Won the DV Lottery? What Happens Next for Ghanaians, Step by Step

Short answer: being selected only means you may apply. You still have to submit the DS-260 form and documents, wait for your case number to be reached, pass a medical exam and an interview at the US Embassy in Accra, and get the visa before the programme year ends on 30 September. For DV-2027 that deadline is 30 September 2027.

Step 1: Read the selection page carefully

Your Entrant Status Check page shows your case number and instructions. Save a copy. Everything official comes through that page and emails it tells you to expect. Nobody will call you asking for money.

Step 2: Fill in the DS-260 online

The DS-260 is the immigrant visa application, completed on the State Department's website. You, your spouse and each child going with you each need one. Answer truthfully and make the details match your passport and certificates.

Step 3: Gather your documents

• Valid passport for each person.
• Birth certificate (from the Births and Deaths Registry).
• Proof of education: your WASSCE certificate (or SSSCE), or proof of qualifying work experience.
• Marriage certificate if married, and divorce or death certificates for any earlier marriages.
• Police clearance certificate from the Ghana Police Service CID for everyone 16 or older, and from any other country you lived in.
• Evidence you will not depend on US government support, such as an affidavit of support from a US relative or friend, or your own bank statements.

Only genuine documents. Fake or "upgraded" certificates are checked and lead to refusal and a possible permanent ban.

Step 4: Wait for your interview

Interviews are scheduled in order of case number, as numbers become "current" in the monthly Visa Bulletin. Check Entrant Status Check for your appointment. Selection does not guarantee an interview: more people are selected than there are visas.

Step 5: Medical exam and interview in Accra

• Book the medical exam with one of the embassy-approved doctors listed on the US Embassy Accra website. Results from other doctors are not accepted.
• Pay the $330 DV application fee at the embassy cashier as instructed and keep the receipt.
• Bring all original documents and copies to the interview.

Step 6: After the visa

Pay the USCIS immigrant fee online before you travel, so your green card is mailed to you after you arrive, and enter the US before your visa expires.

Beware at every step

Winners are targeted by fake "embassy officers", sponsors for hire and document sellers. Check any number that contacts you on TrustCheck and read DV lottery scams in Ghana.