General News

US DVL

The U.S. Department of State will begin accepting online registrations for the Fiscal Year 2026 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at noon EDT (4:00 PM GMT).

Foreign nationals interested in applying have until Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at noon EST (4:00 PM Ghana Time) to submit their entries through the official DV lottery website.

The FY 2026 program will offer up to 55,000 green cards through a randomized selection process, with results expected in May 2025.

Selected applicants will be able to begin the green card application process starting October 1, 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

The DV lottery is open to individuals born in countries with historically low immigration rates to the United States.

However, citizens from nations with high U.S. immigration rates are ineligible. For the FY 2026 lottery, countries excluded from participation include Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam. However, individuals born in Macau SAR and Taiwan are still eligible.

Ineligible individuals may still qualify through their spouse's or, in some cases, their parent's country of birth. All applicants must have at least a high school education or two years of work experience in a qualifying occupation within the last five years.