2013 USA Diversity Visa Lottery - Results Release Date Announced

The United States (U.S.) Department of State has advised those who applied in the Diversity Visa 2013 programme to check the status of their entries through the Entrant Status on the E-DV website beginning on May 1, 2012.

Already, about 14,768, 688 people globally applied for the visa from which 100,000 people have been chosen.


But only 50,000 visas will be issued to successful applicants after processing of the applications and interviewing of those who applied from the list of 100,000 people globally, according to three officials of U.S. Embassy in Nigeria – Fraud Prevention Manager, Christina Bernel; Chief Immigrant Visa Unit, Kris Arvind and Staff Supervisor, Chinedun – during a briefing in at American Consulate-General in Lagos.

However, all applicants who are selected will be informed promptly of their place on the list through the E-DV website’s Entrant Status Check and no correspondence will be sent to successful applicants.

Interviews for the DV-2013 programme will begin in October 2012 and selectees who provide information requested in the notification instructions will be informed of their visa interview appointment through the E-DV website’s Entrant Status Check four to six weeks before the scheduled interviews with U.S. consular officers at overseas posts.

Each month, visas will be issued to those applicants who are ready for issuance during that month, visa-number availability permitting. Once all of the 50,000 DV visas have been issued, the programme will end, the U.S. embassy official explained.

In principle, visa numbers could be finished before September 2013.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State, Office of Visa Services, has advised the public of a notable increase in fraudulent e-mails and letters sent to Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) programme (Visa Lottery) applicants.

The scammers behind these fraudulent emails and letters are posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from DV applicants.

Therefore, the Embassy officials said the Department of State does not have any authorise agent for visa lottery programme.

They warned those applying for the DV to be careful when accepting outside help as well as ensure that information they entered are correct.

The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme is administered on a yearly basis by the Department of State and conducted based on United States law, specifically Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

This law provides for a class of immigrants known as diversity immigrants,  with visas made available to persons from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

For fiscal year 2013, 50,000 diversity visas will be available.

The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. A computer- generated, random drawing chooses selectees for DVs. The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, and within each region, no single country may receive more than seven per cent of the available DVs in any one year. Visas are allocated to nationals of countries with historically lower rates of U.S. immigration.

Nationals of countries who have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past five years are not eligible to apply for the Diversity Visa programme.

The natives of the following countries are not eligible: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (Mainland-Born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, 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.