The State Department began accepting online registrations for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery starting Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at noon EDT. Foreign nationals who wish to enter the lottery have until Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at noon EST to file online.
Eligibility
The DV lottery is open to natives of countries that have historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Individuals from countries with high rates of U.S. immigration are ineligible.
This year, those born in the following countries are ineligible: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including mainland and Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
- Individuals born in Macau SAR and Taiwan can participate.
Those who cannot register because their country of birth is excluded may be able to qualify through a spouse who was born in an eligible country or through a parent’s country of birth.
Those registering must have at least a high school education (or equivalent) or two years of qualifying work experience within the past five years.
Note: If you are currently undergoing a separate green card process, you are still eligible if you meet the above criteria.
Registering for the lottery
You must submit an online form and a digital photo through the official DV lottery website. DV lottery applicants may include a spouse and children in their entry.
Only one entry is permitted per person. If there are multiple registrations on behalf of one person, all of the registrations are disqualified.
How lottery winners are chosen and notified
The State Department chooses lottery winners by random computer selection. Results will be published starting May 3, 2025 through at least September 30, 2026, on the DV website. You can check the status of your application by visiting the site and entering your confirmation number.
For FY 2026, the DV lottery program will make up to 55,000 green card numbers available through random selection. FY 2026 lottery results will be announced in May 2025. Foreign nationals selected in the FY 2026 lottery can submit their green card applications starting on October 1, 2025.
