The Diversity Visa Lottery programme

The Diversity Visa Lottery — also known as the Green Card Lottery — is a United States government programme granting 55,000 immigrant visas each year. These visas are awarded at random to people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. It is a unique opportunity for individuals and families to obtain permanent residence (agreen card) in the United States, even where they have no family or employment connection.

Important update: on 18/12/2025, the Trump administration suspended the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery following the shootings at Brown University and MIT.The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS)directed theUnited States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)to suspend DV processing while the government reviews the programme. It is not yet clear how long the suspension will last or how it will affect those already selected.

Key information on the Diversity Visa Lottery 2026

• Registration period: 02/10/2024 – 05/11/2024
• Official website:dvprogram.state.gov
• Cost of entry: free
• Announcement of selectees: May 2025
• Visa application period: 01/10/2025 – 30/09/2026

Eligibility requirements

Country of birth

To be eligible to enter the DV lottery, applicants must have been born in a country that has sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past five years. The eligible countries change somewhat each year. However, Canada, China, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom are never on the list because these countries all send large numbers of immigrants to the United States. For 2026, the excluded countries comprise:

• Bangladesh
• Brazil
• Canada
• China (including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
• Colombia
• The Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Haiti
• Honduras
• India
• Jamaica
• Mexico
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• South Korea
• Venezuela
• Vietnam

For further information, theUnited States Department of Stateprovides a list of all eligible countries.

Education or work experience

To be eligible for the DV lottery programme, applicants must meet one of the following two conditions:

• An upper secondary school qualification or the equivalent, OR
• Two years of work experience over the past five years in a qualifying occupation.

Where an applicant’s country of origin is not eligible, there are still two ways of possibly qualifying for the Diversity Visa:

• Where the applicant’s spouse was born in an eligible country, the applicant may apply together with the spouse and enter the spouse’s country of birth on the application.
• Where neither of the applicant’s parents was a lawful resident of the applicant’s country of birth, the applicant may enter the mother’s or father’s country of birth.

Education

The second main requirement for Diversity Visa applicants is to hold at least an upper secondary school qualification, or at least two years of work experience over the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training, as determined by the United States Department of Labor.

How to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery

Entering the green card lottery involves completing a simple form online, entirely free of charge. Applicants may enter the lottery each year from the beginning of October to the beginning of November. A computer randomly selects the winners, and they and their immediate families become eligible to apply for a green card.

• Check eligibility: make sure the applicant’s country of birth is on the list of eligible countries. The applicant will also need an upper secondary school qualification or equivalent work experience.
• For “country of birth”, enter the country where the applicant was born, regardless of where they now live. Where the country now has a different name from when the applicant was born, use the country’s current name.
• For “eligible country”, enter the country of birth or — where eligible to use the spouse’s or a parent’s country of birth — enter that country. The country where the applicant currently lives is irrelevant to this question.
• Gather the information: the applicant will need personal details such as name, date of birth and passport information, as well as the same information for the spouse and children.
• The applicant must list their spouse, even where they do not live with the applicant and have no intention of immigrating.
• The applicant must list all natural and adopted children, whatever their age. The applicant must also list all the spouse’s stepchildren under 21, even where the applicant is no longer married to their parent.
• Prepare the photographs: a recent passport-style photograph is required for each applicant.
• Follow the same photograph requirements as for the green card application.
• Submit the entry: complete the official online entry form accurately and in full. There is no fee to enter.
• Keep the confirmation number: this is essential for checking the status of the entry later.

Cost

There is no fee to enter the United States Diversity Visa Lottery. However, where selected and choosing to apply for the Diversity Visa, the applicant will need to pay the required fees when applying for the green card. Once selected, the applicant will receive information and details of the required fees on the Diversity Visa website at dvprogram.state.gov.

Processing time

Key dates in the DV lottery process

• May 2025: notification of selectees
• October 2025 – September 2026: apply for the visa and attend interview
• Before 30/09/2026: all visas must be issued

Green card lottery winners are usually notified seven months after submitting their entry. Once selected, it can take up to 14 months to be scheduled for interview and receive the visa, depending on when the applicant applies.

For example, where an applicant enters the 2026 green card lottery during the registration period (10-11/2024), the selectees will be announced around May 2025. The applicant may only apply for the visa in the 2026 financial year, from 01/10/2025 to 30/09/2026. The earlier in that year the applicant applies, the sooner the visa interview will be scheduled and the visa issued.

Once the visa is granted, the applicant must enter the United States on or before the expiry date printed on the visa. Diversity Visas are usually valid for a maximum of six months from the date of issue.

Selection and notification

Diversity Visa Lottery winners are selected at random by a computer program. A set number of visas is allocated to each region of the world, and no country receives more than 7% of the Diversity Visas available in any one year.

Although the exact date varies, those who have entered the Diversity Visa Lottery may check the status of their entry from the beginning of May of the year after applying, using the Entrant Status Check link on the Diversity Visa website. This is why keeping the confirmation number is so important: without it, the applicant will not know whether they have been selected.

Where selected in the green card lottery, the applicant and family must meet the requirements applying to any other United States green card applicant.

Important: certain kinds of criminal record can make an applicant ineligible for a green card. Certain medical conditions can make obtaining a green card difficult or impossible.

What happens next?

Where selected in the green card lottery, acting quickly is essential, even though it may still take a year or more before the applicant can travel to the United States. There are two reasons to act immediately. First, the applicant’s application must be processed, and the visa issued, before the end of the financial year in which the applicant was selected. Second, more people are selected for the Diversity Visa than there are visas available, and where the applicant waits until the last minute, there may be no visas left.

The applicant will receive a numerical ranking when notified of winning a Diversity Visa, indicating when they may apply for the visa. At the end of July, the applicant may check the United States Department of State visa bulletin to see when they may apply. The first visas become available on 01/10, the first day of the United States financial year, and the applicant may apply up to 90 days in advance.

Where the applicant is outside the United States

Most of those selected for the Diversity Visa are not in the United States and will apply for the green card through the United States consulate in their own country. Once a visa is available, the applicant should fileForm DS-260with the National Visa Center. Once the application has been processed, it will be forwarded to the United States consulate, which will schedule the visa interview. The applicant will be approved for the immigrant visa at the interview where all the requirements are met.

Where the applicant is in the United States

Where the applicant is in the United States in a temporary immigration status (technically called “nonimmigrant status”) on winning the Diversity Visa Lottery, the applicant will apply for the green card through USCIS by filing Form I-485. The applicant should file as soon as a visa is available, based on the visa bulletin.

Avoiding scams

Unfortunately, the Diversity Visa programme is sometimes abused by fraudsters as a way of cheating hopeful immigrants. Here are some tips for avoiding the common scams involving the Diversity Visa:

• Entering the Diversity Visa Lottery is free. Anyone claiming to charge a fee on behalf of the Department of State is defrauding hopeful immigrants.
• The Department of State does not notify selectees by post or email; the only way to know whether you have been selected is to check the entry using the Entrant Status Check.

Entering the Diversity Visa Lottery is like entering any other lottery — the odds of winning are not high — but with luck it can be a way of reaching the United States even where the applicant has no family or employment connection at all. Where the applicant is married to a United States citizen, applying for a marriage-based green card throughspousal sponsorship to the United Statesis almost certainly the better option.

Frequently asked questions about the Diversity Visa

Am I eligible for the green card lottery where I am married to a United States citizen or have other family in the United States?

Where the applicant is married to a United States citizen, the applicant may still enter the Diversity Visa Lottery. However, there is little advantage in doing so, since the applicant can almost always reach the United States sooner by applying for a marriage-based green card.

Where the applicant has another family member who can sponsor a green card, it may still be worth entering the Diversity Visa Lottery. Some family immigration categories — for example, siblings of United States citizens — take a very long time, and the applicant could reach the United States much sooner by winning the Diversity Visa Lottery.

How many Diversity Visas does each eligible country receive?

USCIS calculates the number of Diversity Visas allocated to each country based on the formula set out in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). No country may receive more than 7% of the total Diversity Visas available each year.

Is there a minimum age to apply for the Diversity Visa?

There is no minimum age requirement, but the need for an upper secondary school qualification or work experience rules out most people under 18 from applying.

How long does it take to obtain a Diversity Visa?

Green card lottery winners are usually notified 7 months after applying. It can take up to 14 months for the government to schedule the interview and issue the visa, depending on when the applicant applies for the visa.

Can I enter the Diversity Visa Lottery where I am in the United States?

Yes, the applicant may enter the green card lottery from anywhere, including from within the United States.

Can my spouse and I apply separately?

Yes, each spouse may submit their own Diversity Visa entry. Where either spouse is selected, the other becomes eligible for a green card as a dependant.

What happens where I lose the confirmation number?

The applicant needs the confirmation number to access the Entrant Status Check — the online portal where the applicant sees whether they have been selected. Where the confirmation number is lost, the applicant may retrieve it using the email address used to register for the lottery.

Why was the Diversity Visa Lottery established?

The Diversity Visa was established by the Immigration Act of 1990 as a way of increasing diversity among immigrants to the United States. There have always been a small number of countries from which most immigrants to the United States come, and Congress established the Diversity Visa programme to increase the number of immigrants from smaller countries and from countries that do not send many immigrants to the United States.