October 6, 2021
Diversity Visa (DV) Program – 2023
The Department of State announced the beginning of the Diversity Visa 2023 Program (DV-2023).
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas (DVs) each year, 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.
Applicants may submit entries for the DV-2023 program electronically at dvprogram.state.gov between 7 PM Bulgarian time on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, and 7 PM Bulgarian time on Tuesday, November 9, 2021. No late entries or paper entries will be accepted. There is no fee to enter.
Instructions for the DV 2023 program are posted in both English and Bulgarian on the Embassy’s website: bg.usembassy.gov.
The law allows only one entry for each person during each registration period. Entrants who submit more than one entry will be ineligible to receive a DV. However, a husband and a wife may each submit a separate entry, listing the other as a derivative dependent, if each meets the eligibility requirements.
Each principal entrant must provide information from a valid, unexpired passport. This requirement applies to the principal entrant only, not to dependents. There are very limited exceptions that only apply to individuals who are unable to obtain a passport. Entrants who do not include valid passport information with the entry will be ineligible to receive a DV.
All entrants must enroll with a recent photo, taken within the last six months. If a person submits the same photo from a previous DV year, that person will be ineligible to receive a DV.
Being randomly chosen as a selectee does not guarantee you will receive a visa. Selection merely means that you are eligible to apply for a Diversity Visa. If your rank number becomes eligible for final processing, you may have the chance to make an application and potentially may be issued a Diversity Visa.
Because it is likely that some of the first 55,000 individuals selected will not qualify for visas or pursue their cases to visa issuance, more than 55,000 entries will be selected. This also means there will not be a sufficient number of visas for all those who are initially selected. Once all of the 55,000 DV visas have been issued, the program will end. It is possible that visa numbers could be exhausted before September 2023.
It is very important for entrants to keep a record of their unique confirmation number for the submission of their DV entry until at least September 30, 2023. The confirmation number is the only way to check whether an entry has been selected and to obtain visa application and appointment information, if selected. The unique confirmation number helps to protect DV entrants against fraud, malfeasance, or other problems with the mail. Successful entrants are not notified by mail, email or over the telephone of the status of their E-DV online entry. You may receive emails from people that try to trick you into sending money or providing your personal information. You may be asked to pay for forms and information about immigration procedures, all of which are available free on the Department of State website, travel.state.gov, or through U.S. embassy or consulate websites. Unscrupulous visa facilitators have been known to assist entrants with their entries, retain the confirmation page, and then demand more money in exchange for information on the entry. Entrants can avoid this by ensuring they receive the unique confirmation number at the time of entry. All mail, emails, or telephone calls claiming to notify entrants they have been selected for the DV program are not legitimate.
Beginning May 8, 2022, DV-2023 entrants will be able to use their unique confirmation number provided at registration to check the online Entrant Status Check at https://dvprogram.state.gov to see if their entry was selected. The online Entrant Status Check will inform successful entrants how to apply for DVs for themselves and their eligible family members. The Department also will confirm visa interview appointments through the Entrant Status Check.
If you have any additional questions after reading the instructions, please send us an email at iv_sofia@state.gov.
