The Immigration Act of 1990 established the Diversity Visa (DV) program, where 55,000 immigrant visas would be available in an annual lottery, starting in fiscal year 1995. The lottery aims to diversify the immigrant population in the United States, by selecting applicants mostly from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States in the previous five years.

To apply for a diversity visa, follow the steps on the Diversity Visa Process on usvisas.state.gov. Once you have completed those steps, review the instructions given to you by the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), along with the information presented on this website, for further guidance and instructions.

DV-2021 Program: Online Registration

 

DV-2021 Program: The revised online registration period for the DV-2021 Program begins on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and concludes on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-4). Individuals who submit more than one entry during the registration period will be disqualified.

Registered entries that comply with form submission instructions will result in the display of a confirmation screen page that contains the entrant’s name and confirmation number, which the entrant should print. The confirmation screen page will provide information the entrant must use to check the status of his or her entry electronically through the Entrant Status Check available at dvlottery.state.gov. Only entrants who have their confirmation information will be able to check their Entrant Status and, if selected, receive application instructions and notification of their IV interview appointment. A link on the Entry Status Check page will allow entrants to retrieve their confirmation number by entering their email address, last name, and year of birth.

Entrants may prepare and submit their own entries or have someone submit the entry for them. Whether the individual submits an entry directly, or an attorney, friend, relative, etc. provides assistance, only one entry may be submitted in the name of each individual, and the entrant remains responsible for ensuring that the information is correct and complete. All entrants, including those not selected, will be able to check the status of their entry through the Entrant Status Check available at dvlottery.state.gov.

The principal entrant must supply information from a valid, unexpired passport. Applicants must submit a recent photo taken within the last six months that is compliant with specifications published in the DV-2021 Instructions. Entries that include the same photo submitted with a previous year’s entry or that do not meet specifications will be disqualified.