2016 – but the principles are the same.
In the first few months of the new program year we don’t have much data. In January we get access to the CEAC data and then we will understand a lot more. The CEAC data is all the case status info for every case – but again we will not have DV2020 CEAC data until January 2023. In the meantime, you can see excellent visualizations of the DV2018 and 2019 data at the site maintained by a smart guy call Xarthisius. The site illustrates well the density, response rate and so on, which are things you will hear me explain (and can read about on my site).
How many visas can be issued for DV2023? How about XXX country?
According to the published information, there are almost 55,000 visas available globally. However, the visas are allocated through a quota system to each region. They are NOT allocated by country. However, no one country can receive more than 7% of the global allocation. – so regions have an allocation of the 55,000 global quota. This is explained in more detail here.
Can DV2021 be stopped by Trump/Republicans/Aliens?
This was fully detailed in this post from August 2017. Since then, Trump and the Republicans have continued to achieve almost nothing, and there has been no credible progress toward immigration law changes. Please read that article, and don’t ask me the same questions again until an actual real law is passed.
GROUND RULES for BritSimonSays.com
I don’t work for the government, I don’t get paid for this. I work for a living and I sleep sometimes. So – I expect people to respect my time. That means the following “rules” exist on my site.
- Read the DV lottery guide. It includes a link to my guide on how to complete the DS260, an overall rough idea of the process and so on.
- READ the FAQ (frequently asked questions). If you ask me a question that is covered in the FAQ, you are wasting my time. Please help me help you and others that need help
- Learn how to use the search feature and translation features of this site.
- Post your questions in English. Like many of you, I am multilingual but English is a common language – and most Americans ONLY speak English, and mostly, not very well (hehehe).
- If asking multiple questions, number your questions and consider how I can answer the question. Consider how I can answer with a simple yes or no or short answer – you will find I ALWAYS answer questions like that, because you considered how to make the answer easy for me to give. Give me enough detail to answer the question without making me read about your life history for 10 minutes. I do ignore some rambling questions that send me to sleep…
- Do NOT post “are you sure” type questions – I simply HATE that. It is a huge waste of my time to have to deal with that type of follow up. Read my answer 10 times if you need, but unless you are CONVINCED I misunderstood or answered incorrectly, don’t ask me the same thing I just answered.
- Post your question once and wait for a reply. Sometimes your post won’t show up on the public page until I approve it. That doesn’t mean you should post the same question 5 more times. Just wait.
- If following up to a question you already asked – use “REPLY” to keep the questions in context. I see an administrators view of the questions – I don’t always see that one question is close to your previous question, but I am able to jump to the thread if you use reply.
- Don’t expect me to know everything about life in all the countries around the world. You may not have left country A – but you should consider that the world does not all work the same way as country A.
- Tell the truth. Don’t lie to me. I hate it – and it is pointless. This process requires honesty. So do I.
- Keep your data private. Your case number should be quoted with region and year, but you don’t need to give me, or anyone else, a precise number. Give a range by “X-ing out” the last few digits. So – if your number is 2023AF000012345, you can quote your number as 2023AF12XXX. That tells me you are about the 12000 to 13000 range in AF region in 2023.
- Every year I get a few characters that drive me nuts. There is the person that asks every single question that pops into their head. If someone is making use of the info here, that should not be necessary. Take some responsibility for your own case. Second I get some smartasses that get uppity with me over one thing or another. I could argue for England, I enjoy a good argument, but this isn’t the place for that and I am too busy. I will not hesitate to delete messages I find annoying or damaging to other people’s chances. Some people are amazed when I do that – but this is my blog. If you want to argue because you think you know better, just find somewhere else to do that. I’m not interested in feeding your ego, and I don’t care if you think I am arrogant, mean, a tyrant or whatever. Really – I don’t care, so those “accusations” don’t hurt me.
- This space reserved for any other rules I think of, whenever I think of them.
December 23, 2022 at 23:30
Hello BritSimon, first of all thank you for great blog. It helps us a lot. I’m a DV2023 selectee who won dv lottery while i was in US. How the process goes if winner is already in US? I’ve submitted my documents in late October and still waiting interview to be scheduled. My case number starts EU20234xxx.I think process is slower than when you apply in your own country.
December 30, 2022 at 14:00
Well you caused a delay by submitting late. So now you have to be patient, and during that time you can be reading the instructions, obtaining police certs and so on.
January 15, 2023 at 19:49
I got this mail from kcc recently as a reply of my email.can you tell me in what stage am I now?
Your case number is now current for interview processing. Once the interview date has been scheduled, you will receive notification via email to check https://dvprogram.state.gov. If you need to make changes to your DS-260 you should contact the consular section where you will be interviewed, or bring the information about your changes to your interview appointment. Because your case is ready to be scheduled, KCC can no longer unlock your application
January 20, 2023 at 12:30
Your case is processed, your number is current, and they are trying to schedule your case for interview.
February 6, 2023 at 04:43
Hi BritSimon,
I just want to make sure one thing from you. My passport is going to expire soon. May be during the interview time passport expiry date will be less than 6 month. If I make new one passport. Is it necessary to update in ds260 which I have already send to KCC
February 7, 2023 at 18:35
No. You simply show the old and new passports at interview.
February 22, 2023 at 08:57
Hi Simon,
I read your articles and I have a question.
My case number 2023EU35xxxx, my country is Italy
I haven’t received any email yet, i have hopes?
Thanks for your help
February 22, 2023 at 09:06
I don’t do predictions.
March 12, 2023 at 14:50
Hi Brit Simon,
My case number is 2023AF 13***, I requested KCC, and they sent me a reply that “Your case number is now current for interview” I did not have my 2NL yet, but as per the DV2023 Raw CEAC Data from March 04, my number is escaped, What could be the reason?
What shall I do to resolve this?
March 12, 2023 at 16:29
Your situation (chance of getting an interview) rests on which embassy you are assigned to.
March 17, 2023 at 05:28
Hello Britsimon,
please I received a message from KCC saying “records indicate that you’ve submitted a complete and valid ds-260”. Please which stage Am I .
March 18, 2023 at 17:02
Your DS260 is processed.
April 5, 2023 at 20:07
Hey BritSimon. Thanks for your blog.
Quick hypothetical question if I do end up selected this year – if I expect a delay in obtaining some of the documents (e.g. police certificates) should I still fill and submit the DS 260 form as soon as possible?
I know the last few years they haven’t asked documents by email but I do worry about getting scheduled for an interview very early and not having some docs available. On the other hand, I worry about submitting the DS form too late.
That said, from what I understand, I *should* be safe submitting the DS form even later in the year (up to ~April the year after), so I shouldn’t rush the form. Is my understanding correct?
April 14, 2023 at 12:41
You don’t need to wait to have documents to submit your DS260, and don’t delay unless you understand what you are doing. But anyway – get selected first.
April 29, 2023 at 20:28
Hey Simon! Can a DV principal immigrate first, then the derivatives immigrate later, before their 6 months visas expire? If yes, can they enter USA without the principal or he has to go back for them? Thanks for all the help.
April 30, 2023 at 13:36
Yes. They can enter without the principal.
April 30, 2023 at 06:06
hello brit, my cn is EU28***, (dv 2023 winner, tbilisi, georgia) and i’ve received an email saying that my case is ready to be scheduled. do i have any chances? because my case number is a little bit high
April 30, 2023 at 13:37
Maybe.
May 1, 2023 at 05:21
My name is Fonseca António David, I am an Angolan citizen in Africa, I have been in the USA since April 28, 2022. I am a student with F1 and I am studying.
When I arrived in the US a week later the DV Lottery 2023 results came out and I was selected. My case number is 2023AF54XXX. I filled out my DS260 and filled it out for each member of my family who are in Angola. And I selected the locations for possible interviews, for me a change of status with the USCIS and my family in Angola will be interviewed at the US consulate in Angola.
On March 11th I sent in my I-485 along with medical tests and other documents. only the USCIS returned my documents and with a letter saying that I sent my file early. Now I’m confused, I don’t know the exact moment I should send it, so I need help. I saw your videos on YouTube and I think you can help me.
I hope your feedback
thanks,
Fonseca David
May 5, 2023 at 14:13
You filed about two weeks too early – you can refile now.
May 3, 2023 at 04:46
Hi Simon,
My case number is 2023AF16xxx with Nairobi as my Embassy. What are my chances of being scheduled for an interview considering the slow pace at the Embassy? Given the current interviewing pace at Nairobi, do you think the Embassy would match or surpass the 2022 numbers (about 1200) they issued? Lastly which month will the interview scheduling officially stop? Embassies stop sending 2NLs?
May 5, 2023 at 14:28
Your chance is low because of how Nairobi is working.
Scheduling will probably stop in July with the last interviews in September.
May 8, 2023 at 00:32
Hi BritSimon,
My CN-2023AS7*** and as of February 2023, my case was on “interview processing” status, but I still haven’t received my 2NL. When can I expect to receive it? Can I make any predictions?
Thanks,
May 8, 2023 at 00:33
Embassy was CLM
May 8, 2023 at 10:35
I can’t predict that.
May 9, 2023 at 01:11
Hello BritSimon. I’m a DV2023 selectee and my case is current for interview in Nairobi. My daughter(derivative) studies in the US and at the time submitting DS 260, we indicated she be interviewed there . However, she is set to come home for summer internship this May
1. Can we change her interview to Nairobi?
2. She turned 21 in March, is she still eligible to migrate with me?
May 9, 2023 at 08:41
1. She will simply attend your interview. That was always going to be the case anyway.
2. Yes – she will be covered by the CSPA.
Your biggest problem is the embassy. They are limiting interviews, so many people will miss out there.
May 10, 2023 at 00:57
Thank you Sir, you are a blessing to many.
May 14, 2023 at 03:16
Hello mr. Simon
I was interviewed along with my family, some of them went into 221g background check issue, while me and my youngest baby got our visas issued and when we collect our passport i found her nationality was printed wrong i emailed the consulate and been told to drop her passport back for correction
Next day I received an email from the consulate that her case is now 221g also and to fill the 5535 questions through email. When i checked her status on the visa status check website it went from issued to refused under 221g!!! Is that normal?
May 14, 2023 at 12:24
Well it is normal for your case.
May 20, 2023 at 21:12
Hello, Brit Simon, great to see you again last night at the last live session. My CN2023AS7***. I included on the DS260 that I have a BSc in Software Engineering, but there are mistakes in the dates I listed for my work experience. Will it have any effect on the interview?
May 20, 2023 at 22:21
Probably not.
May 21, 2023 at 06:37
Thanks so much for your great support.
May 21, 2023 at 05:52
Please i missed my interviewed date which was 30 sep 2022 .
Can anything be done ?
May 21, 2023 at 09:17
Hang on – you said you were a DV2023 case – but now you are saying your interview was 30 September 2022, which could only mean it is a DV2022 case. DV2022 is over, there is nothing that can be done.