DV Lottery Selected? Next Steps: DS-260 and the Interview

First, make sure you were really selected

The real result appears only on dvprogram.state.gov when you enter your confirmation number. If you were selected you will see a selection letter, your case number and instructions for the next steps.

Do not believe any email or message that says you won or asks you to send money: the State Department does not send winner notifications.

The DS-260 form

The next step is filling in the DS-260 online immigrant visa application for yourself and every family member who will immigrate with you, accurately and with the same details you gave when you entered.

Do not delay it: more people are selected than there are visas, and visas run out at the end of the program's fiscal year.

Your case number and the Visa Bulletin

Interviews are not scheduled all at once. Every month the State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin, which lists the case numbers that can be scheduled in each region; lower numbers are usually scheduled first.

When your number is current and your documents are complete, you get an interview notice through the official site.

Documents you need after selection

Prepare original documents, with translations where needed. They usually include:

• A valid passport for every immigrant.
• Birth certificate.
• Proof of education (high school or equivalent) or of work experience.
• Police certificates from the relevant authorities, as the instructions require.
• Marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, and divorce or death certificates for any earlier marriage.
• Photos that meet the visa photo requirements.

The medical exam, interview and fees

Before the interview you have a medical exam with an embassy-approved doctor and get the required vaccinations. Documents and details differ by country, so check your country's page on travel.state.gov.

At the interview the consular officer checks your identity, documents and eligibility. You pay the diversity visa fee for each person, which is separate from the lottery entry fee, and you are usually asked to pay the USCIS immigrant fee before travelling.

Once the visa is issued you enter the United States before it expires, and the green card is mailed to you after you arrive.

Questions and answers