The Immigration Act of 1990 established the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program also known as the U.S. green card lottery. The sole purpose of this program is to diversify the immigrant population in the U.S., through a digital random selection process.

Every Fiscal Year, the U.S. Department of State issues 55,000 Diversity Immigrant Visas to natives of nations with low immigration rate to the U.S., that is nations that has sent below 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. over the last five years.

Unlike other petition based immigrant visas, where an employer or family member would have to file a petition with the USCIS for a beneficiary, the diversity immigrant (DV) visa does not need any form of petitioning, therefore making it possible for people with no U.S. employer or U.S. family members to legally immigrate to the United States.

Diversity Visa Registration Period for Fiscal Year 2026

Registration for DV lottery for fiscal year 2026 starts October 2, 2024, 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and ends on November 5, 2024, 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), so during this period of registration, the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website will be open to accept DV lottery entries.

Note: Every late and paper filed registration will be disqualified. All entries must be submitted online through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website.

Diversity Visa (DV) Numerical Limit

Each fiscal year, the U.S. Department of State makes available 55,000 diversity visas to foreigners that are natives of countries with low immigration rate to the U.S. The Department of State distributes the total available visas evenly across all eligible countries and around 7% of the total available Diversity lottery visas are allocated to each eligible country.

Diversity Visa (DV) Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to register for the DV lottery program, you have to meet certain eligibility criteria. Below we have broken down this requirements into different categories.

Country Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the DV lottery program, you must be a native of an eligible country, that is a country with a low rate of immigration to the United States.

• Country of Birth: If you were born in an eligible country, regardless of the country where you currently resides, then you are eligible to register for the DV lottery program.

• Parents Country of Birth: If you were born in a country that didn’t make it to the eligibility list, you can become eligible to register by virtue of your parent’s country of birth.

• Spouse Country of Birth: If you were born in a country that is not eligible, and your spouse was born in an eligible country, you can claim your spouse’s country of birth provided you and your spouse are still legally married at the time of your DV registration and also provided your spouse is included in your DV registration.

Education Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Diversity Immigrant Visa program, an applicant must have at least a high school education, that is a DV lottery program applicant must have successfully completed a formal course of study in an elementary and secondary education comparable to a 12 year course in the U.S.

Work Experience Eligibility Criteria

You can also qualify with work experience, if you have at least two years of work experience in the last five years, in an occupation which, by U.S. Department of Labor definition, requires at least two years of training or experience designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher.

Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Supporting Documents

The following below are the supporting documents that you must have handy to successfully apply for the DV program. Kindly note that failure to submit all your supporting documents can lead to delay in your application process or even a visa denial.

• Marriage Certificate: You have to submit your marriage certificate to prove to the consulate officer that you are married to your spouse that you included in your DV registration.

• Passport Photograph: You must submit two 2×2 passport photographs that meets the U.S. visa photo requirements.

• Birth Certificate: You must submit your birth certificate issued by an authorized government agency. Your birth certificate must clearly state your birth country and town.

• International Passport: You must submit an international passport with a validity period of at least 6 months beyond your intended date of entry into the United States.

• Police Report: You must submit a police character certificate issued by the police department of the country of your birth. If you are no longer residing in your country of birth, you still need to get a police report that covers the number of years you lived in your country of birth.

• Court and Prison Records: If you have been convicted of any crime, you have to provide a copy of each court record as well as prison record.

• Military Records: If you have served in the military of your country of birth or outside your country of birth, then you must submit a military record.

• Educational Certificate: If you are qualifying through the educational requirement, you must submit a certificate that proves that you have successfully completed an elementary and secondary education on a formal course.

• Additional Documents: Any other documents that might be requested by the visa officer on the day of your interview.

Are my Dependents Required to Submit Supporting Documents?

Yes your dependents, that is your spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 are also required to submit their supporting documents through the right channel during their application process. But your spouse and eligible children don’t have to fulfil the educational or work experience requirements as this requirement is only to be fulfilled by the principal applicant.

DV Lottery Application Process for Applicants outside the U.S.

Below you will find the step by step process to successfully apply for the (DV) program. If you would like us to assist you with your application, kindly reach out to us and one of our consultants will be at your service.

DV Lottery Registration

Every fiscal year, the US Department of State gives a limited timeframe for the registration of the DV Program through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website. The registration period for fiscal year 2026 begins on October 2, 2024 by 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and closes on November 5, 2024 by 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

You are required to submit your entry as soon as possible because more than 22 million people across the globe apply for the DV lottery program every fiscal year, meaning that the available visas are very limited considering the huge number of applications sent in every year.

The U.S. Department of State does not accept late registrations or paper registrations. All entries must be submitted electronically through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website. Make sure you print out your confirmation page with the 16 digit Confirmation Number, because you will be making use of the confirmation number to check your status via the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website.

What is the consequence of not including my family members in my DV registration?

It is highly recommended that you include your spouse and eligible children in your DV registration as failure to do so will lead to a visa denial. Also do not include people that are not your legitimate spouse and children as this can also lead to a visa denial.

If there is a change in your circumstance like getting married or having a kid after submitting your DV application, you can update your application to include your newly wedded spouse or newly born child with a proof of family relationship. You can prove this by providing a marriage or birth certificate and U.S. Department of State will review your changes and determine whether to approve such changes or not.

DV Lottery Selection and Entrant Checker

Each fiscal year the U.S. Department of State randomly selects 55,000 entrants that will be issued DV. The selection process is 100 percent random and not even the U.S. Department of State officials know the entries that will be selected, so in other words the selection process can’t be influenced by any U.S. government official.

On or about May 4, following the year of the diversity visa entry, the U.S. Department of State updates the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa website to notify selected entrants. Entries that are not selected will also be notified through the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa website.

You are to make use of your confirmation number to check your status. For DV 2026 FY, the Entrant Status Check will be active on or about May 4, 2025. Prior to that date, the Entrant Status Check will be inactive and applicants will not be able to check their status.

U.S. Department of State don’t notify entrants through emails or any other means of communication, so it is very important to keep your confirmation number safely because without it, you won’t be able to check your status.

After checking your status on the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa website, if you are selected, you will be redirected to a confirmation page with further instructions, and information about all the fees that you will have to pay. Failure to pay these fees can lead to disqualification.

Completing the DS-260 Form, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application

After your entry is selected, you and your spouse and eligible children have to immediately complete the DS-260 Form to schedule an appointment. The completed DS-260 Form should be submitted to Kentucky Consular Center for review and processing. You have to include your confirmation number to your DS-260 Form to enable you access and carry out updates on your application when necessary.

Note: Do not submit your supporting documents to KCC. After KCC reviews and processes your case, you will be sent an information, with instructions on how and where to submit your documents.

Diversity Visa Interview Schedule

After Kentucky Consular Center reviews your application, you will receive an instruction to check the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa website using your confirmation number to get the date, time and the U.S. embassy where your interview will be conducted. Kindly print out the visa appointment page as you will be required to present it on the day of your interview before you can be granted access to the interview room.

Prepare your Documents

While you and your family members await your visa interview appointment date, you have to prepare and arrange all your documents. Here we have listed the documents that you will be taking along with you to your visa interview.

• DS-260 Form: You have to print the confirmation page of your completed DS-260 form. Your spouse and eligible children will have to also prepare their confirmation page.

• International Passport: You have to also prepare your international passport. Your spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 children should also prepare their valid passport.

• Diversity Visa Fee: You have to prepare your visa fee receipt. You will be taking it along with you to your visa interview. Your spouse and eligible children should also do the same.

• Passport Photograph: You have to prepare two passport photographs that satisfies the U.S. visa photo requirements, and same applies to your family members.

• Visa Interview Appointment Letter: You have to also prepare your visa appointment page which you printed from the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa website.

• Completed Medical Form: You must prepare a dully completed medical examination form issued by an authorized panel physician after undergoing your medical examination, and same also applies to your family members.

• Completed Vaccination Form: The U.S. immigration law requires that an immigrant that wants to live in the United States permanently on a Permanent Resident Status (Green Card) should get vaccinated, so you have to prepare your completed medical vaccination form issued to you by an authorized panel physician after your vaccination, and same applies to your family members.

• Civil Documents: You have to prepare all your civil documents issued by authorized issuing government agencies. Your spouse and eligible children should also do the same.

Attend your Visa Interview

You are to attend your DV visa interview with your spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 years. Ensure you carry along all your prepared documents to your DV visa interview, because failure to do so can delay your visa application or even lead to a visa denial.

Note: Winning a diversity visa (DV) lottery is not a guarantee that you and your family members will be issued an immigrant visa. It is solely at the discretion of the consulate officer that will interview you to decide whether or not you and your family members deserves to be issued a Diversity visa.

DV Lottery Application Process for Applicants within the U.S.

If you are residing in the U.S. and want to get your permanent residency status (Green Card) through the diversity lottery program, kindly follow the below steps.

DV Lottery Registration

You are to first submit your entry to the U.S. Department of State during the registration period for each FY. For fiscal year 2026, the registration period begins on October 2, 2024 by 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and runs through November 5, 2024 by 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Make sure you submit your entry electronically through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website. Make sure you send in your entry on time because late entry leads to disqualification. In addition, the Department of State does not accept paper registration, so make sure your entry is submitted online.

Do not make the mistake of submitting multiple entries for yourself with the impression that multiple entries will increase your chances of been selected, because the United States Department of State has advanced technology system that detects multiple entries by or for one applicant. Submitting multiple entries will get you disqualified for all your entries.

Ensure that you print out your confirmation number as you will be using it to check your status when the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website becomes active.

Adjustment of Status

After using the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa (DV) website to check your entry status, if your entry is selected, you can apply for an adjustment of status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services by filling the Form I-485. If approved, you will be issued a Green Card(GC) with a validity of 10 years and can be renewed after the 10 years validity period.

Fees and Cost Implication

Here is a breakdown of the required fees that you have to pay during your Diversity Visa application process.

Note: The Diversity Visa lottery program registration is free, so the U.S. Department of State does not charge any fee for the DV lottery entry submission.

• Diversity Visa Fee: The diversity visa fee is 330 USD per person.

• USCIS Immigrant Fee: The fee is 220 USD.

• Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status: The fee attached to this form is 1,440 USD.

Have the winners for Fiscal Year 2026 DV Lottery been selected?

Yes the winners of the Diversity lottery program for fiscal year 2026 have been randomly selected by the United States Department of State and as of noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on May 3, 2025, the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa (DV) website have become active.

List of Ineligible Countries for Fiscal Year 2026 DV Lottery

Below are the list of countries excluded from the 2026 diversity visa lottery program:

Diversity Visa Lottery Scams and Prevention

Over the years since the creation of the DV lottery program, too many applicants have fallen victim to scammers who claim to be U.S. government or licensed green card consultants, demanding for money in exchange for rendering assistant or increasing applicant’s chances of been selected.

Below we have listed some of the key points to take note of in order to avoid been scammed.

• DV lottery registration is totally free, so do not pay anyone money for DV lottery registration.

• DV lottery selection is totally based on a digital random selection system.
  • So do not pay money to anyone who claims to be a United States government official, giving you assurance of  been selected in exchange for money.

• The U.S. Department of State does not notify applicants of selection or rejection through email.
  • Applications can only check their status through the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website, so do not respond to any email informing you that you have been selected by the U.S. Department of State.

• All U.S. government website have the .gov extension, so any website that does not end with the .gov extension is not a valid U.S. government website.

• Do not release your confirmation number to any one.

• Don’t pay your visa fee to any one or website.
  • The Diversity visa fee is paid at the U.S. consulate on the day of the interview before the interview commences.

How long do I have to live in the U.S. as a Lawful Permanent Resident before applying for Citizenship?

• You have to live in the U.S. for 5 years before applying for U.S. citizenship

• If you get married to a U.S. citizen, and live in the U.S. for 3 years, you can then be eligible to apply for citizenship.

How long do my spouse and dependent children have to live in the U.S as Lawful Permanent Resident before they become U.S. citizens?

• If your dependent children are under 18 years when you become naturalized, then they will also become U.S. citizens automatically.

• If they are above the age of 18 years and have lived in the U.S. for 5 years as a lawful permanent resident, then they have to apply for citizenship separately.

• Your spouse have to live in the U.S. for 5 years as a lawful permanent resident before applying for citizenship.

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