The Bhutanese Leading the way.
As the result for the 2025 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery is going to be available from 3rd May 2025, it has generated a wave of both excitement and uncertainty among Bhutanese applicants.
Over 20,000 Bhutanese individuals have formed a group in Telegram on DV lottery awaiting the results.
Recent US policies, including travel restrictions and tariffs targeting Bhutan, have fueled concerns despite the absence of official announcements regarding DV lottery cancellation.
Bhutan has been a recipient of DV lottery and the number has been increasing over the years. However, this year, the numbers have decreased with a slot of 269 visa for Bhutanese. In 2024, 347 Bhutanese were given the visa. In 2023 there were 115 winners of DV lottery, 114 recipients in 2022, 69 in 2021, 27 in 2020, 38 in 2019 and 16 in 2018 and 2017.
There have been times when DV Lottery winners were selected, but there were not enough people who qualified in order for all of the 55,000 Diversity Immigrant Visas to be issued for a particular year. Consequently, a second DV Lottery draw was conducted during the same DV-Year to randomly select additional winners, so that the goal of granting 55,000 could be reached for that year.
This situation basically gave participants who were not selected in that DV Lottery a second chance to be chosen as winners.
The government said no official letter from the US regarding the lottery was received, and so they cannot say anything as of now.
Meanwhile, applicants shared their mixed reactions on the possibility of DV lottery grants.
Sangay, 29, is currently unemployed and said, “I am really thrilled that I applied for DV lottery, even if I get or not because it’s a luck game ticket to enter the USA. It is my first time, but I would apply till I get because I have heard that there are many people who have been trying for almost twelve years and more.”
“But in recent international news from US President regarding visa, immigration and Bhutan being listed in red list and then to yellow list. I really fear that it is now an end for Bhutanese people to enter USA. I hope these things gets solved soon so that people like us can try our luck,” he added.
Another applicant Kencho, currently a civil servant, said, “DV Lottery has always represented a potential pathway to better opportunities for my family. The travel bans and other restrictions, however, make it seem almost impossible now. It’s disheartening, especially considering the effort and hope so many Bhutanese invest in the application process. I worry that this will discourage future applications.”
Few individual while asked about the DV lottery even said that they thought now the DV lottery for Bhutan is no more applicable.
Pema who said that her aunt forced her to apply for the visa at the last moment, said, “Honestly, I applied for the lottery more out of curiosity than serious expectation. The US policies are concerning, though. It makes me wonder if the whole process is worth the effort when the chances of success are so drastically affected by external factors outside of our control.”
Nima a private employee said that so far, no news has come regarding DV lottery cancellation or anything related so he will be pursuing it since there are no particular fees applied.
“I have been applying for the DV lottery for the third time this year with hopes to get it someday. Since many of our Bhutanese have got it every year, who knows I might get it too if I keep on trying. I will keep on trying until the US stops granting the visa, and if they decide to make such decisions, which is very unlikely. From 3rd May the results will be out so we need to patiently wait and hope for positive results.”
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program uses a lottery system to randomly select winners born in eligible countries with low levels of US immigration from six regions of the world which includes Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
As per its rules, no country is allowed to be granted over 7% of the DV that are available to be issued in any particular fiscal year.
This random selection method is used, because a key goal of the program is to further diversify the population of the United States.
DV Lottery participants can learn if they were selected as a winner starting in early May by going to the Entrant Status Check webpage of the US State Department’s E-DV website where the DV Lottery results can be found.
The first 55,000 DV Lottery selectees, including their dependent family members, who pass the consular interview successfully and receive a Diversity Immigrant Visa on a page of their passport, will have the opportunity to immigrate to the United States as Lawful Permanent Residents.
US Permanent Resident Green Card holders are authorized to live, study and work in the USA for an unlimited amount of time, have the option to buy a home and start a business in the US.
However, the financial burden for the entire process lies solely with the applicants.
