This week, the U.S. State Department has announced that the dates for this year’s Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery filings will officially open on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. EDT, with the entry period closing on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. 55,000 visa applicants will be selected starting May 6, 2023. The State Department reminds applicants that submission of more than one entry per person will disqualify all entries for that person.
Applications may only be submitted electronically at the formal Department of State website. The Department has encouraged individuals not to wait until the last minute to apply for the lottery and reminds the public that there is no charge to register. Applicants should maintain all information concerning the completion of registration in a safe place for follow up in May 2023, when the random lottery results become available.
Below are all of the details one should know when applying to the 2023 DV-Lottery Program.
Who May Apply
Individuals from all countries may apply, except those from Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea (South Korea), United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Please note that natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.
The program is geared to attract individuals from countries that have historically low immigration levels to the United States.
Level of Education and Experience
Each DV applicant must meet the education/work experience requirement of the program by either possessing:
- At least a high school education
- or equivalent or two years of work experience in the past five years in an occupation requiring two years of training or experience.
How to Apply
Entries to the 2023 DV-Lottery Program must be submitted between Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. EDT through Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. The submissions may only be filed electronically. There is no fee for the filing and for this reason, the Department of State warns that any service or website charging a fee for the submission is fraudulent. The website for submissions is dvprogram.state.gov.
When Are Winners Notified?
Random selection of individual applications will be made by computer from among qualified entries commencing May 6, 2023, through September 30, 2024. Entrants can check their status on the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov, and the ‘entrant status webpage’ beginning May 6, 2023. Please note that if more than one application is submitted per applicant, one is disqualified. However, in family situations, all family members may apply for the Lottery, assuming they meet the eligibility criteria.
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