DV Results Released!
DV 2020 Results Released!

And the winners are …

As is the case every year in the month of May, the results of the last Diversity Immigrant Visa program (DV 2020) has just been released by the U. S. State Department. After several months of waiting, those who entered the DV Lottery from October 3rd to November 6th 2018 can finally discover their fate.

For the past few weeks, DV hopefuls across the globe have all been holding their breath, wondering whether they are going to continue to the next phase of the DV program or if they will have to wait till October to try again. The answer to that question is now available at the State Department’s official DV website. For most people, however, just viewing their result will be sufficient for them to breathe a sigh of relief: their long wait has finally come to an end.

Living the Process

The suspense in waiting for such a long time, coupled with the reactions people have upon getting to discover their result, is what is most amazing in running a DV service like ours. This is probably what has kept me “glued” to the DV Lottery for several years now. It’s a kind of virtuous cycle that goes like this: first, there’s the Entry period when you enter data on behalf of customers from all walks of life. You get acquainted with their stories and assess their aspirations.

Then comes the six-month selection period, when you are kind of left alone; when entrants have all gone about their lives. During that time, the question is, “who are those that will ultimately be selected?” And before you know it, May arrives, and the results are out – like now. Then checking begins. And as you check, you are like, “Aha, so this person made it.” And as checking continues, entrants start to return, one after the other, to find out whether their entry was selected.

Reactions of all kinds

And that is when you see and feel faith at its highest. Unfortunately, due of the limited number of selectees required, the faith of most entrants is crushed; disappointment overtakes them. In most cases, there is a sigh and a subsequent expression of hope for the upcoming Entry period. A few, on the other hand, feel that they’ve tried too long, and have to bring their quest for the American dream to an end.

But best of all are those who are selected, whose reaction one can never predict. Some break down in tears, which is quite emotional. Others jump up and down, sometimes thanking God; yet others run off and occasionally disappear into the streets, while onlookers ask themselves whether the selectee concerned is getting mad. And before long, they reappear, short of breath and not knowing what to say or ask next.

There’s beauty in it!

Whether it is tears of joy or unexpected runoff like crazy for having been selected; or whether it’s a sigh, indicating disappointment, or the decision to abandon the Lottery; the truth is, what you experience when an entrant checks his/her result is just special. And that’s the beauty I personally find in managing a DV-related business.

Applying Scientific Method

In addition to this awesome DV experience, another reason why the release of the results is so important to us is interpolation. It may sound too technical, but this is what we do. Every year, we form hypotheses and carry out a number of “experiments” during the Entry period. In other words, we don’t just enter customers’ data. We also undertake a “cause and effect” project, and draw relevant conclusions when the results are published.

For example, based on our findings from the past two years, we put into place a specialized procedure during the last Entry period which allows predictions regarding the number of winners we expect to have from our business from the results released today. This is the short term goal of this specialized procedure: to determine a definite number of winners, for future use in our DV business. In the long term, this exercise – when proven – will eventually lead us to producing an increasing number of winners every year. That is one interesting aspect of the Lottery which we’ve been engaged in. This approach is purely scientific, and it has been quite helpful to us.

In conclusion

Now, to conclude on our subject. The long-awaited DV 2020 results have just been released. The die has been cast. It’s time to know one’s fate – that is, for those who entered in October – November last year. It’s advisable to check your result early enough, in order to begin the application process if you are selected, as there are fewer Diversity Immigrant visas on offer by the U.S. State Department than there are applicants. So, if you are selected, the sooner you begin your application process, the better it is for you (i.e. the more chances you would have to get yourself a DV). So, don’t wait any longer. Get up! Get your confirmation page out! Go and check it!

Wish you best of luck as you check.

And please let us know in the comments box below how checking went for you.

 

P.S.: A breakdown of the DV-2020 results appears in the August 2019 Visa Bulletin. Click here, and on the page that opens, scroll down close to the end of the page to see the breakdown of the results by country.

 

10 thoughts on “DV 2020 Results Released!

    1. Hi Michael, and thanks for your question.

      I personally don’t think it’s going to affect the result itself, considering that by now, they’re nearing the end of the selection process. What I think instead is, if the situation doesn’t improve, then it will affect – not the result as I’ve said, but rather – the overall Lottery process. I cannot say how or to what extent, but with the disruption currently experienced in nearly all areas of life, one can almost certainly predict a possible interference with the DV Lottery process. But all depend of the overall situation of the virus in the coming weeks and months.

    1. Hi Abraham:
      The results come at once, and not in bit and pieces, as many people think.

      However, it is possible for an initially unsuccessful entrant to later turn into a winner. But that doesn’t happen every year. Let me explain that.

      A couple of months after the results are released (say in the July or August Visa Bulletin), the total number of selectees is published. If the initial selection produced a low number of selectees (by CEAC standard), then the results are updated to include a number of other entrants (as winners) who were not selected in May. That usually happens in September. But if the total number of initial selectees is high, then there is no update; and those who were selected in May remain the only winners for that year. That is why it is important – after May – to check your result once more at the end of September, just in case …

  1. Hola a mi se me perdió el numero de confirmación, trato de recuperarlo de la forma que me dicen en la página oficial pero no tengo resultado alguno,la página vuelve a su estado inicial diciéndome que tengo algo mal en alguno de los campos y yo estoy seguro que la información que estoy poniendo es la correcta. Es que acaso no podre recuperarlo? o existe otra forma de hacerlo.

    1. Hi Rolando, we do not speak Spanish, but I hope this adequately responds to your comment:

      Hola rolando

      No hablo español, pero espero que esto responda adecuadamente a tu comentario. Las personas generalmente se encuentran con un problema u otro cuando intentan recuperar su número de confirmación perdido. Si está seguro de que está ingresando la información correcta y no está funcionando, inténtelo una y otra vez, después de un tiempo, quizás después de varios días, varias veces. Si eventualmente no funciona, entonces lo siento, eso significa que eres una de las personas desafortunadas por las cuales el sistema simplemente se niega a trabajar. Esto le sucede a un número de personas. Para otros, funciona bien, sin embargo. Te deseo lo mejor.

    1. Click on this link https://www.dvlottery.state.gov and then on CHECK STATUS. On the page that opens, click on CONTINUE. And on the next page that appears, read and follow the instructions to fill in the four spaces provided. Finally, click SUBMIT. Good luck!

    1. Not that it is down, HBXBX. It is only very congested. Everyone is trying to gain access to it at the same time. That is what happens immediately after the results are released every year. So, it’s nothing to be bothered about. As hours pass, people will gradually withdraw, and then it will normalize. So, just take a break, and check after a few hours. If the situation persists, take another break, and check back. Hopefully, at some time today (the 8th), it will normalize. Wish you good luck!

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