State Department Selects FY 2015 Diversity Visa Lottery Winners

The U.S. State Department has chosen the winners of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery. Foreign nationals who entered the lottery can visit the official Entrant Status Check website to learn whether they were selected to submit an application for permanent residence. 

If you entered the FY 2015 lottery, the only legitimate way to learn whether you have been selected is to visit the official website and enter the confirmation number of your entry, along with your last name or date of birth and a randomly generated authentication code. The State Department does not send direct notification to lottery winners, so beware of letters, emails or faxes that claim you have won the lottery because they are likely to be fraudulent. 

If your lottery entry was selected, the Entrant Status Check website will provide information on how to proceed with an application for permanent residence. If your entry was not chosen, the status check website will state that fact. 

Each fiscal year, the State Department makes 50,000 immigrant visas available through the DV lottery. Foreign nationals submit their lottery entries online during a designated time period. For the FY 2015 lottery, that period ran from October 1, 2013 to November 2, 2013. Individuals selected in the lottery are eligible to submit an application for permanent residence during FY 2015, which begins on October 1, 2014. 

Protect Yourself Against DV Lottery Fraud 

DV lottery fraud is common. Unscrupulous individuals set up deceptive web pages that pose as official government sites or purport to be authorized by the State Department to accept or administer lottery entries, sometimes for a very high fee. They also try to entice foreign nationals to provide personal information and money with promises of winning lottery entries. 

Take precautions to avoid becoming a victim of lottery fraud. Though you may seek legal counsel or other assistance in preparing a lottery application, be wary of commercial enterprises that claim you have won the lottery, purport to register applicants outside the official registration period or claim to be authorized by the government. No fees or personal information should be sent to a questionable individual or entity. Detailed information on DV lottery fraud is available from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the State Department. 

If you have any questions about this alert, please contact your designated Fragomen professional.