Fwd: Diversity Visa Lottery

[Natalie Fair-Albright]

2026 Diversity Visa Program to launch next week

Registration for the 2026 Diversity Visa (DV) Program will open from October 2 to November 5, 2024. This program allows people from countries with low U.S. immigration rates, who meet eligibility requirements, to enter for a chance to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa. 

The program, commonly referred to as the DV Lottery or the Green Card Lottery, awards up to 50,000 immigrant visas each year to people meeting certain eligibility requirements. These include:

• Being a citizen of a country with a low immigration rate to the United States
• Having graduated from high school or its equivalent or having qualifying work experience

“The diversity of the United States is one of our greatest strengths as a country.  The Diversity Visa Program embodies this ethos, allowing applicants from all over the world a chance at obtaining an immigrant visa.  Entering the lottery is free and easy – but do read all the directions before applying!”

The 2026 DV Program will open at 12:00 p.m. EDT on October 2, 2024. dvprogram.state.gov is the ONLY way to enter. The law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period. The Department of State uses advanced technology to detect multiple entries. Individuals with more than one primary entry per Diversity Visa season will be disqualified. The program instructions can be found at travel.state.gov/dv. 

There is no cost to register for the DV Program. Those interested in registering are strongly encouraged to complete the entry form themselves without a “visa consultant,” “visa agent,” or other facilitator who offers to help. If somebody else helps you, you should be present when your entry is prepared so that you can provide the correct answers to the questions and retain the confirmation page and your unique confirmation number.

Selections will be made in May 2025. The website dvprogram.state.gov/ESC is the ONLY way to see if you were selected. Any email claiming to notify entrants that they have been selected for the DV Program is a scam. The Department of State will NOT contact you if you have been selected. 

For DV-2026,natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply,because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years: • Bangladesh • Brazil • Canada • The People’s Republic of China (including mainland and Hong Kong born) • Colombia • Cuba • Dominican Republic • El Salvador • Haiti • Honduras • India • Jamaica • Mexico • Nigeria • Pakistan • Philippines • Republic of Korea (South Korea) • Venezuela • Vietnam • Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.