DV Lottery Winner's American Dream Falls Apart Amidst Misunderstanding
A Kenyan woman, Bridget, won the Diversity Visa lottery in 2025 but never made it to the United States. After receiving her selection notification, she began preparing for what she thought would be a smooth transition abroad, including selling a piece of land and spending money on immigration-related preparations.
'It had been my dream to relocate, and I knew because I had won, all I needed was a passport and the rest would fall into place,' Bridget said. However, what she did not understand was that selectees are ranked by case numbers, and interviews are only scheduled as those numbers are reached within the programme year.
The process moved slowly over several months, and before her number could be called, the programme year closed. Without an interview invitation, Bridget's American dream fell apart. The emotional weight of that realisation proved difficult to carry, leading her to withdraw from the world for months as she processed the disappointment.
'I was not okay, and that is why I will tell people not to sell their property even after winning the DV lottery,' Bridget said. 'That is the mistake I made - preparing and getting all the documents needed.'