Visa lottery 2022 results: Here’s how 55,000 foreigners can get their green cards now

Millions of people around the globe every year enter a U.S. Department of State drawing to win an immigrant visa to legally immigrate to the United States with permanent resident status.

Winners of the 2022 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2022), better known as the visa lottery, have been announced on Saturday by the U.S. government.

Visa lottery entrants can now check the status of their application at the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website.

All DV-2022 program participants must search for their names in the Entrant Status Check search tool available on the Bureau’s site.

The Entrant Status Check function is the only way in which the Department of State notifies DV-2022 entrants if they were selected, according to the official instruction manual for the 2022 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.

Due to heavy search traffic, authorities recommended in a Twitter post on Saturday to “check your status at off-peak hours, like during the evening, for quicker service.”

In Fiscal Year 2021, almost seven million qualified entries were received during the enrollment period — or around 12 million foreign nationals including family members, according to government statistics.

Applicants who are selected in the program are drawn from random selection by computer. The 55,000 visas are available for immigrants with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S.

Green cards are only available to immigrants who fall under one of these categories

How do I see if I was selected in the visa lottery 2022

To check on whether someone won an immigrant visa, foreigners must enter in the Entrant Status Check page the unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2020 entry registration, which ended Nov. 10, 2020.

Additionally, the person needs to enter:

▪ Surnames, just as they were written when filing the form.

▪ Birth year, with all four digits.

▪ The authentication code offered by the computer.

Consular officials stressed the importance of accessing the Entrant Status Check function directly, and not through intermediaries.

“Do not rely on someone else to check and inform you,” they advised.

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What to do if I won U.S. permanent residence for diversity immigrants

If you were selected in the DV-2022 program, you are entitled to apply for an immigrant visa, but only during the government fiscal year — from Oct. 1, 2021, through Sep. 30, 2022.

“Selected applicants who wish to apply for visas must be prepared to act promptly on their cases,” officials said in the instructions.

For 2022, there will be more than 55,000 entries selected, because not all the first 55,000 foreigners selected will qualify for visa issuance. First, they must:

▪ Be admissible to the United States.

▪ Electronically submit Form DS-260, Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application.

▪ Pass an in-person consular interview when there is a visa number available at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate selected on the DS-260 Form, which includes criminal and security questions to determine eligibility to immigrate to the U.S.

Lottery winners who provide all the pre-interview documents to the U.S. government will receive their interview appointments through the Entrant Status Check website four to six weeks before the appointment.

But authorities cautioned that, “being randomly chosen as a selectee does not guarantee that you will receive a visa. Selection merely means that you are eligible to apply for a Diversity Visa.”

Here’s what it takes for an immigrant to get a green card — and not lose it

Green cards for winners residing inside the United States

Some foreign nationals who win the visa lottery each year are already residing inside the U.S in a non-immigrant or other legal status.

These individuals don´t have to go through consular processing, but rather the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will process their adjustment of status to legal permanent resident.

According to USCIS, U.S.-based winners must first meet eligibility criteria:

▪ Have been selected for a Diversity Visa.

▪ Have an immigrant visa immediately available at the time of filing and adjustment application.

▪ File Form-I485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.

▪ Be admissible to the United States.

You can also read this story in Spanish at el Nuevo Herald.

Daniel Shoer Roth is a journalist covering immigration law who does not offer legal advice or individual assistance to visa lottery selectees. Follow him on Twitter or Instagram. The contents of this story do not constitute legal advice.