
Applicants who submitted their entries for the 2026 Diversity Visa lottery between October 2 and November 7, 2024, can now check if they have been selected as the U.S. Department of State has released the results.
Out of the millions who entered the lottery, 55,000 applicants have been selected to apply for permanent resident status in the United States.
Selected entrants should act quickly, as visas are limited and processed first-come, first-served.
Congratulations to everyone selected!
What is the Diversity Visa Lottery?
The Diversity Visa Lottery (DV lottery) is a U.S. government program that makes 55,000 immigrant visas available each year. These visas are awarded randomly to natives of countries with historically low immigration rates to the United States.
Congress created the DV lottery as part of the Immigration Act of 1990 to promote diversity and extend opportunity to individuals from countries and regions underrepresented in recent immigration admissions.
It is a unique opportunity for individuals and families to get permanent residency (a green card) in the U.S., even if they do not have family or employment ties.
The DV Lottery program is held by the State Department and is open to individuals from qualifying countries who meet the eligibility requirements. The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, and no single country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year.
The lottery program runs each year from October to November, where chosen applicants are selected at random using a computer generated system.
Those who are selected will be given the opportunity to apply for permanent residency. If granted, then they will be authorized to live and work permanently in the United States.
Chosen candidates are also allowed to bring their spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 with them to the United States.
Since 1995, more than 1.2 million diversity visa recipients and their families have been able to immigrate to the United States through the program.
What are the eligibility requirements for a Diversity Visa?
They are as follows and it should be noted that these requirements are strict and anyone who doesn’t meet them shouldn’t bother submitting an entry to the DV program:
1. Country of birth
To be eligible for the DV lottery, you must have been born in a country that sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past five years.
There are countries that never make the list every year but for 2026, countries excluded from the DV lottery include:
Bangladesh
Brazil
Canada
China (including Hong Kong SAR)
Colombia
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Haiti
Honduras
India
Jamaica
Mexico
Nigeria
Pakistan
Philippines
South Korea
Venezuela
Vietnam
If your native country is not eligible, all hope is not lost as there are two ways you could qualify for the Diversity Visa:
- If your spouse was born in an eligible country, you can apply with your spouse and choose your spouse’s birth country on your application.
- If neither of your parents were born in or legal residents in your own country of birth, you can choose your mother’s or father’s country of birth.
2. Education/Work Experience
You must have at least a high school degree or its equivalent, or at least two years of work experience within the past five years in a profession that requires at least two years of experience.
How to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery?
The DV Lottery registration dates change each year. Registration for the 2026 DV lottery was between 12:00 pm (noon), Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Wednesday, October 2, 2024, and 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Thursday, November 7, 2024.
Entering the DV lottery basically involves filling out a simple form online, which is free to enter. The steps are:
- Confirm country eligibility.
- Fill in personal details (name, date of birth, and passport information, as well as similar information for your spouse and children).
- Upload a recent passport-style photo.
- Submit entry (application) form.
Once you submit your application, you’ll receive a confirmation number. Save it—this number is the only way to check your selection status through the Entrant Status Check tool. The U.S. government doesn’t send selection emails—if you lose your number, you may miss your chance.
How to check if selected for 2026 Diversity Visa Lottery?

All DV-2026 applicants must go to the Entrant Status Check using the unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2026 online entry registration to find out whether their entry has been selected in the DV program.
Note that the Entrant Status Check will be available on the Electronic DV website (E-DV) from May 3, 2025, through at least September 30, 2026.
If you have misplaced your confirmation number, you can recover it through the “Forgot Confirmation Number” tool available on the DV Lottery website.
If your entry is selected, you will be directed to a confirmation page providing further instructions, including information about fees connected with immigration to the United States.
Please note that Entrant Status Check will be the only means by which the Department of State notifies selectees of their selection for DV 2026. The Department of State will not mail notification letters or notify selectees by email. U.S. embassies and consulates will not provide a list of selectees.
Individuals who have not been selected will also only be notified through Entrant Status Check.
Additionally, if you are selected and do submit a visa application and required documents, you must use Entrant Status Check to check your immigrant visa interview appointment date.
In order to immigrate, DV selectees must be admissible to the United States. And this is in two ways:
1. If in the United States apply through USCIS
If you’re in the U.S. in a temporary immigration status when you win the DV lottery, you’ll apply for a green card through adjustment of status processed through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by filing Form I-485.
2. If you’re outside the United States apply through U.S. Consulate
Most people selected for DVs aren’t in the U.S. and will apply for a green card through the U.S. consular office in their home country. Once you see a visa available, you should submit Form DS-260 to the National Visa Center. Once your application is processed, it will be forwarded to the U.S. consulate, which will schedule a visa interview. You will be approved for your immigrant visa at the interview if you meet all the requirements.
After you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number. Print this confirmation screen for your records, you must bring the confirmation page to your visa interview.
How much does it cost to enter the Diversity Visa program?
There is no fee to enter the U.S. DV lottery. However, if you’re selected and choose to apply for a DV, you’ll need to pay the mandatory green card application fees either to USCIS or at the U.S. embassy or consulate. Once selected, you’ll receive information and details of the required fees.
The Department of State’s Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) will process the visa applications until those selected are instructed to appear for visa interviews at a U.S. embassy or consulate or until those in the United States who are applying to adjust status apply with USCIS in the United States.
Interview for a Diversity Visa
After the KCC has reviewed your completed DS-260, you may receive an e-mail to let you know that an interview has been scheduled at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate you selected on your DS-260 form. The e-mail will instruct you to log into the Entrant Status Check, using your DV entry confirmation number, to view the date, time, and location of your interview. Print this information to take with you to your interview.
Everyone in your family applying for a diversity immigrant visa will need to be present at the interview, or be interviewed at a later date, in order to receive a visa. This includes you, your spouse, and children (as applicable).
What does winning the Diversity Visa Lottery mean?
Winning the DV lottery does not automatically guarantee a green card. It simply means that you are eligible to apply for a DV, but you must still meet all U.S. immigration requirements.
The Law Office of Anne Z. Sedki is here to help you

If you’ve been selected in the DV lottery, it’s essential to act fast, even though it could still be a year or more before you can come to the United States. There are two reasons to act immediately: First, your application must be processed, and your visa must be issued by the end of the fiscal year for which you were selected.
Second, more people are selected for the DVs than visas available, and if you wait until the last minute, no visas might be left.
If you or a loved one have selected for the DV lottery, it’s important to talk to an experienced and trustworthy immigration attorney. Navigating the complicated application process can be very difficult. There is little room for mistakes. Therefore, even a simple oversight or error can result in denial or delay.
The skilled and professional lawyers at The Law Office of Anne Z. Sedki are ready to help you with your specific immigration questions, including any regarding visas. If you want to learn more, give us a call on +15169636746 or fill out this form to book a consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.