FAQ

Check out this guide on getting married during the DV process.

Sometimes yes. Please read this guide about public charge.

Please read this link about questions.

Do you need a lawyer to process your DV win - usually not - read more here.

There is a difference in how you process depending on whether you are in the USA or abroad, please read about the differences between the two methods here.

Please read this guide about public charge.

Please read this article.

Are some embassies more lenient (easier) than others - YES. I analyzed the data and produced this league table.

Thanks to "DV4Roger" for much of this explanation about the quota calculation.

There are a couple of articles I wrote for previous years that explain the draw process and what are the "holes" between the case numbers. This is important to understand if you want to understand the lottery process and how many people are in front of you in line.

Holes theory and draw process

Holes theory illustration

Please read this post about Follow to Join

If you child turns 21 during the DV lottery process you might still be able to include them on your case - please read about that in this article.

Not yet scheduled for interview

Interview location is normally based on your current address. If you are not yet current, the process to change your interview location is a 2 step process.

1. You unlock the DS260 to change your current address to the new address (new country) and resubmit the form.
2. Email KCC and ask them to change the interview location.

Changing early enough will not delay your case. If you leave this too late KCC may not be able to do this.

Already scheduled

If you are already scheduled for an interview, the process to change is more complicated, and you should ONLY do it if it cannot be done any other way. Ideally you need to check with the new embassy whether they will schedule your case. They might not accept it or they might accept it but much later than your original interview. If you still want to change, you contact the original embassy and ask them to transfer your case to the new embassy.

During the transfer your case status on CEAC will show "Transfer". The transfer can take time and if something goes wrong between the two embassies you can get significantly delayed.

As I mention - ONLY do this if you have no choice.

DV1 Diversity principal, new arrival.

DV2 Spouse of DV1 or DV6, new arrival.

DV3 Child of DV1 or DV6, new arrival.

DV6 Diversity principal, adjustment.

DV7 Spouse of DV1 or DV6, adjustment.

DV8 Child of DV1 or DV6, adjustment.

People ask various questions about entering DV-2017 or future lotteries - here are some example questions :-

"Can I apply for DV-2017 without it affecting my previous DV-2016 win (as I am waiting for interview)?"

No Problem. You can apply for DV-2017 with no impact to the DV-2016 you are already processing.

"I won a previous year but was not able to process my case, will that improve my chances of being selected for DV-2017?"

No - there is no connection - the draw is random. You have no better, or no worse chance of selection.

"I was interviewed and refused in a previous DV lottery - can I apply again for DV-2017?"

Yes you can. You must of course overcome whatever caused the refusal last time.

https://youtu.be/eTS1lZ1qRRc

To unlock your case, you must send an email to KCC – Their email address is KCCDV@state.gov

You need to include your full name, Full case number (like 2020AF00031999) and your date of birth in Month/Day/Year format (MM/DD/YYYY)

You do not need to provide a reason to unlock. So you email can have the following format.

Email subject: Unlock request

Email Body:

Name: Firstname Middlename lastname

Case Number: 2020AF00031999

Date of Birth: 10/23/1981

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please unlock my DS260 form as I would like to make some revisions.

Thank you.

If you are unlocking the case of a derivative, you need to include the details shown above for the principal selectee, AND then make clear which derivative form you need to be unlocked.

Note that it can take as little as a few hours to get your form unlocked, but in busier times it can take up to 2 weeks. Once the form is unlocked, KCC email you.

KCC will not unlock your form once your case has been scheduled, and there is a period of time just before your 2NL is sent when your case cannot be unlocked because it is already scheduled in their system even though it has not gone to the embassy yet. That period of time is just after the VB has been released up until the 2NL goes out.

The 2NL (2nd notification letter) is actually a two part notification. It is important because it is the notification of the interview appointment. The 1NL is the letter that said "you have been selected". The 2NLs are sent out about one to two weeks after the visa bulletin release. The VB is typically released in the first half of each month (between the 8th and 15th of each month) and the 2NLs are sent in the 2nd half of the month.

So - when KCC sends the 2NLs. First KCC sends out an email, and that email directs you to check the Entrant Status Check site.

So the email looks like this:-

Notes that it is from "noreply@state.gov".

You can also see that it directs you to check the ESC - www.dvlottery.state.gov/ESC

Once you login to that site you will see a letter with appointment details - this is the actual 2NL - and it looks like this:-

Since the email has no information, you don't actually need it. When you hear that 2NLs are going out (and you expect you will be scheduled) you can check the ESC page and get your interview details. If you don't have the 2NL details in the ESC, then you should simply check the next month.

This is a horrible scenario of course, but let us imagine the principal winner has died and the derivatives want to continue the process. Can they do that?

We for DV cases, no.

The 9 FAM note says this:-
9 FAM 42.33 N5.2-2 In Death of Principal Beneficiary and/or Applicant
(CT:VISA-1768; 10-31-2011)
The death of the principal beneficiary and/or applicant must result in the automatic revocation of the application. Thereafter, derivative beneficiaries are no longer entitled to the DV classification.

So - prior to the interview, the case would simply be unable to be approved.

Death of the principal after interview (but before entry to the USA) the case would also be affected. Each derivative would be in a classification (such as DV2 or DV3), and the POE procedure demands that the principal (DV1) apply for entry to the USA either with or before the derivatives. So - the derivatives cannot use their one time use visas without the principal.

Once the principal and derivatives have entered the USA and have become LPRs the subsequent death of the principal would have no impact on the status of the derivatives - at that point their status is unconditional.

The medical is not so much a medical to ascertain the fitness or suitability of the immigrant to live in the USA, it is mainly a screening for diseases that the USA does not want to expose its residents to from the immigrant population. These are "communicable diseases of public health significance" as defined by the CDC.

The list of diseases currently (October 2016) is:-

1. Tuberculosis
2. Syphilis
3. Gonorrhea
4. Hansen's Disease (Leprosy)

This list might be updated from time to time and can be found here:

http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/diseases-vaccines-included.html

In addition, the physician is responsible for checking the vaccinations of the immigrant to meet the list of vaccine preventable diseases - also linked above. This latter list will not cause denial however, as long as someone is vaccinated.

CEAC is the system that shows basic case information for all DV cases.

You can access the system at this link.

To check your number you enter your case number without the "leading" zeros.

So - if your number is 2017AF000012305, you enter 2017AF12305 (removing the leading zeros that I show in bold).

CEAC data is not available for the first few months of each year - it generally becomes available on the stroke of midnight (Eastern time zone ) in the processing year. So - for instance, DV2020 starting processing on October 1, 2019 but the CEAC data isnt't available until January 1, 2020.

So what do the status codes mean.

The first status for every case is “AT NVC”. You can ignore the text on the case – the case has not been passed to NVC.  What this status means is that the case is in one of the following situations.

1. The case is not yet current.
2. The case is current, BUT the DS260 has not be submitted at all, or it was submitted but not processed yet – and therefore not scheduled.
3. The case is current, the form is processed, but it is waiting to be scheduled (typically because the cases have not yet been sent to the embassies yet).

PLEASE IGNORE the NVC information that appears - it is a standard message and DOES NOT APPLY to DV cases

“In Transit”

This status is shown for a brief period when KCC has scheduled the interview, and transferred the case to the embassy. However, the embassy has not yet updated CEAC to acknowledge they have received the case.

“READY”

This is the next status after in transit. It means the case has arrived at the embassy for interview. Sometimes a case will continue to show ready even after the interview.

“Issued”

Pretty obviously – this is the status we all want to see! The interview took place, was successful and the visa has been approved/issued.

“Refused”

This is the status no one wants to see, meaning the interview took place and the selectee was denied. A derivative can be refused, while the principal is approved. However, if the principal is refused – all the derivatives are refused also – even if the embassy fails to update CEAC.

“Administrative Processing”

This is when someone did not have all the documents at the interview OR some additional checks are needed before the case can be adjudicated. AP can last a few days or several months. The status updates during that time are meaningless.

Derivative number.

For cases that are scheduled we can see the related derivative numbers. Case 01 is the principal and derivatives are case 02, 03 and so on.

Thanks to a smart guy called Rafikbo, I am able to extract all the CEAC data. I will shortly publish that data and will update that about twice a month. The data lets us understand the progress, predict cutoffs and interviews and so on. So – this is a valuable resource that we can all use to understand the process better. Hopefully this post will help you to understand…

Assets are considered "liquid", "non-liquid" and perhaps "semi liquid".

Liquid assets are things like cash in the bank. Assets that you can immediately access with no delay. This is the most important type of asset to show for avoiding public charge grounds.

Non-liquid assets are things that you own that may be hard to "liquidate" - meaning it is hard/time consuming to make the cash available. This type of asset is not as useful to show during the immigration process, because of the time it takes to release the asset. The COs don't want to have to look at valuations, mortgage papers, and so on to take these assets into account. There is also a guideline that vastly reduces the value of these assets that can be taken into account to 20% of the net value of the asset - so we can see that in general it is not worth showing these assets in any detail. By all means, you can mention the house you own, and even have valuations prepared, but it may not be of interest to the CO.

Semi liquid assets are things like cars, jewelry and so on. Things that could be sold more easily than a house, but not as easy to access as a liquid asset. Again, these aren't too useful during the immigration interview. The issue with these assets is that the values depreciate and are very subjective until you actually sell them. So - you buy a piece of gold jewelry for $5000 - and the value is probably far less than that - basically the value of the gold by weight. Same with cars - the CO won't want to step outside the embassy to check out your car in the parking lot to understand its value. So - if you are seriously planning to liquidate these assets to fund your move, you may want to consider doing some of that BEFORE the interview - so that you can show the value in savings.

Many times I get asked about the process to sponsor a spouse after the DV lottery win. People sometimes tell me they want to apply for the DV visa without their spouse and will sponsor their spouse (or children) to go to the USA later when they have settled. That is almost always a  bad idea – and I warn people that it will take a lot longer and be more expensive than the simple DV process.

So – let me explain that to make this a bit more clear.

The DV lottery process is the easiest, cheapest way to get a Green Card – there is no USA immigration process that is anywhere near as easy. For DV you fill in your DS260, have an interview, pay some small fees and you are given a Green Card. You don’t have a formal sponsor, and if you do require a financial sponsor the form they fill out is the I-134 – that carries NO obligation for the sponsor.

Anyone who has been interviewed for DV should know this - and I cannot stress enough – the DV process is EXTREMELY EASY when compared to other immigration processing.

If however someone chooses to go through family based immigration the process is a lot harder.

• The forms are more complicated and people often need help from a lawyer.
• The fees are typically higher (depends on the process – but it is not cheaper than DV).
• The case requires a financial undertaking (form I-864) which creates a legal obligation on the sponsor. Typically the petitioner would be that sponsor for the spouse, but that means the petitioner (you) have to be working in the USA with an income to meet their tests. That means it might be a while before you can submit the paperwork.
• Once you submit the paperwork you have to wait. To sponsor a spouse, the current waiting time is almost 2 years. During that time you will most likely be apart.

So – it is possible for a DV lottery winner to process their own case and later sponsor their spouse through Family based immigration. However, that is making a simple process into a complicated one. Why would you do that????

There are three standard responses people tend to get from KCC. The meanings are explained below.

What do their responses mean?

KCC staff tend to use some Generic emails over and over rather than typing specific responses. DV experts are asked OVER and OVER again – what do these responses mean. So – here is what they mean!

Typically people are emailing to see if their DS260 has been processed yet – and for that question you will typically get one of three answers depending on how far your forms are processed.

Stage 1. Processing

“Your forms have been received and are currently processing. Allow several weeks for processing. Interviews are scheduled numerically based on case numbers that have completed processing.”

This means your forms are still being processed. Most people are waiting around 4 months for this processing – hence what we are calling the DS260 backlog. Hopefully that will increase speed – but right now – this post explains the timelines.

Stage 2. Pending Embassy Review

“Your forms have been received and pending further embassy review for the continuation of your visa processing”

This one means your DS260 forms have completed processing. If your case number is already current, you will get scheduled for interview in the next batch. If your number is not current you will get scheduled once your number goes current.

Stage 3. Right in the middle of being scheduled

There is one more message that is quite rare. It says something like “Your case is current and being scheduled”.

You will only get this message during the period of time when the VB has been set (announced, or about to be announced) and before you see the 2NL itself. If you see that response, just wait patiently!!

Hope that helps you – and hopefully less of you will ask what these generic messages mean. I will add any others here I can think of.

Here you go - useful links.

Please be careful - not everyone out there is as helpful as I am - some want to steal your money!

As of November 2018, there is a new process in place for sending documents to KCC prior to the scheduling of an interview.

Please read this article for more explanation

Please watch this video:

https://youtu.be/IZtkn-sif4w

A lot of people have been experiencing a problem when they try and enter their DS260. Sometimes this happens to cases before the DS260 is completed, sometimes, it is after the selectee has entered their form and wants to check it or make changes.

They will see a message similar to "Invalid Immigrant Visa Case Number".

Now - this at first seems like a system glitch. It does not happen to every case, but it has happened to aplicants in every region. So - it is unlikely to mean any problem to your specific case.

So - in cases  like this people can do one of two things.

1. Wait. If your case is not current soon and you don't need to make changes, then you could just wait. This problem may get fixed.
2. Contact KCC. They will in some cases tell you that you can make changes at the interview, but if you need to make changes such as adding a derivative, to contact the embassy and make an appointment. People have done that, gone to the embassy and received a passcode. They then are told to contact KCC again with that passcode who do something to allow the form to be accessed.

I have no idea what the procedure in option 2 achieves. I don't know any more about it at this time (September 2018).

These are the words, or terms you will hear in the DV process.

1NL - The letter you saw on the ESC page that said you were selected.

2NL - For Consular processing, this is the interview appointment notification. The FAQ describes what that looks like. For AOS cases the 2NL is the letter from KCC they send once you submit the DS260 informing them you intend to adjust status.

CP - Consular processing - meaning interviewing in a consulate/embassy outside of the USA

AOS - Adjustment of Status - processing inside the USA at a USCIS Field Office.

FO - Field Office

AP - Administrative Processing. This is technically a temporary refusal - 221(g). In fact it means your case cannot be decided immediately, either because additional checks are being made after the interview or you have to provide some missing documents you were asked for during or after the interview.

CURRENT - when a region is marked as current on the VB it means there are enough visas for their estimation of remaining demand. Enough visas for everyone in that region.

DS260 - the online form you complete to apply for immigration.

I-134 - an affidavit of support completed by someone in the USA willing to support you financially.

Sometimes when people are registering with the embassy courier, they are encountering a question that asks for the "Priority Date".

DV cases don't actually have a Priority Date - so the nearest thing we can use is the month you become "current". I suggest using the first of that month.

So for example  - if your number is announced in the "July" VB **that is published in mid June**, then your case is current in August. Therefore, I suggest inserting your Priority Date as 1st August.

When to submit, how to name the documents and so on - please read this article before asking me about documents!

http://britsimonsays.com/document-procedure-modification/

If you are planning to attend a consular interview, you should attend the interview with a DS5540 already completed. Learn about the form here:

http://britsimonsays.com/all-about-the-ds-5540/

If you can't access your DS260, watch the following video to get some tips.

https://youtu.be/aWeJqaSXEEM

This video will help you figure out why you cannot get into your DS260

https://youtu.be/aWeJqaSXEEM

As we know DV2021 was the first year where people had to supply their passport number when entering the lottery. The requirement was that the passport should be unexpired on the day of entry, but obviously that meant that some people had to renew their passports either before the DS260 submission, or at some time during the process. So - what can you do about that?

Well first, your passport should have at least 6 months of validity when you enter the USA. So - it is best to make sure you have at least a year of validity before the interview. So - that means a lot of people will need to renew their passports - its a common thing during the process.

However, you will need to prove you entered a valid passport at entry, so here are the things you can do.

First - keep a photocopy, or photo or something of the old passport. Sometimes countries return old passports to the user, but not always, so plan for that as you renew. Keep proof.

When you submit documents to KCC you should show the new passport if you have renewed already AS WELL AS the proof of the old passport. That way you have both bases covered.

The same thing for the interview. Be prepared to show both the new and the old passports (or proof) to the CO. They will be able to see the documents you submitted, but being over prepared is better.

I seem to get this question very often. People misunderstand my responses and somehow get the impression that there is a "good time" to submit, or perhaps a bad time. For many cases that is not true at all. But let me explain in more detail.

What many people do is submit the DS260 as soon as they see they have been chosen as a selectee - the winners letter gives the impression that it is some sort of race to submit the form, and that delaying will cost the Greencard. That is ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. There is no such race. When there are too many selectees in a year, the chances do not go to those who submit their forms first. Never. That is not how it works. The process is based around the case number. So - it you have a very low case number and you submit late, you may still be interviewed before someone with a high case number. I am absolutely certain of this, and in time, you will understand that too.

So when should you submit. OK - well if you have a low case number and you want the earliest possible interview - go ahead and submit the forms as early as you can - but please do take your time so that you don't rush the completing of the forms and simply have to unlock and correct them later once you understand what you did wrong. I see that ALL the time. No interviews will happen before October of the selection year (i.e. about 5 months after the results are announced), so there is plenty of time to submit your form and still get an early interview. But few people have case numbers low enough to get an October interview anyway. Processing is spread over the complete year.

Now - a low case number selectee might want to delay their submission if they want to delay their case. Why - well let's say they get the selection notification in May and they have an incredibly low case number - case number AF00000001 (normally said as AF1) for instance in some year - the very first number for that region. OK - that person could submit right away and in a normal year they would expect an October interview, but that would mean they would have to move to the USA by about Feb/March of the following year. And maybe they have kids in school and would prefer to move around August of the following year. Well in that case the selectee would be wise to delay submitting their DS260 forms until a few months later. If for example they delay submission until December they would probably get a March/April interview which gives them until September/October in the year after selection to move to the USA.  That could be very useful to someone if they just stop and think about it. Now - in that case some higher case numbers would have been interviewed before the lucky winner with AF1 but that is no problem. Visa processing is spread out over the year - so there is no way that visas will run out before March/April - in fact in years when visas have run out it is not until September. I hope that is clear.

Now - let's talk about high case numbers. There is a different concern in this case. As should already be clear, a person with a high case number cannot get interviewed more quickly by submitting fast. So - there is NO POINT rushing to submit. I get very frustrated when I see people have blindly rushed into submitting their DS260 and they have high case numbers. Frankly it is a daft thing to do - for a couple of reasons.

First reason is that by rushing, you will probably make some mistakes. You'll leave education history incomplete, you'll leave some question badly answered because you don't understand yet.

Second, you will have to maintain that information for a full year before your case is interviewed, and a lot can happen in a year. You may fall in love and get married. You may have a baby. Who knows? But the point is, waiting to submit would be smarter.

The third and probably the most important reason to wait to submit is this. Submitting a DS260 (which cannot be retracted) declares to the government that you would like to immigrate to the USA. It's known as a declaration of immigrant intent. That is a factor that can weigh against you if you ever need to apply for a non immigrant visas to the USA. Hopefully you will get your DV lottery visa and you will never have this concern - but if you have a high case number, in some years those case numbers never get a chance. That is because in some years the government select more people as winners than are needed, so some people miss out. This happens about half the time - roughly half the years are "over selected".

Now - we only know whether the year is over selected in about July or August of each year. That is when we see the number of selectees for each country/region.  If that number is more than about 100,000 (roughly), it is an over selected year. From memory DV2014 (my year of selection) had 140k selectees, far too many. DV2015 had 125k selectees - again, too many. At the time of writing, out of the last 14 years, seven were under 100k and seven were over 100k.

So a person, with a high case number would be wise to delay their DS260 submission until at least the selectee number is known (July or August). And at that point they can decide whether to submit or not. Submitting later like this will not delay their case in any way, because they have to wait anyway for the case number to become current. So - submitting late is a wise choice for some people.

Now - lastly, when is the LATEST time to submit the DS260 - is there a deadline?

No - there is no deadline. I have known people that got selected in May that waited until JUNE of the following year to submit they DS260 and still get scheduled in time before the end of the year. These days with the two step process (DS260 being step 1, documents being step 2) I recommend people submit DS260s no later than early May - that is 1 year after the results are published. That is the latest you could submit, but for a bit of additional safety consider March or even April as being sensible late submission deadlines.

There is no formal deadline. People will be submitting their forms far into the DV year. The only concern is that at some point it would be too late to get the form processed. However, the speed of processing varies by case, so I cannot put a finite date on the last time to submit. I would suggest treating May of the DV year (almost 1 full year after the results are announced), but I have seen cases submitted in June still get through.

So - it is perfectly fine to delay submission of the DS260, and in some cases it can be advantageous to do so (for instance where people cannot emigrate before completing college etc) .

An Infopass appointment is useful in Adjustment of Status (AoS) cases to get an idea of how your case is going. Often, a well time and well prepared infopass appointment can get a case moving. Below I have pasted some notes I wrote in order to explain how to prepare for an Infopass.  An infopass is ONLY for AoS cases - those being processed in the USA. I hope it helps.

You need to prepare for the Infopass, because otherwise they fob you off and tell you to wait (because most people have to wait a lot longer than we do, so the IOs are very used to telling people to wait). Try and have a mental or written note of things to ask - I think of it like a checklist. These are the things that you need to have completed (Mom please add if there is anything missed).

1. I-485 submitted and sent to the FO (obviously done otherwise you wouldn't be there, but just so you have a list).
2. Biometric completed?
3. Background/Name check completed?
4. Receipts for the DV fee and the AoS fee (you should have those - but point them out).
5. Have the FO requested the file from KCC? Have they received it? (check whether KCC say it's been requested or sent).

So, when you are at the infopass, thinking calm thoughts, don't get rushed and explain to the IO on the desk that you would like to check to see if everything is ready for the interview. Get them to agree and get them on your side. Then go through the list and ask them to confirm things (2, 3, and 5 are what you are asking them about). Once you confirm that all those things are ready, you are ready for the interview. If all that is ready, then POLITELY ask "OK, so what are we waiting for to schedule the interview?". 

If I were you I would also have the policy memo (link below) that counters the argument that DV cases are not subject to special processing. They are, and the memo (which is binding on the staff you will be talking to) confirms that. However, do not be aggressive or argumentative, instead talk about your fear that DV slots will run out as they did the last two years.

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default...013/August/DV-Related I-485 Applications .pdf

No need to panic - this is explained fully in this article.

I created a guide to help you complete the DS260.

Please take a few minutes to learn about the flow of the DV lottery process.

Here you go - historical visa bulletin numbers!

Please just remember that every year is different. The density of the entries is different, the response rate is different, the quotas are different. So - whilst previous years are interesting it is nonsensical to make assumptions based on numbers from several years ago.

How to prepare for the interview - Click this link and watch the video.

When 2NLs go out, I am being asked why some derivatives are not on the 2NL.

The 2NL is normally based on the family members that were on the eDV. So, if you had a child since the entry or got married that new derivative may be missing from the DS260 even though you added the derivative on the DS260.

Similarly, if someone has decided that a derivative will not be applying for the Green Card they may be surprised to see the derivative listed on the 2NL.

In both cases that is not a problem. RELAX!

However, new derivatives do need to have their documents and medicals. Sometimes a physician will not want to perform the medical on someone without the 2NL. In that case you can print the DS260 conformation form for each of the beneficiaries and show that to the physician in order to arrange the medical.

That will normally do the trick although some offices of IOM (medical service in some countries) think they know better and will remain difficult. With them, just remain firm - and explain that THEY DO NOT SET THE RULES! Some selectees have taken the bad advice from IOM and caused delay to their cases by arriving at the interview without medicals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw9TalmV-d8&t=24s

OK - many people enter their confirmation details in the ESC page and the system tells them that there is a problem in the data they are entering. For DV2018 - for a while that was a system glitch. However, the system glitch is now fixed and some people are still having a problem - so that probably means they are doing something wrong.

Every year I get many people telling me they have a problem. They SWEAR they are following the instructions correctly - so they send me their details. In every single case (except with the 2018 glitch), my attempt with their data works first time. Every. Single. Time.  That is after they have tried and I have told them what to do. So - this is a self inflicted error.

So - let me explain. The confirmation will have fields as shown below:

Entrant Name:

LOPEZ SMITH, ALEXANDER FRANK

Confirmation Number:

201831UD5N83FMN5

Year of Birth:

1991

Digital Signature:

C822F1F41B06722E67227050B9638ED4AAA02AXX

Hopefully you have that saved as data and not a jpg. Data is easier because you won't make a mistake Taking a "1" and confusing with "I, or "0" and "O" and so on.

1. If you have the data you can copy the Confirmation code/number and open the ESC page. Enter that code and make sure there are no extra spaces after the code.
2. Then enter your last name. The lastname is what appears *** BEFORE*** the comma. So, in the example above that is LOPEZ SMITH (some countries have two last names, some will have one).
3. Then enter just the year of birth
4. Enter the CAPTCHA code

Do that, and you should have no problem.

Some people are experiencing a problem during submission of their DV lottery DS260. They get a message that says "CASE NUMBER DOESN’T MATCH WITH THE CASE NUMBER"

In that case the following fix has worked for some people.

Where you enter your case number, remove the leading zeros. So - where the case number is for example 2018AF000012345 , you would enter 2018AF12345. Try that - it should then work.

I am asked this several times a day - so let me try and explain the issue, and how serious it is - and how to give yourself the best chance.

Ok - so let's say you made a mistake on the original entry. This often happens when you have foolishly had someone else complete this very simple entry form for you (called the eDV). You are responsible for what was entered there, so it is better that you did it yourself, but still, mistakes happen.

So what sort of mistakes could be made?

Some mistakes are amazingly common.

• Date of birth errors (sometimes caused by date conversion mistakes, sometimes agents, other times I have no idea why!)
• Name spelling errors. (example Muhammad versus Muhamed)
• Names that differ in some way from documents such as education certificates.

So - is this a problem. Well, at most embassies, a single small mistake will be forgiven. By simple I mean things like a day (or year Or month)  difference in the date of birth , a simple mistake in a name (an obvious typing mistake).  However, if you have the day, month and year of the date of birth wrong, that is more serious. Likewise, missing whole names (like a middle name) is more serious. However, even these more serious mistakes can be overlooked in some cases. However, some cases have a combination of errors, wrong name, wrong date of birth and so on. It should not be a surprise that an error of this type is much more serious and could be quite likely to cause denial. This is because the simple little mistakes combined give an impression that there was some attempt to hide the true identity of the winner - perhaps masking multiple entries.

So - we could characterize the risks in this way.

1. Simple, small mistake (single letter mistake for example) on one thing (name OR date of birth) - LOW risk
2. Bigger mistake such as a missed or different name) on one thing - MEDIUM risk
3. Several mistakes on one entry - HIGH risk.

Now, I should say that some low risk cases have been denied, and some high risk cases have been approved. You cannot be certain how the CO will react in any given case. it partly depends on the credibility of the selectee, and the other aspects of the case (whether other documents are all in order and so on).

Other factors that increase the risk include having the interview at one of the embassies where many fraudulent cases are presented. Ghana is the most obvious example of that - and West Africa in general seems to suffer more than their fair share of "innocent mistakes". As a reaction to that, the embassies are strict and will often find a reason to disqualify an entry where their suspicions are raised. So - if you have a simple mistake, but you are interviewing in Ghana or a similar embassy, you are likely to be refused.

What can you do about the mistakes?

OK so you have realized you have mistake(s) on your eDV - what do you do? Well, you can't change what is on the eDV. You can't even request to see the form if you didn't keep a screenshot. If you were trying to cheat in some way, you may as well give up now.

However, to ensure that background checks are  completed accurately the most important thing is to be accurate on the DS260. The name  should match your legal name. That should match your passport and your birth cert, unless you have proof of a name change like marriage. If your date of birth is the problem, it should match the date of birth on the birth certificate. That is the best you can do. That way, the CO will see that you made a mistake, but he/she will know that KCC carried out background checks on the correct data.

If you have educational documents that do not match your name/DOB in some way, you should think how you can prove the educational certificates are yours. Gather whatever proof you can of school attendance to reassure the CO that the certificates you are presenting are your certificates.

Many people experience this. The interview goes well, the CO says you are approved and then within a day or two the CEAC system shows the status has been updated to AP (Administrative Processing). So - that means one of two things is happening.

The usual thing is that the CEAC is updated to AP during the finalization of the processing. That typically lasts one or two days (work days, not counting weekends), and then the status is updated to "Issued". For the majority of cases this is what happens, it is nothing to worry about. Some people never even notice the brief period in AP, and some people just see the status stay on ready for days after the interview, then it is updated to Issued OR the passport is delivered. None of that is a problem!

The second case is where a case is "approved" in the interview and then the case needs some time in "real" AP. This can happen when the supervisors at the embassy review the cases approved by the CO and decide a case needs some checks. That type of AP can last days, weeks, even months - and is obviously very worrying for the selectee. So - if you case stays in AP after a successful interview for several days (let's say a week), then the second type of AP has started. There is NOTHING you can do about that - you just have to wait.

When people rush to submit their DS260s I often tell people they were too fast to do so and should understand the consequences of filing a DS260 when there is risk you won't get processed. This problem relates to the demonstration of "immigrant intent" - the desire or intention to try to emigrate to the USA.  Demonstrating immigrant intent can cause difficulties if you later apply for certain types of non immigrant visa. So - this FAQ entry explains why.

Much of the illegal immigration to this country is not, as some seem to believe,  people coming over the southern border with Mexico. Most illegal immigration is actually people who get a non immigrant visa, then overstay. In order to reduce that risk, a person applying for a non immigrant visa has to satisfy a CO that they will not overstay if a visa is granted. Showing ties to the home country (such as family and job) usually helps assure the CO, and so they are factors that will be considered. In fact, NOT showing ties is the single most common reason that non immigrant visas (NIVs) are denied.

A previous DS260 application is a factor that will be considered and increases the suspicion that the person will try to overstay or try to stay in the USA. The DS260 is an application for  immigration benefit - so it is a clear "announcement" of your desire to want to live in the USA. However, it is only one factor that will be considered, and not necessarily a cause of denial by itself.

Some NIVs (such as L1 and H1) are considered "dual intent" visas, meaning is is not a problem to show desire to emigrate to the USA as well as apply for an H1/L1.

Quite simply – we don’t know. It may be left up to the government to decide. If they do decide it could mean they lean toward those cases furthest along in processing and/or the case number and/or the situation locally at each of the embassies. It is pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to guess right now.

There is a mathematical formula used to divide the global quota of visas among the 6 regions for the normal process. BUT - we do not know if that will factor in to how the government handle visa allocation for the 9095.

No. There is no aspect of visa allocation that is country specific. People sometimes get confused with the 7% rule, but that is a CAP (maximum) per country, NOT an allocation.

Possibly. Those cases can be handled by the embassies only and MANY of them already got heavily prioritized by the embassies. This was by far the largest group of visas issued out of the 6000 visas issued in the period from September 4 to September 30^th.

Because that is the normal procedure and right now they have not been told anything different. They should not be spending any resources on DV2020 cases, so please don’t call them or email them, you will simply be wasting your time and theirs.

The Judge did not make a final ruling on the whole argument. What he did was press the pause button. By acting before the September 30^th deadline (certifying the class and reserving 9095 visas), he preserved the maximum possible benefit (that he was prepared to do) for everyone. That basically bought everyone time to continue the legal process and avoid the situation from becoming “moot”. If he had not done that, we might have found that we could win the argument but not have the remedy to get the situation fixed. His action ensured the government did not win simply by running out the clock.

Now we have to wait until the legal process continues, which could take weeks or months. Nothing will happen until then.

Judge Mehta  calculated the number of visas based on what would be expected in a normal year of issuance. He then only allowed the number of visas he calculated was caused by the government actions. That means he did NOT give ANY visas to replace the impact of COVID. That is because COVID was not your fault, not KCCs fault and so on. He could only address what he saw as impact caused by the governments unlawful behavior, not the “bad luck” of being impacted by a global pandemic. Remember, justice is blind – meaning impartial. It’s not about what you think is fair or unfair, or whether you really are deserving and so on. None of that matters. The only thing that mattered is what remedy we could obtain because the lawyers were cleverly able to prove the government acted unlawfully over the decision to stop PROCESSING visas when the presidential poser was about stopping ENTRY.

When will processing restart?

We don’t know. We have to let the legal process play out. The lawyers are all quoting “3 months” but it could be more or less than that. All you can do is wait!

That timeline is not precise. It is a best guess/estimate of the time it will take for the legal process to play out. So for now, just be patient!

Ready is the status of someone whose case was sent to the embassy, but has not yet been interviewed, or was interviewed and CEAC not updated. In a normal year, many cases stay at ready at the end of the year, probably because people (in large numbers) simply don’t attend their interviews (no shows).

Yes – the Judge did TWO key things. He reserved the 9095 visas, and secondly he certified the class action aspect of the Gomez case. That was done to make sure the protection could apply to everyone. However, there are not enough visas for “everyone” so it remains to be seen which priority will be used to decide who gets one of the 9095 visas.

Well if Biden wins, he would take office on January 20^th, 2021.  Until then Trump remains President and could implement new Executive Orders. Biden would then be able to start revoking the bans as he sees fit. WE cannot be certain what actions he would take, and how quickly, but he has talked about the immigrant bans as being a “distraction” from the failures of the Trump administration on the handling of the COVID crisis. So it is likely he would revoke those bans.

Charles Kuck has raised the possibility to sue the government again to recover more DV2020 visas if the Presidency changes because the new administration will be more friendly to doing what is right. However, that is a BIG ask.

Do DV 2020 winners, that have not yet gone through interview and that are not named plaintiffs from any cases, should contact the following lawyers below in order to be eligible for one of visas out of 9095? Do you need to do anything to be considered covered by the class action in Gomez?

Karen C. Tumlin
Stephen Manning
Nadia Dahab
Tess Hellgren
Jesse Bless
Laboni Hoq

No you do not need to contact those lawyers. Those lawyers were appointed to represent the class - and that means they do not need to have personal contact with each person they are representing in the class. Please do not bother these lawyers, they are very busy! You were automatically enrolled as a class member if you did not have a visa before April 23rd. That is regardless of whether you filled in my contact sheet or not.

Police certs are considered valid up to 12 months, no matter what the issuing country states as the validity.

Yes it would. And right now we do not have a remedy for that. However, if Trump loses the election that becomes a less likely scenario, and in the meantime the lawyers are continuing to fight the bans.

You cannot do anything about that - we just have to wait and see.

The ban on immigrant entry is still in force until December 31. The only group of people who were supposed to be exempt from that ban are those that had visas prior to April 23^rd. There will have been a few (very, very few) cases where an exemption was granted during the issuance process for a small number of reasons (such as immediate family members being split up), but other than that all other cases are subject to the ban and cannot enter until January.

Although NON named cases got many more visas issued than named cases, most of the Aker/Mohammed/Fongjong cases got processed to the extent possible before the deadline. The Kennedy case received no special treatment before the deadline. It remains to be seen whether the Kennedy case wins any priority for the Kennedy named plaintiffs, but that will be argued at a later date as part of the overall process. There is a hearing still currently scheduled for the Kennedy plaintiffs affected by the travel ban.

No. The order treats the 9095 visas as distinctly those visas preserved for issuance after the deadline. There is a note in the order that the Judge realizes that is slightly generous toward the DV cases, but he explains his rationale on page 18 of the order. This is especially significant as we now know that about 6000 visas were issued in the final three weeks of September - and amazing win.

Yes! No problem at all.

Does the day or time of the entry matter - how can I improve my chances....

Don't use an agent to enter the lottery...

This is a lottery - with fairly low chance of being selected - please read about that here!

Eligibility - education or work experience - how to qualify for the lottery.

Country of chargeability link here.

People ask various questions about entering DV-2017 or future lotteries - here are some example questions :-

"Can I apply for DV-2017 without it affecting my previous DV-2016 win (as I am waiting for interview)?"

No Problem. You can apply for DV-2017 with no impact to the DV-2016 you are already processing.

"I won a previous year but was not able to process my case, will that improve my chances of being selected for DV-2017?"

No - there is no connection - the draw is random. You have no better, or no worse chance of selection.

"I was interviewed and refused in a previous DV lottery - can I apply again for DV-2017?"

Yes you can. You must of course overcome whatever caused the refusal last time.

This is a horrible scenario of course, but let us imagine the principal winner has died and the derivatives want to continue the process. Can they do that?

We for DV cases, no.

The 9 FAM note says this:-
9 FAM 42.33 N5.2-2 In Death of Principal Beneficiary and/or Applicant
(CT:VISA-1768; 10-31-2011)
The death of the principal beneficiary and/or applicant must result in the automatic revocation of the application. Thereafter, derivative beneficiaries are no longer entitled to the DV classification.

So - prior to the interview, the case would simply be unable to be approved.

Death of the principal after interview (but before entry to the USA) the case would also be affected. Each derivative would be in a classification (such as DV2 or DV3), and the POE procedure demands that the principal (DV1) apply for entry to the USA either with or before the derivatives. So - the derivatives cannot use their one time use visas without the principal.

Once the principal and derivatives have entered the USA and have become LPRs the subsequent death of the principal would have no impact on the status of the derivatives - at that point their status is unconditional.

If you child turns 21 during the DV lottery process you might still be able to include them on your case - please read about that in this article.

If you are completing your lottery entry and are not sure about how to describe your marital status - please read this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw9TalmV-d8&t=24s

OK - many people enter their confirmation details in the ESC page and the system tells them that there is a problem in the data they are entering. For DV2018 - for a while that was a system glitch. However, the system glitch is now fixed and some people are still having a problem - so that probably means they are doing something wrong.

Every year I get many people telling me they have a problem. They SWEAR they are following the instructions correctly - so they send me their details. In every single case (except with the 2018 glitch), my attempt with their data works first time. Every. Single. Time.  That is after they have tried and I have told them what to do. So - this is a self inflicted error.

So - let me explain. The confirmation will have fields as shown below:

Entrant Name:

LOPEZ SMITH, ALEXANDER FRANK

Confirmation Number:

201831UD5N83FMN5

Year of Birth:

1991

Digital Signature:

C822F1F41B06722E67227050B9638ED4AAA02AXX

Hopefully you have that saved as data and not a jpg. Data is easier because you won't make a mistake Taking a "1" and confusing with "I, or "0" and "O" and so on.

1. If you have the data you can copy the Confirmation code/number and open the ESC page. Enter that code and make sure there are no extra spaces after the code.
2. Then enter your last name. The lastname is what appears *** BEFORE*** the comma. So, in the example above that is LOPEZ SMITH (some countries have two last names, some will have one).
3. Then enter just the year of birth
4. Enter the CAPTCHA code

Do that, and you should have no problem.

These are the words, or terms you will hear in the DV process.

1NL - The letter you saw on the ESC page that said you were selected.

2NL - For Consular processing, this is the interview appointment notification. The FAQ describes what that looks like. For AOS cases the 2NL is the letter from KCC they send once you submit the DS260 informing them you intend to adjust status.

CP - Consular processing - meaning interviewing in a consulate/embassy outside of the USA

AOS - Adjustment of Status - processing inside the USA at a USCIS Field Office.

FO - Field Office

AP - Administrative Processing. This is technically a temporary refusal - 221(g). In fact it means your case cannot be decided immediately, either because additional checks are being made after the interview or you have to provide some missing documents you were asked for during or after the interview.

CURRENT - when a region is marked as current on the VB it means there are enough visas for their estimation of remaining demand. Enough visas for everyone in that region.

DS260 - the online form you complete to apply for immigration.

I-134 - an affidavit of support completed by someone in the USA willing to support you financially.

I would like to "try" to clarify the confusion that comes from name formats during this process. I cannot address the variances of every country, but I will explain things from a "Western" perspective along with some variations I am clear about.

Let us consider the name of our president - Barack Hussein Obama.

For official forms they often ask for the following names - firstname, middlename, lastname.

The "Firstname" is the name he would be known by to his friends and family. It is Barack.  It might sometimes be referred to as a given name or Christian name. A given name is one that is given to a child by the parents - meaning it is a name they choose.

The "Middlename" for our president is Hussein. It is also a "given" name in that the parents chose it.

The "Lastname" for our president is Obama. This name is sometimes referred to as a surname or family name. The name, in most Western countries, comes from the family (typically from the fathers side), and is not "chosen", So - in the case of Barack Obama, his father's family name was Obama.

Some DV documents will list the names in a kind of "reversed" order (Lasname, Firstname Middlename). This is very common in a lot of systems. So - it would not be a surprise to see our president listed as "Obama, Barack Hussein".

Additional names

Now some people have some extra names. Barack Obama might have been given an extra middle name. That might have resulted in his name being something like Barack Hussein John Obama. In that case he would have written two middle names.

Another variation is where people keep their "maiden" family name after marriage. A "maiden" name is the name someone had from birth and is often changed by marriage where the woman (again, typically, in Western countries) takes the name from her husband.  However, in some cases a woman might decide to keep her maiden name OR to keep the maiden name AND add the husband's name. Hilary Clinton did exactly that. She was born "Hillary Diane Rodham". When she married Bill Clinton she kept her family name so she actually has a full name of "Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton". If she were to fill in a DV form she would probably have two names "Rodham Clinton" like this:-

Firstname: Hilary

MiddleName: Diane

Lastname: Rodham Clinton

That would typically mean some DV correspondence would show her name as "Rodham Clinton, Hilary Diane"

However, she "might" decide to write the second family name in the middlename section So she would write like this:

Firstname: Hilary

MiddleName: Diane Rodham

Lastname: Clinton

In that case she would see "Clinton, Hilary Diane Rodham" on some DV letters.

Spanish/Latin America variations.

In Spain, and some countries in Latin America people have a double last name convention. So, the singer Julio Iglesias has a full name of "Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva". In his case Iglesias is from his father and "de la Cueva" is from his mothers side. His data would be entered like this:

Firstname: Julio

MiddleName: José

Lastname: Iglesias de la Cueva

Single name (such as is common in Indonesia)

I have come across this before, and don’t have a great answer of what to do - so what I write here is a suggestion - your choice. If you are in this situation, you are going to have to make a decision on how to treat the name. Remember, in America (and the majority of countries around the world). It is normal to have at least two names. A family name (referred to as surname or lastname in the USA), and a given name (referred to as firstname or Christian name). In an American family the “norm” is that everyone in the family has the same family name – and each person has a given first name. Having two names creates some differentiation which makes life easier in terms of being identified.

There is a Wikipedia page that has the following suggestions for adapting the Indonesian single name for the USA.

1. Use the current name as the lastname, and end up with a first name of FNU or NFN.
2. Use the current name as the firstname, and end up with a first name of LNU or NLN.
3. Repeating the current name for first and lastnames.

None are ideal – Personally I would go with option 3 – but it is your choice. This is something you will have to decide and use in the future. I guess you could also adopt a second name prior to interview – going through a legal name change process.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_names

Please take a few minutes to learn about the flow of the DV lottery process.

Check out this guide on getting married during the DV process.

Sometimes yes. Please read this guide about public charge.

As we know DV2021 was the first year where people had to supply their passport number when entering the lottery. The requirement was that the passport should be unexpired on the day of entry, but obviously that meant that some people had to renew their passports either before the DS260 submission, or at some time during the process. So - what can you do about that?

Well first, your passport should have at least 6 months of validity when you enter the USA. So - it is best to make sure you have at least a year of validity before the interview. So - that means a lot of people will need to renew their passports - its a common thing during the process.

However, you will need to prove you entered a valid passport at entry, so here are the things you can do.

First - keep a photocopy, or photo or something of the old passport. Sometimes countries return old passports to the user, but not always, so plan for that as you renew. Keep proof.

When you submit documents to KCC you should show the new passport if you have renewed already AS WELL AS the proof of the old passport. That way you have both bases covered.

The same thing for the interview. Be prepared to show both the new and the old passports (or proof) to the CO. They will be able to see the documents you submitted, but being over prepared is better.

There is a difference in how you process depending on whether you are in the USA or abroad, please read about the differences between the two methods here.

If you child turns 21 during the DV lottery process you might still be able to include them on your case - please read about that in this article.

Do you need a lawyer to process your DV win - usually not - read more here.

Please read this link about questions.

Please read this guide about public charge.

Sometimes yes. Please read this guide about public charge.

Not yet scheduled for interview

Interview location is normally based on your current address. If you are not yet current, the process to change your interview location is a 2 step process.

1. You unlock the DS260 to change your current address to the new address (new country) and resubmit the form.
2. Email KCC and ask them to change the interview location.

Changing early enough will not delay your case. If you leave this too late KCC may not be able to do this.

Already scheduled

If you are already scheduled for an interview, the process to change is more complicated, and you should ONLY do it if it cannot be done any other way. Ideally you need to check with the new embassy whether they will schedule your case. They might not accept it or they might accept it but much later than your original interview. If you still want to change, you contact the original embassy and ask them to transfer your case to the new embassy.

During the transfer your case status on CEAC will show "Transfer". The transfer can take time and if something goes wrong between the two embassies you can get significantly delayed.

As I mention - ONLY do this if you have no choice.

CEAC is the system that shows basic case information for all DV cases.

You can access the system at this link.

To check your number you enter your case number without the "leading" zeros.

So - if your number is 2017AF000012305, you enter 2017AF12305 (removing the leading zeros that I show in bold).

CEAC data is not available for the first few months of each year - it generally becomes available on the stroke of midnight (Eastern time zone ) in the processing year. So - for instance, DV2020 starting processing on October 1, 2019 but the CEAC data isnt't available until January 1, 2020.

So what do the status codes mean.

The first status for every case is “AT NVC”. You can ignore the text on the case – the case has not been passed to NVC.  What this status means is that the case is in one of the following situations.

1. The case is not yet current.
2. The case is current, BUT the DS260 has not be submitted at all, or it was submitted but not processed yet – and therefore not scheduled.
3. The case is current, the form is processed, but it is waiting to be scheduled (typically because the cases have not yet been sent to the embassies yet).

PLEASE IGNORE the NVC information that appears - it is a standard message and DOES NOT APPLY to DV cases

“In Transit”

This status is shown for a brief period when KCC has scheduled the interview, and transferred the case to the embassy. However, the embassy has not yet updated CEAC to acknowledge they have received the case.

“READY”

This is the next status after in transit. It means the case has arrived at the embassy for interview. Sometimes a case will continue to show ready even after the interview.

“Issued”

Pretty obviously – this is the status we all want to see! The interview took place, was successful and the visa has been approved/issued.

“Refused”

This is the status no one wants to see, meaning the interview took place and the selectee was denied. A derivative can be refused, while the principal is approved. However, if the principal is refused – all the derivatives are refused also – even if the embassy fails to update CEAC.

“Administrative Processing”

This is when someone did not have all the documents at the interview OR some additional checks are needed before the case can be adjudicated. AP can last a few days or several months. The status updates during that time are meaningless.

Derivative number.

For cases that are scheduled we can see the related derivative numbers. Case 01 is the principal and derivatives are case 02, 03 and so on.

Thanks to a smart guy called Rafikbo, I am able to extract all the CEAC data. I will shortly publish that data and will update that about twice a month. The data lets us understand the progress, predict cutoffs and interviews and so on. So – this is a valuable resource that we can all use to understand the process better. Hopefully this post will help you to understand…

https://youtu.be/eTS1lZ1qRRc

To unlock your case, you must send an email to KCC – Their email address is KCCDV@state.gov

You need to include your full name, Full case number (like 2020AF00031999) and your date of birth in Month/Day/Year format (MM/DD/YYYY)

You do not need to provide a reason to unlock. So you email can have the following format.

Email subject: Unlock request

Email Body:

Name: Firstname Middlename lastname

Case Number: 2020AF00031999

Date of Birth: 10/23/1981

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please unlock my DS260 form as I would like to make some revisions.

Thank you.

If you are unlocking the case of a derivative, you need to include the details shown above for the principal selectee, AND then make clear which derivative form you need to be unlocked.

Note that it can take as little as a few hours to get your form unlocked, but in busier times it can take up to 2 weeks. Once the form is unlocked, KCC email you.

KCC will not unlock your form once your case has been scheduled, and there is a period of time just before your 2NL is sent when your case cannot be unlocked because it is already scheduled in their system even though it has not gone to the embassy yet. That period of time is just after the VB has been released up until the 2NL goes out.

The 2NL (2nd notification letter) is actually a two part notification. It is important because it is the notification of the interview appointment. The 1NL is the letter that said "you have been selected". The 2NLs are sent out about one to two weeks after the visa bulletin release. The VB is typically released in the first half of each month (between the 8th and 15th of each month) and the 2NLs are sent in the 2nd half of the month.

So - when KCC sends the 2NLs. First KCC sends out an email, and that email directs you to check the Entrant Status Check site.

So the email looks like this:-

Notes that it is from "noreply@state.gov".

You can also see that it directs you to check the ESC - www.dvlottery.state.gov/ESC

Once you login to that site you will see a letter with appointment details - this is the actual 2NL - and it looks like this:-

Since the email has no information, you don't actually need it. When you hear that 2NLs are going out (and you expect you will be scheduled) you can check the ESC page and get your interview details. If you don't have the 2NL details in the ESC, then you should simply check the next month.

The medical is not so much a medical to ascertain the fitness or suitability of the immigrant to live in the USA, it is mainly a screening for diseases that the USA does not want to expose its residents to from the immigrant population. These are "communicable diseases of public health significance" as defined by the CDC.

The list of diseases currently (October 2016) is:-

1. Tuberculosis
2. Syphilis
3. Gonorrhea
4. Hansen's Disease (Leprosy)

This list might be updated from time to time and can be found here:

http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/diseases-vaccines-included.html

In addition, the physician is responsible for checking the vaccinations of the immigrant to meet the list of vaccine preventable diseases - also linked above. This latter list will not cause denial however, as long as someone is vaccinated.

Many times I get asked about the process to sponsor a spouse after the DV lottery win. People sometimes tell me they want to apply for the DV visa without their spouse and will sponsor their spouse (or children) to go to the USA later when they have settled. That is almost always a  bad idea – and I warn people that it will take a lot longer and be more expensive than the simple DV process.

So – let me explain that to make this a bit more clear.

The DV lottery process is the easiest, cheapest way to get a Green Card – there is no USA immigration process that is anywhere near as easy. For DV you fill in your DS260, have an interview, pay some small fees and you are given a Green Card. You don’t have a formal sponsor, and if you do require a financial sponsor the form they fill out is the I-134 – that carries NO obligation for the sponsor.

Anyone who has been interviewed for DV should know this - and I cannot stress enough – the DV process is EXTREMELY EASY when compared to other immigration processing.

If however someone chooses to go through family based immigration the process is a lot harder.

• The forms are more complicated and people often need help from a lawyer.
• The fees are typically higher (depends on the process – but it is not cheaper than DV).
• The case requires a financial undertaking (form I-864) which creates a legal obligation on the sponsor. Typically the petitioner would be that sponsor for the spouse, but that means the petitioner (you) have to be working in the USA with an income to meet their tests. That means it might be a while before you can submit the paperwork.
• Once you submit the paperwork you have to wait. To sponsor a spouse, the current waiting time is almost 2 years. During that time you will most likely be apart.

So – it is possible for a DV lottery winner to process their own case and later sponsor their spouse through Family based immigration. However, that is making a simple process into a complicated one. Why would you do that????

Assets are considered "liquid", "non-liquid" and perhaps "semi liquid".

Liquid assets are things like cash in the bank. Assets that you can immediately access with no delay. This is the most important type of asset to show for avoiding public charge grounds.

Non-liquid assets are things that you own that may be hard to "liquidate" - meaning it is hard/time consuming to make the cash available. This type of asset is not as useful to show during the immigration process, because of the time it takes to release the asset. The COs don't want to have to look at valuations, mortgage papers, and so on to take these assets into account. There is also a guideline that vastly reduces the value of these assets that can be taken into account to 20% of the net value of the asset - so we can see that in general it is not worth showing these assets in any detail. By all means, you can mention the house you own, and even have valuations prepared, but it may not be of interest to the CO.

Semi liquid assets are things like cars, jewelry and so on. Things that could be sold more easily than a house, but not as easy to access as a liquid asset. Again, these aren't too useful during the immigration interview. The issue with these assets is that the values depreciate and are very subjective until you actually sell them. So - you buy a piece of gold jewelry for $5000 - and the value is probably far less than that - basically the value of the gold by weight. Same with cars - the CO won't want to step outside the embassy to check out your car in the parking lot to understand its value. So - if you are seriously planning to liquidate these assets to fund your move, you may want to consider doing some of that BEFORE the interview - so that you can show the value in savings.

Please read this guide about public charge.

Please read this article.

I am asked this several times a day - so let me try and explain the issue, and how serious it is - and how to give yourself the best chance.

Ok - so let's say you made a mistake on the original entry. This often happens when you have foolishly had someone else complete this very simple entry form for you (called the eDV). You are responsible for what was entered there, so it is better that you did it yourself, but still, mistakes happen.

So what sort of mistakes could be made?

Some mistakes are amazingly common.

• Date of birth errors (sometimes caused by date conversion mistakes, sometimes agents, other times I have no idea why!)
• Name spelling errors. (example Muhammad versus Muhamed)
• Names that differ in some way from documents such as education certificates.

So - is this a problem. Well, at most embassies, a single small mistake will be forgiven. By simple I mean things like a day (or year Or month)  difference in the date of birth , a simple mistake in a name (an obvious typing mistake).  However, if you have the day, month and year of the date of birth wrong, that is more serious. Likewise, missing whole names (like a middle name) is more serious. However, even these more serious mistakes can be overlooked in some cases. However, some cases have a combination of errors, wrong name, wrong date of birth and so on. It should not be a surprise that an error of this type is much more serious and could be quite likely to cause denial. This is because the simple little mistakes combined give an impression that there was some attempt to hide the true identity of the winner - perhaps masking multiple entries.

So - we could characterize the risks in this way.

1. Simple, small mistake (single letter mistake for example) on one thing (name OR date of birth) - LOW risk
2. Bigger mistake such as a missed or different name) on one thing - MEDIUM risk
3. Several mistakes on one entry - HIGH risk.

Now, I should say that some low risk cases have been denied, and some high risk cases have been approved. You cannot be certain how the CO will react in any given case. it partly depends on the credibility of the selectee, and the other aspects of the case (whether other documents are all in order and so on).

Other factors that increase the risk include having the interview at one of the embassies where many fraudulent cases are presented. Ghana is the most obvious example of that - and West Africa in general seems to suffer more than their fair share of "innocent mistakes". As a reaction to that, the embassies are strict and will often find a reason to disqualify an entry where their suspicions are raised. So - if you have a simple mistake, but you are interviewing in Ghana or a similar embassy, you are likely to be refused.

What can you do about the mistakes?

OK so you have realized you have mistake(s) on your eDV - what do you do? Well, you can't change what is on the eDV. You can't even request to see the form if you didn't keep a screenshot. If you were trying to cheat in some way, you may as well give up now.

However, to ensure that background checks are  completed accurately the most important thing is to be accurate on the DS260. The name  should match your legal name. That should match your passport and your birth cert, unless you have proof of a name change like marriage. If your date of birth is the problem, it should match the date of birth on the birth certificate. That is the best you can do. That way, the CO will see that you made a mistake, but he/she will know that KCC carried out background checks on the correct data.

If you have educational documents that do not match your name/DOB in some way, you should think how you can prove the educational certificates are yours. Gather whatever proof you can of school attendance to reassure the CO that the certificates you are presenting are your certificates.

Many people experience this. The interview goes well, the CO says you are approved and then within a day or two the CEAC system shows the status has been updated to AP (Administrative Processing). So - that means one of two things is happening.

The usual thing is that the CEAC is updated to AP during the finalization of the processing. That typically lasts one or two days (work days, not counting weekends), and then the status is updated to "Issued". For the majority of cases this is what happens, it is nothing to worry about. Some people never even notice the brief period in AP, and some people just see the status stay on ready for days after the interview, then it is updated to Issued OR the passport is delivered. None of that is a problem!

The second case is where a case is "approved" in the interview and then the case needs some time in "real" AP. This can happen when the supervisors at the embassy review the cases approved by the CO and decide a case needs some checks. That type of AP can last days, weeks, even months - and is obviously very worrying for the selectee. So - if you case stays in AP after a successful interview for several days (let's say a week), then the second type of AP has started. There is NOTHING you can do about that - you just have to wait.

Sometimes when people are registering with the embassy courier, they are encountering a question that asks for the "Priority Date".

DV cases don't actually have a Priority Date - so the nearest thing we can use is the month you become "current". I suggest using the first of that month.

So for example  - if your number is announced in the "July" VB **that is published in mid June**, then your case is current in August. Therefore, I suggest inserting your Priority Date as 1st August.

As of November 2018, there is a new process in place for sending documents to KCC prior to the scheduling of an interview.

Please read this article for more explanation

When to submit, how to name the documents and so on - please read this article before asking me about documents!

http://britsimonsays.com/document-procedure-modification/

Please watch this video:

https://youtu.be/IZtkn-sif4w

When 2NLs go out, I am being asked why some derivatives are not on the 2NL.

The 2NL is normally based on the family members that were on the eDV. So, if you had a child since the entry or got married that new derivative may be missing from the DS260 even though you added the derivative on the DS260.

Similarly, if someone has decided that a derivative will not be applying for the Green Card they may be surprised to see the derivative listed on the 2NL.

In both cases that is not a problem. RELAX!

However, new derivatives do need to have their documents and medicals. Sometimes a physician will not want to perform the medical on someone without the 2NL. In that case you can print the DS260 conformation form for each of the beneficiaries and show that to the physician in order to arrange the medical.

That will normally do the trick although some offices of IOM (medical service in some countries) think they know better and will remain difficult. With them, just remain firm - and explain that THEY DO NOT SET THE RULES! Some selectees have taken the bad advice from IOM and caused delay to their cases by arriving at the interview without medicals.

How to prepare for the interview - Click this link and watch the video.

You can read some previous interview experience stories by clicking this link.

Please read this post about Follow to Join

Are some embassies more lenient (easier) than others - YES. I analyzed the data and produced this league table.

No need to panic - this is explained fully in this article.

Most documents presented at the embassy during interview should be in English OR the official local language where the embassy is located. So - if you are interviewing in Paris, you could present documents in French or English (although English is more useful once you are in the USA).

A translation should be done by someone competent and fluent. It does not have to be a professional translator. It should not be a family member. The translator should add a statement such as:-

I [typed name], certify that I am fluent (conversant) in the English and [enter appropriate language] languages, and that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the document attached entitled [enter title of document].
Signature
Typed Name
Address
Date

If you are planning to attend a consular interview, you should attend the interview with a DS5540 already completed. Learn about the form here:

http://britsimonsays.com/all-about-the-ds-5540/

If you are on a low income - please read this.

This article explains about health insurance in the USA.

Everyone needs to build credit history in the USA - it is very important even if you don't want to borrow money. Read this article for some tips.

Useful article here.

Please read this article.

This article explains how your degree earned abroad will be viewed in the USA.

Please read this article that explains about living in the USA for DV lottery winners.

Here you go - useful links.

If you did consular processing abroad, the embassy will have pasted a visa into your passport. This is a "one time use" visa - when you use it by entering the USA you become a "Lawful Permanent Resident" (LPR). This is called "activating your status.  If you have paid the Green Card fee as instructed by the embassy, your plastic Green Card usually is sent to you about 2 to 3 months after initial entry. However, if you have to travel out of the country before you have the plastic card, you can use your one time use visa again. Upon activation it will have been "endorsed" and can be used for travel for up to 1 year after the initial entry.

So, if you have already activated, you are an LPR. However, airlines don't always understand the rules. In that case you might want to print out this guide which describes the documents in detail. Have the guide with you at the airport. Page 40 of this guide has information about the endorsed visa.

I hope that helps.

Read about sponsoring family.

Please learn about your rights and obligations once you become an LPR.

How to find work in the USA.

People often wonder when they will get their SSN and Green Cards, and if they can start work before they get these things.

The short answer is you are authorized to start work as soon as you land in the USA (you are only a resident once you have entered the USA). Your passport is stamped to show you are a LPR (resident) and that is technically enough to start work. However, most employers will want your SSN number, and some may (incorrectly) say they cannot have you start work before you get your Green Card. So - let's answer a few questions about the two documents.

SSN

The SSN comes from the SSA (Social Security Administration). That is NOT the same place as the Green Card. If you selected the option in your DS260 to have USCIS apply for the SSN for you, the SSN should arrive within 2 to 3 weeks of arrival at the US address in your DS260.

If you did not select that option or it doesn't arrive in time, you can go to the SSA office (in most large towns). They generally won't have you in their files for a few week days after arrival (don't count weekends). If you visit the SSA, you should have documents ready (passport and birth cert), and be prepared to be told incorrect information. That is VERY common, especially in areas when there are not many new immigrants. Stay calm and polite, but be firm.  Your passport has the I-551, and if you waited a few  days your arrival should be in their system.

If you had chosen the DS260 option and you have not received the SSN within a couple of weeks, the SSA might be able to tell you your SSN, and you make a note of that.

Each person gets one SSN in their life. If you had one previously (because you were on certain types of visa) the number will be the same but you might need a new card if the old card says not authorized for work.

Green Card

Your GC is only produced once you have entered the USA AND paid the fee ($220 at time of writing).

The GC arrival time varies greatly and times of UP to 3 or 4 months are not uncommon, although sometimes it arrives in a much shorter time. It is sent to the address in the DS260, and your last chance to change that was at the POE (port of entry).

The Green Card is delivered by the regular mail at the address you gave. It is important that the person at that address is trustworthy as your GC is expensive to replace. The envelope is supposed to be treated as a "secure document" meaning it will only be delivered to an address that the mailman associates with you (your name may be address to the mailbox once you start receiving mail). However, that was not an issue in my case, and I have not heard of problems with non delivery for that reason.

In early 2018 USCIS began to phase in a new secure method of document delivery. To my knowledge, thus far, it has not provided any real change in the delivery of documents but you can read about it here.  When government agencies talk about phasing in, it usually means sometimes they will use the new method, sometimes they won't. Theoretically there is a way to get the post office to hold an envelope for you, but I have not heard reports of anyone doing that. I signed up for the USPS service and get a daily email with images of the mail that is about to arrive, and I could register to have someone accept mail on my behalf. So - I would suggest you look at the link I gave and register for the USPS delivery service if possible.

Tracking of the GC is done through USCIS Elis system (where you paid the GC fee) BUT their system does not allow tracking for the first 90 days, by which time most people have the card. So - PATIENCE is key - as usual.

If you have waited 4 months and still don't have the card, contact USCIS.

If you had left the USA and a friend or relative received the SSN/GC for you, they can mail you the cards to your foreign address - BUT as discussed in other FAQ entries, the passport stamp is good for the first year to show your LPR status.

If you child turns 21 during the DV lottery process you might still be able to include them on your case - please read about that in this article.

Please read this article to understand why the DV lottery exists.

Check out this guide on getting married during the DV process.

Sometimes yes. Please read this guide about public charge.

Please be careful - not everyone out there is as helpful as I am - some want to steal your money!

Here you go - useful links.

Here you go - historical visa bulletin numbers!

Please just remember that every year is different. The density of the entries is different, the response rate is different, the quotas are different. So - whilst previous years are interesting it is nonsensical to make assumptions based on numbers from several years ago.

Not yet scheduled for interview

Interview location is normally based on your current address. If you are not yet current, the process to change your interview location is a 2 step process.

1. You unlock the DS260 to change your current address to the new address (new country) and resubmit the form.
2. Email KCC and ask them to change the interview location.

Changing early enough will not delay your case. If you leave this too late KCC may not be able to do this.

Already scheduled

If you are already scheduled for an interview, the process to change is more complicated, and you should ONLY do it if it cannot be done any other way. Ideally you need to check with the new embassy whether they will schedule your case. They might not accept it or they might accept it but much later than your original interview. If you still want to change, you contact the original embassy and ask them to transfer your case to the new embassy.

During the transfer your case status on CEAC will show "Transfer". The transfer can take time and if something goes wrong between the two embassies you can get significantly delayed.

As I mention - ONLY do this if you have no choice.

This is a horrible scenario of course, but let us imagine the principal winner has died and the derivatives want to continue the process. Can they do that?

We for DV cases, no.

The 9 FAM note says this:-
9 FAM 42.33 N5.2-2 In Death of Principal Beneficiary and/or Applicant
(CT:VISA-1768; 10-31-2011)
The death of the principal beneficiary and/or applicant must result in the automatic revocation of the application. Thereafter, derivative beneficiaries are no longer entitled to the DV classification.

So - prior to the interview, the case would simply be unable to be approved.

Death of the principal after interview (but before entry to the USA) the case would also be affected. Each derivative would be in a classification (such as DV2 or DV3), and the POE procedure demands that the principal (DV1) apply for entry to the USA either with or before the derivatives. So - the derivatives cannot use their one time use visas without the principal.

Once the principal and derivatives have entered the USA and have become LPRs the subsequent death of the principal would have no impact on the status of the derivatives - at that point their status is unconditional.

https://youtu.be/eTS1lZ1qRRc

To unlock your case, you must send an email to KCC – Their email address is KCCDV@state.gov

You need to include your full name, Full case number (like 2020AF00031999) and your date of birth in Month/Day/Year format (MM/DD/YYYY)

You do not need to provide a reason to unlock. So you email can have the following format.

Email subject: Unlock request

Email Body:

Name: Firstname Middlename lastname

Case Number: 2020AF00031999

Date of Birth: 10/23/1981

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please unlock my DS260 form as I would like to make some revisions.

Thank you.

If you are unlocking the case of a derivative, you need to include the details shown above for the principal selectee, AND then make clear which derivative form you need to be unlocked.

Note that it can take as little as a few hours to get your form unlocked, but in busier times it can take up to 2 weeks. Once the form is unlocked, KCC email you.

KCC will not unlock your form once your case has been scheduled, and there is a period of time just before your 2NL is sent when your case cannot be unlocked because it is already scheduled in their system even though it has not gone to the embassy yet. That period of time is just after the VB has been released up until the 2NL goes out.

I am asked this several times a day - so let me try and explain the issue, and how serious it is - and how to give yourself the best chance.

Ok - so let's say you made a mistake on the original entry. This often happens when you have foolishly had someone else complete this very simple entry form for you (called the eDV). You are responsible for what was entered there, so it is better that you did it yourself, but still, mistakes happen.

So what sort of mistakes could be made?

Some mistakes are amazingly common.

• Date of birth errors (sometimes caused by date conversion mistakes, sometimes agents, other times I have no idea why!)
• Name spelling errors. (example Muhammad versus Muhamed)
• Names that differ in some way from documents such as education certificates.

So - is this a problem. Well, at most embassies, a single small mistake will be forgiven. By simple I mean things like a day (or year Or month)  difference in the date of birth , a simple mistake in a name (an obvious typing mistake).  However, if you have the day, month and year of the date of birth wrong, that is more serious. Likewise, missing whole names (like a middle name) is more serious. However, even these more serious mistakes can be overlooked in some cases. However, some cases have a combination of errors, wrong name, wrong date of birth and so on. It should not be a surprise that an error of this type is much more serious and could be quite likely to cause denial. This is because the simple little mistakes combined give an impression that there was some attempt to hide the true identity of the winner - perhaps masking multiple entries.

So - we could characterize the risks in this way.

1. Simple, small mistake (single letter mistake for example) on one thing (name OR date of birth) - LOW risk
2. Bigger mistake such as a missed or different name) on one thing - MEDIUM risk
3. Several mistakes on one entry - HIGH risk.

Now, I should say that some low risk cases have been denied, and some high risk cases have been approved. You cannot be certain how the CO will react in any given case. it partly depends on the credibility of the selectee, and the other aspects of the case (whether other documents are all in order and so on).

Other factors that increase the risk include having the interview at one of the embassies where many fraudulent cases are presented. Ghana is the most obvious example of that - and West Africa in general seems to suffer more than their fair share of "innocent mistakes". As a reaction to that, the embassies are strict and will often find a reason to disqualify an entry where their suspicions are raised. So - if you have a simple mistake, but you are interviewing in Ghana or a similar embassy, you are likely to be refused.

What can you do about the mistakes?

OK so you have realized you have mistake(s) on your eDV - what do you do? Well, you can't change what is on the eDV. You can't even request to see the form if you didn't keep a screenshot. If you were trying to cheat in some way, you may as well give up now.

However, to ensure that background checks are  completed accurately the most important thing is to be accurate on the DS260. The name  should match your legal name. That should match your passport and your birth cert, unless you have proof of a name change like marriage. If your date of birth is the problem, it should match the date of birth on the birth certificate. That is the best you can do. That way, the CO will see that you made a mistake, but he/she will know that KCC carried out background checks on the correct data.

If you have educational documents that do not match your name/DOB in some way, you should think how you can prove the educational certificates are yours. Gather whatever proof you can of school attendance to reassure the CO that the certificates you are presenting are your certificates.

I would like to "try" to clarify the confusion that comes from name formats during this process. I cannot address the variances of every country, but I will explain things from a "Western" perspective along with some variations I am clear about.

Let us consider the name of our president - Barack Hussein Obama.

For official forms they often ask for the following names - firstname, middlename, lastname.

The "Firstname" is the name he would be known by to his friends and family. It is Barack.  It might sometimes be referred to as a given name or Christian name. A given name is one that is given to a child by the parents - meaning it is a name they choose.

The "Middlename" for our president is Hussein. It is also a "given" name in that the parents chose it.

The "Lastname" for our president is Obama. This name is sometimes referred to as a surname or family name. The name, in most Western countries, comes from the family (typically from the fathers side), and is not "chosen", So - in the case of Barack Obama, his father's family name was Obama.

Some DV documents will list the names in a kind of "reversed" order (Lasname, Firstname Middlename). This is very common in a lot of systems. So - it would not be a surprise to see our president listed as "Obama, Barack Hussein".

Additional names

Now some people have some extra names. Barack Obama might have been given an extra middle name. That might have resulted in his name being something like Barack Hussein John Obama. In that case he would have written two middle names.

Another variation is where people keep their "maiden" family name after marriage. A "maiden" name is the name someone had from birth and is often changed by marriage where the woman (again, typically, in Western countries) takes the name from her husband.  However, in some cases a woman might decide to keep her maiden name OR to keep the maiden name AND add the husband's name. Hilary Clinton did exactly that. She was born "Hillary Diane Rodham". When she married Bill Clinton she kept her family name so she actually has a full name of "Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton". If she were to fill in a DV form she would probably have two names "Rodham Clinton" like this:-

Firstname: Hilary

MiddleName: Diane

Lastname: Rodham Clinton

That would typically mean some DV correspondence would show her name as "Rodham Clinton, Hilary Diane"

However, she "might" decide to write the second family name in the middlename section So she would write like this:

Firstname: Hilary

MiddleName: Diane Rodham

Lastname: Clinton

In that case she would see "Clinton, Hilary Diane Rodham" on some DV letters.

Spanish/Latin America variations.

In Spain, and some countries in Latin America people have a double last name convention. So, the singer Julio Iglesias has a full name of "Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva". In his case Iglesias is from his father and "de la Cueva" is from his mothers side. His data would be entered like this:

Firstname: Julio

MiddleName: José

Lastname: Iglesias de la Cueva

Single name (such as is common in Indonesia)

I have come across this before, and don’t have a great answer of what to do - so what I write here is a suggestion - your choice. If you are in this situation, you are going to have to make a decision on how to treat the name. Remember, in America (and the majority of countries around the world). It is normal to have at least two names. A family name (referred to as surname or lastname in the USA), and a given name (referred to as firstname or Christian name). In an American family the “norm” is that everyone in the family has the same family name – and each person has a given first name. Having two names creates some differentiation which makes life easier in terms of being identified.

There is a Wikipedia page that has the following suggestions for adapting the Indonesian single name for the USA.

1. Use the current name as the lastname, and end up with a first name of FNU or NFN.
2. Use the current name as the firstname, and end up with a first name of LNU or NLN.
3. Repeating the current name for first and lastnames.

None are ideal – Personally I would go with option 3 – but it is your choice. This is something you will have to decide and use in the future. I guess you could also adopt a second name prior to interview – going through a legal name change process.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_names

Please watch this video:

https://youtu.be/IZtkn-sif4w

A lot of people have been experiencing a problem when they try and enter their DS260. Sometimes this happens to cases before the DS260 is completed, sometimes, it is after the selectee has entered their form and wants to check it or make changes.

They will see a message similar to "Invalid Immigrant Visa Case Number".

Now - this at first seems like a system glitch. It does not happen to every case, but it has happened to aplicants in every region. So - it is unlikely to mean any problem to your specific case.

So - in cases  like this people can do one of two things.

1. Wait. If your case is not current soon and you don't need to make changes, then you could just wait. This problem may get fixed.
2. Contact KCC. They will in some cases tell you that you can make changes at the interview, but if you need to make changes such as adding a derivative, to contact the embassy and make an appointment. People have done that, gone to the embassy and received a passcode. They then are told to contact KCC again with that passcode who do something to allow the form to be accessed.

I have no idea what the procedure in option 2 achieves. I don't know any more about it at this time (September 2018).

As we know DV2021 was the first year where people had to supply their passport number when entering the lottery. The requirement was that the passport should be unexpired on the day of entry, but obviously that meant that some people had to renew their passports either before the DS260 submission, or at some time during the process. So - what can you do about that?

Well first, your passport should have at least 6 months of validity when you enter the USA. So - it is best to make sure you have at least a year of validity before the interview. So - that means a lot of people will need to renew their passports - its a common thing during the process.

However, you will need to prove you entered a valid passport at entry, so here are the things you can do.

First - keep a photocopy, or photo or something of the old passport. Sometimes countries return old passports to the user, but not always, so plan for that as you renew. Keep proof.

When you submit documents to KCC you should show the new passport if you have renewed already AS WELL AS the proof of the old passport. That way you have both bases covered.

The same thing for the interview. Be prepared to show both the new and the old passports (or proof) to the CO. They will be able to see the documents you submitted, but being over prepared is better.

An Infopass appointment is useful in Adjustment of Status (AoS) cases to get an idea of how your case is going. Often, a well time and well prepared infopass appointment can get a case moving. Below I have pasted some notes I wrote in order to explain how to prepare for an Infopass.  An infopass is ONLY for AoS cases - those being processed in the USA. I hope it helps.

You need to prepare for the Infopass, because otherwise they fob you off and tell you to wait (because most people have to wait a lot longer than we do, so the IOs are very used to telling people to wait). Try and have a mental or written note of things to ask - I think of it like a checklist. These are the things that you need to have completed (Mom please add if there is anything missed).

1. I-485 submitted and sent to the FO (obviously done otherwise you wouldn't be there, but just so you have a list).
2. Biometric completed?
3. Background/Name check completed?
4. Receipts for the DV fee and the AoS fee (you should have those - but point them out).
5. Have the FO requested the file from KCC? Have they received it? (check whether KCC say it's been requested or sent).

So, when you are at the infopass, thinking calm thoughts, don't get rushed and explain to the IO on the desk that you would like to check to see if everything is ready for the interview. Get them to agree and get them on your side. Then go through the list and ask them to confirm things (2, 3, and 5 are what you are asking them about). Once you confirm that all those things are ready, you are ready for the interview. If all that is ready, then POLITELY ask "OK, so what are we waiting for to schedule the interview?". 

If I were you I would also have the policy memo (link below) that counters the argument that DV cases are not subject to special processing. They are, and the memo (which is binding on the staff you will be talking to) confirms that. However, do not be aggressive or argumentative, instead talk about your fear that DV slots will run out as they did the last two years.

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default...013/August/DV-Related I-485 Applications .pdf

CEAC is the system that shows basic case information for all DV cases.

You can access the system at this link.

To check your number you enter your case number without the "leading" zeros.

So - if your number is 2017AF000012305, you enter 2017AF12305 (removing the leading zeros that I show in bold).

CEAC data is not available for the first few months of each year - it generally becomes available on the stroke of midnight (Eastern time zone ) in the processing year. So - for instance, DV2020 starting processing on October 1, 2019 but the CEAC data isnt't available until January 1, 2020.

So what do the status codes mean.

The first status for every case is “AT NVC”. You can ignore the text on the case – the case has not been passed to NVC.  What this status means is that the case is in one of the following situations.

1. The case is not yet current.
2. The case is current, BUT the DS260 has not be submitted at all, or it was submitted but not processed yet – and therefore not scheduled.
3. The case is current, the form is processed, but it is waiting to be scheduled (typically because the cases have not yet been sent to the embassies yet).

PLEASE IGNORE the NVC information that appears - it is a standard message and DOES NOT APPLY to DV cases

“In Transit”

This status is shown for a brief period when KCC has scheduled the interview, and transferred the case to the embassy. However, the embassy has not yet updated CEAC to acknowledge they have received the case.

“READY”

This is the next status after in transit. It means the case has arrived at the embassy for interview. Sometimes a case will continue to show ready even after the interview.

“Issued”

Pretty obviously – this is the status we all want to see! The interview took place, was successful and the visa has been approved/issued.

“Refused”

This is the status no one wants to see, meaning the interview took place and the selectee was denied. A derivative can be refused, while the principal is approved. However, if the principal is refused – all the derivatives are refused also – even if the embassy fails to update CEAC.

“Administrative Processing”

This is when someone did not have all the documents at the interview OR some additional checks are needed before the case can be adjudicated. AP can last a few days or several months. The status updates during that time are meaningless.

Derivative number.

For cases that are scheduled we can see the related derivative numbers. Case 01 is the principal and derivatives are case 02, 03 and so on.

Thanks to a smart guy called Rafikbo, I am able to extract all the CEAC data. I will shortly publish that data and will update that about twice a month. The data lets us understand the progress, predict cutoffs and interviews and so on. So – this is a valuable resource that we can all use to understand the process better. Hopefully this post will help you to understand…

This post will explain the timeline for people that have received their visa approval and want to know when they have to move to the USA and when they can leave (and for how long).

The DV lottery is for people who want permanent residence. A Green Card shows that someone is an LPR (Lawful Permanent Resident) and that comes with rights and responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is you are expected to live in the USA.  The Green Card is not for someone who simply wants a super visa to visit the USA every few months.

So - if you are approved for the visa (either at the interview or shortly after), you will give the embassy your passports. Each family member will have a visa on a page in the passport. This is intended to be a one time use visa (although has a longer use too, which I will shortly explain).  This visa must be used before the expiry date on the visa. The date is normally 6 months after the medical - so it is important to not do the medical too soon.

With the visa, you can fly to the USA to activate your LPR status. At the POE the paperwork from the embassy will be processed and your one time use visa will be endorsed (stamped). Once endorsed, the one time use visa is valid for travel for up to 12 months after entry. So - it is possible to enter the USA and leave immediately if you want.

Now, for the first absence after initial entry it is quite common to return to the home country for a period of time to tie up loose ends. That period can be up to 12 months without a problem.

Standard immigration law says an LPR should not be absent without prior permission for longer than 12 months. Normally absences should be under 6 months, and with such absences, the immigration officers will generally have few if any concerns or questions upon your return. absences between 6 and 12 months are possible but you can expect more questioning at the POE for those longer absences. In fact, an absence of over 180 days means you are applying for readmission. If the immigration officer has reason to suspect that you are not residing in the USA (for instance, have not kept a home address etc) then they may decide to refer you to an immigration judge to decide whether to revoke your Green Card.

In practice, the first absence after an activation trip is a time when you might have to tie up loose ends back in the home country. Because of that, the first return is normally perfectly safe to be up to 12 months absence, because the reasons for the duration of the absence are very understandable. I have known many people to take this 12 month absence and have NO problems upon their return. That does not mean it's "impossible" to have questioning, just that problems are rare.

If you need to have an absence of longer than 12 months, you can apply for a reentry permit. This gives you up to 2 years of absence and eases the return to the USA./ However, the permit application must be submitted in the USA and you have to be in the USA for a few weeks because they will schedule a biometric appointment. Once that appointment is done you could leave the USA, but the approval may come later. The approval is not automatic, it could be refused.

It is possible to face problems at the airport if the IO has reason to think you have abandoned your residency. In such cases the IO may offer to let you "surrender" your LPR status and enter as a tourist, but that is generally not wise. If you decline that "offer", you will be admitted to the USA and will be scheduled to appear before an immigration judge. You have a chance to argue your case and only that judge could revoke your status - so it would be wise to seek legal representation if that happens.

If you are absent for a period of longer than 12 months without an I-131, or longer than 24 months with an I-131, you will be considered to have abandoned your residency. In such cases, you have to apply for a returning resident visa at a consulate abroad.

OK - I hope that helps! You can also read this earlier article on the same topic.

DV1 Diversity principal, new arrival.

DV2 Spouse of DV1 or DV6, new arrival.

DV3 Child of DV1 or DV6, new arrival.

DV6 Diversity principal, adjustment.

DV7 Spouse of DV1 or DV6, adjustment.

DV8 Child of DV1 or DV6, adjustment.

Read this about moving money to the USA.

Here you go - useful links.

Many people experience this. The interview goes well, the CO says you are approved and then within a day or two the CEAC system shows the status has been updated to AP (Administrative Processing). So - that means one of two things is happening.

The usual thing is that the CEAC is updated to AP during the finalization of the processing. That typically lasts one or two days (work days, not counting weekends), and then the status is updated to "Issued". For the majority of cases this is what happens, it is nothing to worry about. Some people never even notice the brief period in AP, and some people just see the status stay on ready for days after the interview, then it is updated to Issued OR the passport is delivered. None of that is a problem!

The second case is where a case is "approved" in the interview and then the case needs some time in "real" AP. This can happen when the supervisors at the embassy review the cases approved by the CO and decide a case needs some checks. That type of AP can last days, weeks, even months - and is obviously very worrying for the selectee. So - if you case stays in AP after a successful interview for several days (let's say a week), then the second type of AP has started. There is NOTHING you can do about that - you just have to wait.

If you did consular processing abroad, the embassy will have pasted a visa into your passport. This is a "one time use" visa - when you use it by entering the USA you become a "Lawful Permanent Resident" (LPR). This is called "activating your status.  If you have paid the Green Card fee as instructed by the embassy, your plastic Green Card usually is sent to you about 2 to 3 months after initial entry. However, if you have to travel out of the country before you have the plastic card, you can use your one time use visa again. Upon activation it will have been "endorsed" and can be used for travel for up to 1 year after the initial entry.

So, if you have already activated, you are an LPR. However, airlines don't always understand the rules. In that case you might want to print out this guide which describes the documents in detail. Have the guide with you at the airport. Page 40 of this guide has information about the endorsed visa.

I hope that helps.

People often wonder when they will get their SSN and Green Cards, and if they can start work before they get these things.

The short answer is you are authorized to start work as soon as you land in the USA (you are only a resident once you have entered the USA). Your passport is stamped to show you are a LPR (resident) and that is technically enough to start work. However, most employers will want your SSN number, and some may (incorrectly) say they cannot have you start work before you get your Green Card. So - let's answer a few questions about the two documents.

SSN

The SSN comes from the SSA (Social Security Administration). That is NOT the same place as the Green Card. If you selected the option in your DS260 to have USCIS apply for the SSN for you, the SSN should arrive within 2 to 3 weeks of arrival at the US address in your DS260.

If you did not select that option or it doesn't arrive in time, you can go to the SSA office (in most large towns). They generally won't have you in their files for a few week days after arrival (don't count weekends). If you visit the SSA, you should have documents ready (passport and birth cert), and be prepared to be told incorrect information. That is VERY common, especially in areas when there are not many new immigrants. Stay calm and polite, but be firm.  Your passport has the I-551, and if you waited a few  days your arrival should be in their system.

If you had chosen the DS260 option and you have not received the SSN within a couple of weeks, the SSA might be able to tell you your SSN, and you make a note of that.

Each person gets one SSN in their life. If you had one previously (because you were on certain types of visa) the number will be the same but you might need a new card if the old card says not authorized for work.

Green Card

Your GC is only produced once you have entered the USA AND paid the fee ($220 at time of writing).

The GC arrival time varies greatly and times of UP to 3 or 4 months are not uncommon, although sometimes it arrives in a much shorter time. It is sent to the address in the DS260, and your last chance to change that was at the POE (port of entry).

The Green Card is delivered by the regular mail at the address you gave. It is important that the person at that address is trustworthy as your GC is expensive to replace. The envelope is supposed to be treated as a "secure document" meaning it will only be delivered to an address that the mailman associates with you (your name may be address to the mailbox once you start receiving mail). However, that was not an issue in my case, and I have not heard of problems with non delivery for that reason.

In early 2018 USCIS began to phase in a new secure method of document delivery. To my knowledge, thus far, it has not provided any real change in the delivery of documents but you can read about it here.  When government agencies talk about phasing in, it usually means sometimes they will use the new method, sometimes they won't. Theoretically there is a way to get the post office to hold an envelope for you, but I have not heard reports of anyone doing that. I signed up for the USPS service and get a daily email with images of the mail that is about to arrive, and I could register to have someone accept mail on my behalf. So - I would suggest you look at the link I gave and register for the USPS delivery service if possible.

Tracking of the GC is done through USCIS Elis system (where you paid the GC fee) BUT their system does not allow tracking for the first 90 days, by which time most people have the card. So - PATIENCE is key - as usual.

If you have waited 4 months and still don't have the card, contact USCIS.

If you had left the USA and a friend or relative received the SSN/GC for you, they can mail you the cards to your foreign address - BUT as discussed in other FAQ entries, the passport stamp is good for the first year to show your LPR status.

CEAC is the system that shows basic case information for all DV cases.

You can access the system at this link.

To check your number you enter your case number without the "leading" zeros.

So - if your number is 2017AF000012305, you enter 2017AF12305 (removing the leading zeros that I show in bold).

CEAC data is not available for the first few months of each year - it generally becomes available on the stroke of midnight (Eastern time zone ) in the processing year. So - for instance, DV2020 starting processing on October 1, 2019 but the CEAC data isnt't available until January 1, 2020.

So what do the status codes mean.

The first status for every case is “AT NVC”. You can ignore the text on the case – the case has not been passed to NVC.  What this status means is that the case is in one of the following situations.

1. The case is not yet current.
2. The case is current, BUT the DS260 has not be submitted at all, or it was submitted but not processed yet – and therefore not scheduled.
3. The case is current, the form is processed, but it is waiting to be scheduled (typically because the cases have not yet been sent to the embassies yet).

PLEASE IGNORE the NVC information that appears - it is a standard message and DOES NOT APPLY to DV cases

“In Transit”

This status is shown for a brief period when KCC has scheduled the interview, and transferred the case to the embassy. However, the embassy has not yet updated CEAC to acknowledge they have received the case.

“READY”

This is the next status after in transit. It means the case has arrived at the embassy for interview. Sometimes a case will continue to show ready even after the interview.

“Issued”

Pretty obviously – this is the status we all want to see! The interview took place, was successful and the visa has been approved/issued.

“Refused”

This is the status no one wants to see, meaning the interview took place and the selectee was denied. A derivative can be refused, while the principal is approved. However, if the principal is refused – all the derivatives are refused also – even if the embassy fails to update CEAC.

“Administrative Processing”

This is when someone did not have all the documents at the interview OR some additional checks are needed before the case can be adjudicated. AP can last a few days or several months. The status updates during that time are meaningless.

Derivative number.

For cases that are scheduled we can see the related derivative numbers. Case 01 is the principal and derivatives are case 02, 03 and so on.

Thanks to a smart guy called Rafikbo, I am able to extract all the CEAC data. I will shortly publish that data and will update that about twice a month. The data lets us understand the progress, predict cutoffs and interviews and so on. So – this is a valuable resource that we can all use to understand the process better. Hopefully this post will help you to understand…

A lot of people have been experiencing a problem when they try and enter their DS260. Sometimes this happens to cases before the DS260 is completed, sometimes, it is after the selectee has entered their form and wants to check it or make changes.

They will see a message similar to "Invalid Immigrant Visa Case Number".

Now - this at first seems like a system glitch. It does not happen to every case, but it has happened to aplicants in every region. So - it is unlikely to mean any problem to your specific case.

So - in cases  like this people can do one of two things.

1. Wait. If your case is not current soon and you don't need to make changes, then you could just wait. This problem may get fixed.
2. Contact KCC. They will in some cases tell you that you can make changes at the interview, but if you need to make changes such as adding a derivative, to contact the embassy and make an appointment. People have done that, gone to the embassy and received a passcode. They then are told to contact KCC again with that passcode who do something to allow the form to be accessed.

I have no idea what the procedure in option 2 achieves. I don't know any more about it at this time (September 2018).

I would like to "try" to clarify the confusion that comes from name formats during this process. I cannot address the variances of every country, but I will explain things from a "Western" perspective along with some variations I am clear about.

Let us consider the name of our president - Barack Hussein Obama.

For official forms they often ask for the following names - firstname, middlename, lastname.

The "Firstname" is the name he would be known by to his friends and family. It is Barack.  It might sometimes be referred to as a given name or Christian name. A given name is one that is given to a child by the parents - meaning it is a name they choose.

The "Middlename" for our president is Hussein. It is also a "given" name in that the parents chose it.

The "Lastname" for our president is Obama. This name is sometimes referred to as a surname or family name. The name, in most Western countries, comes from the family (typically from the fathers side), and is not "chosen", So - in the case of Barack Obama, his father's family name was Obama.

Some DV documents will list the names in a kind of "reversed" order (Lasname, Firstname Middlename). This is very common in a lot of systems. So - it would not be a surprise to see our president listed as "Obama, Barack Hussein".

Additional names

Now some people have some extra names. Barack Obama might have been given an extra middle name. That might have resulted in his name being something like Barack Hussein John Obama. In that case he would have written two middle names.

Another variation is where people keep their "maiden" family name after marriage. A "maiden" name is the name someone had from birth and is often changed by marriage where the woman (again, typically, in Western countries) takes the name from her husband.  However, in some cases a woman might decide to keep her maiden name OR to keep the maiden name AND add the husband's name. Hilary Clinton did exactly that. She was born "Hillary Diane Rodham". When she married Bill Clinton she kept her family name so she actually has a full name of "Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton". If she were to fill in a DV form she would probably have two names "Rodham Clinton" like this:-

Firstname: Hilary

MiddleName: Diane

Lastname: Rodham Clinton

That would typically mean some DV correspondence would show her name as "Rodham Clinton, Hilary Diane"

However, she "might" decide to write the second family name in the middlename section So she would write like this:

Firstname: Hilary

MiddleName: Diane Rodham

Lastname: Clinton

In that case she would see "Clinton, Hilary Diane Rodham" on some DV letters.

Spanish/Latin America variations.

In Spain, and some countries in Latin America people have a double last name convention. So, the singer Julio Iglesias has a full name of "Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva". In his case Iglesias is from his father and "de la Cueva" is from his mothers side. His data would be entered like this:

Firstname: Julio

MiddleName: José

Lastname: Iglesias de la Cueva

Single name (such as is common in Indonesia)

I have come across this before, and don’t have a great answer of what to do - so what I write here is a suggestion - your choice. If you are in this situation, you are going to have to make a decision on how to treat the name. Remember, in America (and the majority of countries around the world). It is normal to have at least two names. A family name (referred to as surname or lastname in the USA), and a given name (referred to as firstname or Christian name). In an American family the “norm” is that everyone in the family has the same family name – and each person has a given first name. Having two names creates some differentiation which makes life easier in terms of being identified.

There is a Wikipedia page that has the following suggestions for adapting the Indonesian single name for the USA.

1. Use the current name as the lastname, and end up with a first name of FNU or NFN.
2. Use the current name as the firstname, and end up with a first name of LNU or NLN.
3. Repeating the current name for first and lastnames.

None are ideal – Personally I would go with option 3 – but it is your choice. This is something you will have to decide and use in the future. I guess you could also adopt a second name prior to interview – going through a legal name change process.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_names

Some people are experiencing a problem during submission of their DV lottery DS260. They get a message that says "CASE NUMBER DOESN’T MATCH WITH THE CASE NUMBER"

In that case the following fix has worked for some people.

Where you enter your case number, remove the leading zeros. So - where the case number is for example 2018AF000012345 , you would enter 2018AF12345. Try that - it should then work.

I created a guide to help you complete the DS260.

Please read this post about Follow to Join

Some healthcare workers may wonder how to answer this one.  Generally, if you ARE a healthcare worker (doctor, nurse and so on) and intend to continue that profession in the USA, your answer should be YES.

This scares people because those workers are well aware that practicing medicine without appropriate licenses is a serious issue. So, for clarity let me explain the rationale behind the answer.

The question should be read in two parts.

Part 1. "Are you a health care worker seeking to perform such work in the United States."
Well if that is true (that you are a healthcare worker and you intend to do that in the USA) then you answer to this part of the question is YES.

Part 2. "but have not yet received certification from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools or from an equivalent approved independent credentialing organization?"
Well unless you have already received such certification, then the answer to that part is NO.

So - the correct answer to the whole question (for a healthcare worker) is YES.

Now - why do some people think they should NO. Well, those people is answering the question they THINK was being asked which was will you practice healthcare/medicine without credentials (which would be illegal). Well of course you would NOT do that - but that is NOT the question being asked.

The question is asked in that way because the DS260 is used for other types of visas, including some that would rely more heavily on that question. For a DV process that question can safely be answered either way - BUT the better answer is yes because it is a more accurate reflection of the truth and reality - unless you do not plan to practice medicine in the USA.

https://youtu.be/eTS1lZ1qRRc

To unlock your case, you must send an email to KCC – Their email address is KCCDV@state.gov

You need to include your full name, Full case number (like 2020AF00031999) and your date of birth in Month/Day/Year format (MM/DD/YYYY)

You do not need to provide a reason to unlock. So you email can have the following format.

Email subject: Unlock request

Email Body:

Name: Firstname Middlename lastname

Case Number: 2020AF00031999

Date of Birth: 10/23/1981

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please unlock my DS260 form as I would like to make some revisions.

Thank you.

If you are unlocking the case of a derivative, you need to include the details shown above for the principal selectee, AND then make clear which derivative form you need to be unlocked.

Note that it can take as little as a few hours to get your form unlocked, but in busier times it can take up to 2 weeks. Once the form is unlocked, KCC email you.

KCC will not unlock your form once your case has been scheduled, and there is a period of time just before your 2NL is sent when your case cannot be unlocked because it is already scheduled in their system even though it has not gone to the embassy yet. That period of time is just after the VB has been released up until the 2NL goes out.

There is no formal deadline. People will be submitting their forms far into the DV year. The only concern is that at some point it would be too late to get the form processed. However, the speed of processing varies by case, so I cannot put a finite date on the last time to submit. I would suggest treating May of the DV year (almost 1 full year after the results are announced), but I have seen cases submitted in June still get through.

So - it is perfectly fine to delay submission of the DS260, and in some cases it can be advantageous to do so (for instance where people cannot emigrate before completing college etc) .

A lot of people have been experiencing a problem when they try and enter their DS260. Sometimes this happens to cases before the DS260 is completed, sometimes, it is after the selectee has entered their form and wants to check it or make changes.

They will see a message similar to "Invalid Immigrant Visa Case Number".

Now - this at first seems like a system glitch. It does not happen to every case, but it has happened to aplicants in every region. So - it is unlikely to mean any problem to your specific case.

So - in cases  like this people can do one of two things.

1. Wait. If your case is not current soon and you don't need to make changes, then you could just wait. This problem may get fixed.
2. Contact KCC. They will in some cases tell you that you can make changes at the interview, but if you need to make changes such as adding a derivative, to contact the embassy and make an appointment. People have done that, gone to the embassy and received a passcode. They then are told to contact KCC again with that passcode who do something to allow the form to be accessed.

I have no idea what the procedure in option 2 achieves. I don't know any more about it at this time (September 2018).

This video will help you figure out why you cannot get into your DS260

https://youtu.be/aWeJqaSXEEM

If you can't access your DS260, watch the following video to get some tips.

https://youtu.be/aWeJqaSXEEM

I seem to get this question very often. People misunderstand my responses and somehow get the impression that there is a "good time" to submit, or perhaps a bad time. For many cases that is not true at all. But let me explain in more detail.

What many people do is submit the DS260 as soon as they see they have been chosen as a selectee - the winners letter gives the impression that it is some sort of race to submit the form, and that delaying will cost the Greencard. That is ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. There is no such race. When there are too many selectees in a year, the chances do not go to those who submit their forms first. Never. That is not how it works. The process is based around the case number. So - it you have a very low case number and you submit late, you may still be interviewed before someone with a high case number. I am absolutely certain of this, and in time, you will understand that too.

So when should you submit. OK - well if you have a low case number and you want the earliest possible interview - go ahead and submit the forms as early as you can - but please do take your time so that you don't rush the completing of the forms and simply have to unlock and correct them later once you understand what you did wrong. I see that ALL the time. No interviews will happen before October of the selection year (i.e. about 5 months after the results are announced), so there is plenty of time to submit your form and still get an early interview. But few people have case numbers low enough to get an October interview anyway. Processing is spread over the complete year.

Now - a low case number selectee might want to delay their submission if they want to delay their case. Why - well let's say they get the selection notification in May and they have an incredibly low case number - case number AF00000001 (normally said as AF1) for instance in some year - the very first number for that region. OK - that person could submit right away and in a normal year they would expect an October interview, but that would mean they would have to move to the USA by about Feb/March of the following year. And maybe they have kids in school and would prefer to move around August of the following year. Well in that case the selectee would be wise to delay submitting their DS260 forms until a few months later. If for example they delay submission until December they would probably get a March/April interview which gives them until September/October in the year after selection to move to the USA.  That could be very useful to someone if they just stop and think about it. Now - in that case some higher case numbers would have been interviewed before the lucky winner with AF1 but that is no problem. Visa processing is spread out over the year - so there is no way that visas will run out before March/April - in fact in years when visas have run out it is not until September. I hope that is clear.

Now - let's talk about high case numbers. There is a different concern in this case. As should already be clear, a person with a high case number cannot get interviewed more quickly by submitting fast. So - there is NO POINT rushing to submit. I get very frustrated when I see people have blindly rushed into submitting their DS260 and they have high case numbers. Frankly it is a daft thing to do - for a couple of reasons.

First reason is that by rushing, you will probably make some mistakes. You'll leave education history incomplete, you'll leave some question badly answered because you don't understand yet.

Second, you will have to maintain that information for a full year before your case is interviewed, and a lot can happen in a year. You may fall in love and get married. You may have a baby. Who knows? But the point is, waiting to submit would be smarter.

The third and probably the most important reason to wait to submit is this. Submitting a DS260 (which cannot be retracted) declares to the government that you would like to immigrate to the USA. It's known as a declaration of immigrant intent. That is a factor that can weigh against you if you ever need to apply for a non immigrant visas to the USA. Hopefully you will get your DV lottery visa and you will never have this concern - but if you have a high case number, in some years those case numbers never get a chance. That is because in some years the government select more people as winners than are needed, so some people miss out. This happens about half the time - roughly half the years are "over selected".

Now - we only know whether the year is over selected in about July or August of each year. That is when we see the number of selectees for each country/region.  If that number is more than about 100,000 (roughly), it is an over selected year. From memory DV2014 (my year of selection) had 140k selectees, far too many. DV2015 had 125k selectees - again, too many. At the time of writing, out of the last 14 years, seven were under 100k and seven were over 100k.

So a person, with a high case number would be wise to delay their DS260 submission until at least the selectee number is known (July or August). And at that point they can decide whether to submit or not. Submitting later like this will not delay their case in any way, because they have to wait anyway for the case number to become current. So - submitting late is a wise choice for some people.

Now - lastly, when is the LATEST time to submit the DS260 - is there a deadline?

No - there is no deadline. I have known people that got selected in May that waited until JUNE of the following year to submit they DS260 and still get scheduled in time before the end of the year. These days with the two step process (DS260 being step 1, documents being step 2) I recommend people submit DS260s no later than early May - that is 1 year after the results are published. That is the latest you could submit, but for a bit of additional safety consider March or even April as being sensible late submission deadlines.

Please watch this video:

https://youtu.be/IZtkn-sif4w

As of November 2018, there is a new process in place for sending documents to KCC prior to the scheduling of an interview.

Please read this article for more explanation

When people rush to submit their DS260s I often tell people they were too fast to do so and should understand the consequences of filing a DS260 when there is risk you won't get processed. This problem relates to the demonstration of "immigrant intent" - the desire or intention to try to emigrate to the USA.  Demonstrating immigrant intent can cause difficulties if you later apply for certain types of non immigrant visa. So - this FAQ entry explains why.

Much of the illegal immigration to this country is not, as some seem to believe,  people coming over the southern border with Mexico. Most illegal immigration is actually people who get a non immigrant visa, then overstay. In order to reduce that risk, a person applying for a non immigrant visa has to satisfy a CO that they will not overstay if a visa is granted. Showing ties to the home country (such as family and job) usually helps assure the CO, and so they are factors that will be considered. In fact, NOT showing ties is the single most common reason that non immigrant visas (NIVs) are denied.

A previous DS260 application is a factor that will be considered and increases the suspicion that the person will try to overstay or try to stay in the USA. The DS260 is an application for  immigration benefit - so it is a clear "announcement" of your desire to want to live in the USA. However, it is only one factor that will be considered, and not necessarily a cause of denial by itself.

Some NIVs (such as L1 and H1) are considered "dual intent" visas, meaning is is not a problem to show desire to emigrate to the USA as well as apply for an H1/L1.

Some may want to know a little more about me – so here goes….

I am a 50 year old IT Software Engineer. Originally from the United Kingdom I now live in Livermore, California – a small city of 82,000 people just outside San Francisco.  The area is on the border of the “Silicon Valley” which is where many technology companies are based.

I am married and live with my wife and youngest daughter – currently aged 7. I have 3 other grown up children from a previous marriage and 4 grandkids so far!!! I moved to California early in 2014 on an H1-B visa and adjusted my status to a Green Card holder in September 2014 via the DV lottery. My wife (from Spain) was the winner – we won on our second year of entering. I have had many years of commuting back and forth between the UK and the USA – sometimes flying transatlantic 3 or 4 times a month (I did that constantly for one particularly tiring 5 year period). My brother is a US citizen having been one of the early DV lottery winners back in the early 90’s, so although I had options for Employment based and Family based immigration, the DV lottery win provided a fast way to feel that we could make the USA our permanent home.

My wife and I just bought a small building lot to build a house which we hope to start and complete within the next 12 months. I commute daily on a Ducati motorcycle, and when I am not at the keyboard at work or at DV lottery activities, I am mostly hanging out with my family…

Thank you for thinking about showing your appreciation! I do have a page where you can leave a message of support and donate to "The Treehouse fund". If the site helps you, I would be grateful for your support.

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