New DV-2019 Program
Due to a technical issue, the DV-2019 entry period that began on October 3 has been closed. Entries submitted during October 3-10 are not valid and have been excluded from the system; they will not count as a duplicate entry. The technical issue has been resolved and a new full entry period will begin at noon, U.S. Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday October 18, 2017 and will run until noon Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday November 22, 2017. Only entries submitted during this period will be accepted and considered for selection in the lottery. Please throw away any confirmation number or other documentation that you have if you submitted an entry during Oct. 3-10.
Из-за технической проблемы, прекратился период подачи заявлений об участии в лотерее DV-2019, который начался 3 октября. Заявления, поданные с 3 по 10 октября являются недействующими и были исключены из системы; они не будут распознаны системой как дубликат. Техническая проблема решена, и в полдень по восточному летнему времени (EDT) среды 18 октября 2017 начнется новый полный период подачи заявлений, который будет продлен до полудня по восточному стандартному времени (EST) в среду 22 ноября 2017. Приниматься и считаться для выбора в лотерее будут только заявления отправлены в течение нового периода. Пожалуйста, выбросьте номер подтверждения или другую документацию, если вы подали заявление с 3 по 10 октября. Результаты лотереи DV-2019 будут доступны в Интернете с 15 мая 2018.
Online registration for the DV-2019 Program begins on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and will conclude on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-4). Applicants must submit entries for the DV-2019 program electronically at dvlottery.state.gov . There is no cost to register for the DV Program. Do not wait until the last week of the registration period to enter, as heavy demand may result in website delays. No late entries or paper entries will be accepted. The law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period. The Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries. Individuals with more than one entry will be disqualified. After you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number. Print this confirmation screen for your records.
Starting May 15, 2018 the results of the DV-2019 visa lottery program will be available online. You will be able to check the status of your entry through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website at https://dvlottery.state.gov/ using your unique confirmation number and personal information. It will be the only way to check whether your entry was selected. If you lose your confirmation number, there is a special tool to recover it available on the E-DV website. If your entry is selected, you will be directed to a confirmation page that will provide further instructions, including information on fees connected with immigration to the United States. If you are selected we encourage you to complete the DS-260 visa applications soon. The Embassy will be processing DV-2019 visa lottery cases starting on October 1, 2018 till September 30, 2019.
Instructions for the DV-2019 Visa Lottery Program are available on the website of the State Department. Instructions in Polish are available here. Instructions in Russian will be available soon.
DV-2018 Program
Online registration for the DV-2018 Program concluded on November 7, 2016. Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Forms were submitted online at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/. It is extremely important that you retain your confirmation page and confirmation number.
You may check the status of your entry at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/, by clicking on Entrant Status Check and entering your unique confirmation number and personal information. Entrant Status Check is the sole means of informing you of your selection for DV-2018, providing instructions on how to proceed with your application, and notifying you of your appointment for an immigrant visa interview.
The Embassy started processing DV-2018 visa lottery cases and issuing immigrant visas to eligible applicants on Monday, October 2, 2017.
Instructions for the DV-2018 (PDF – 449 Kb) Visa Lottery Program are available on the website of the State Department.
The Russian translation of the DV-2018 Instructions is available here (PDF – 572 Kb).
The Polish translation of the DV-2018 Instructions is available here. (PDF – 566 Kb)
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SCAM WARNING!!! If you receive an e-mail or a phone call claiming that you have been selected in the Diversity Visa Lottery program, and requesting any action or payment from you, you should be aware that you are a victim of a scam. The Embassy warns Polish citizens that such notifications are not legitimate. Please do not take any action or send any money. |
The Congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available 50,000 diversity visas (DV) annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Visas are apportioned among six geographic regions based on immigration rates over the last five years, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration. The law and regulations require that every diversity visa entrant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or have, within the past five years, two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years’ training or experience. To learn more about qualifying occupations, see the Diversity Visa Instructions Frequently Asked Questions (PDF – 449 Kb) and the List of Occupations webpage.
In fiscal year 2013 Poland returned on the list of Diversity Visa (DV) eligible countries, though due to the large numbers of Poles immigrating to the United States, in the previous six years Poland was excluded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the DV Lottery. The Immigration and Nationality Act states that no diversity visas shall be provided for “high admission” countries – those from which there were more than 50,000 immigrants during the previous five years. Each year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the DHS compiles the immigrant admission figures for the previous five years to identify those countries that must be excluded from the annual diversity lottery. A separate determination is made before each lottery application period, resulting in the list of countries eligible for the program changing from one year to the next. Therefore, it was possible that Poland was included in the DV Program again, because the number of Polish immigrants to the U.S. dropped below the 50,000 threshold for the preceding five years.
Please note that winning DV Lottery does not mean getting an immigrant visa or a green card. DV applicants have to meet all the requirements for both the DV Lottery and the U.S. immigrant visa to be eligible to obtain it.
Electronic lottery entry in the annual DV program is free (there is no fee). To enter the DV lottery, you must be a native of one of the countries listed by the State Department. Persons born in Poland qualify for the DV-2018 and 2019 programs.
Scam Warning!
If you receive an e-mail claiming that you have been selected in the Diversity Visa Lottery program, and requesting any action or payment from you, you should be aware that you are a victim of a scam.
The Embassy warns Polish citizens that such notifications are not legitimate. Please do not take any action or send any money.
For fraud warning details please check the State Department’s info at http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/general/fraud.html.
Please note that Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) is no longer mailing a letter confirming that applicants were selected. Entrant Status Check is the sole means of informing you of your selection for the DV visa lottery program. The Entrant Status Check will also provide instruction on how to proceed with your application, and will notify you of your appointment for immigrant visa interview, so it is essential you retain your confirmation number.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you have lost your confirmation information, you will not be able to check your DV entry status. The State Department will not be able to resend the confirmation page information to you.
How do I find out if I won? Notification and Next Steps.
All entrants may check the status of their DV entry on-line through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Entrants will need to use the information they received from their confirmation page saved at the time of entry. Entrant Status Check is the ONLY means of informing you if your entry for DV was selected or not.
The Entrant Status Check also provides instructions on how to proceed with your application, and notifies you of your appointment for immigrant visa interview, so it is essential that you retain your confirmation number. Please note that the Kentucky Consular Center does not mail letters or send e-mails confirming that applicants were selected and the American Embassy does not have a list of winners.
If you have been selected for further processing in the Diversity Visa program, after you read instructions, you will need to demonstrate you are eligible for a diversity immigrant visa by successfully completing the next steps. You should carefully and promptly follow the instructions. The principal applicant and all family members applying for a diversity visa in the DV-2015 program must complete the online Immigrant Visa Application Form DS-260. You will need to enter your DV case number and principal applicant’s date of birth into the CEAC website to access the form DS-260 and update the information about yourself and your family that you included in your DV entry.
If your family circumstances have changed after you entered the lottery, for example, if you have gotten married or had a child, you will need to add your new family members to your case. After submitting the Form DS-260 online, please print the confirmation page. You must bring the confirmation page to your visa interview with you.
Important note: If you had a spouse or children prior to submitting your original entry, but you did not include them on your original entry form, then your case will be disqualified at the time of your visa interview. Neither you nor any of your family members will receive visas.
The Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) will review your information, and will let you know if there are any problems with the data you have provided. KCC may request that you go back to CEAC to update information on your DS-260.
Please be aware that KCC can only tell you if your form is complete. KCC cannot tell you whether or not you or your family members are qualified for diversity visas. Only the consular officer who will interview you can make that decision.
Please note that selected applicants will have to pay all diversity visa fees in person at the U.S. Embassy at the time of the visa interview.
What documents will I need for my visa interview?
At the time of your visa interview you will be required to provide the documents listed below (originals and copies with translations into English).
Important: These documents must not be mailed to either the KCC or the Embassy. You will be required to furnish the documents on the day of your visa interview.
Passport
The passport should be valid for at least sixty days beyond the period of validity of the visa. Please remove any plastic sleeves/coverings from the passport.
Important: Each applicant should bring his/her previous passport(s) with U.S. visas, otherwise your visa may be refused until the consular officer can review them.
UID Number
Please print out and bring to the Embassy the confirmation page of your GSS registration and passport TNT pick-up location choice. The confirmation page must contain the barcode and your UID number.
Photographs
Each applicant must submit two photos which meet all the requirements listed here. Photos must have at the back with your last and first name in capital letters.
Immigrant Visa Application Forms
Complete online (if you have not done it earlier) the biographic data form DS-260 for each person applying for a visa, regardless of age. The form is accessible through CEAC website at https://ceac.state.gov/IV.
To access and complete the DS-260 you will need your case number and principal applicant’s date of birth (in the format YYYYMMDD).
Birth Certificate
For applicants born in Poland only complete version of a birth certificate (Odpis zupełny aktu urodzenia) is accepted. Polish “short form” of birth certificate is not accepted.
Marriage Certificate (if applicable)
Married persons are required to present a certified copy of their marriage certificate (one copy for every spouse). Please note that only complete versions of Polish marriage certificates (Odpis zupełny aktu małżeństwa) are accepted. The Polish “short form” marriage certificate is not accepted
Evidence of the Termination of Prior Marriages (if applicable)
Any applicant who has been previously married must obtain evidence of the termination of each prior marriage such as final divorce decree, death certificate or annulment of marriage.
Police Certificate
Police certificates are required for every applicant aged 16 or over. If the applicant has been convicted of any crime in any country, a copy of the court record of each conviction is required (with translation into English). For further information on how to obtain police certificate click here.
Military Records
All applicants with current or prior military service must provide military records, if applicable. Military records must contain a complete record of the applicant’s service and conduct while in the service. The record must show any convictions of crime before military tribunals.
Medical Examinations
All applicants should submit the results of medical examination in the original unopened envelope. For further information regarding required medical examination click here.
Financial Documents
Diversity Visa applicants must demonstrate that they have the financial means to support themselves and not become a public charge on the U.S. government.
Evidence of Required Education or Work Experience
This requirement applies only to the principal applicant whose entry was selected in the lottery. For additional details, please see the DV instructions.
Translations
Documents in Polish, except for court records, do not have to be translated. All documents that are not written in English or Polish must be translated into English by a certified translator.
When is my interview at the Embassy?
After your online forms have been received and approved by the Kentucky Consular Center, based on visa availability, you may receive an e-mail from KCC to let you know that an interview has been scheduled at the U.S. Embassy. The e-mail will instruct you to log into the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website, using your DV entry confirmation number, to view the date, time and location of your interview.
Starting October 2, 2017 we began processing cases of the DV-2018 diversity visa lottery program.
