Registration for the Diversity Visa Program for fiscal year 2019 (DV-2019) will begin at noon ET on October 3, 2017, and end at noon ET on November 7, 2017. For FY 2019, 50,000 diversity visas will be available. There is no cost to register for the DV program.
For DV-2019, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.
Applicants must submit entries for the DV-2019 program electronically at https://dvlottery.state.gov/. The Department of State advises applicants not to 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 Department noted that it “uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries. Individuals with more than one entry will be disqualified.” Older browsers (Internet Explorer 8 and earlier) may encounter problems with the online system; the Department advises using an updated browser. Also, it is extremely important to retain the confirmation page and unique confirmation number. Without this information, applicants will not be able to access the online system that informs them of their entry status.
All DV-2019 entrants must go to the Entrant Status Check using the unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2019 online entry registration to find out whether their entry has been selected. Entrant Status Check will be available at https://dvlottery.state.gov/ beginning May 1, 2018, through at least September 30, 2019.
Entrant Status Check will be the only means by which the Department of State notifies applicants of their selection for DV-2019. The Department of State will not mail notification letters or notify selectees by email. U.S. embassies and consulates will not provide a list of selectees.
Those who applied for the DV-2018 program can check their status at https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/.
For additional eligibility requirements and further information, see the instructions for DV-2019.