The registration period for the DV-2026 program popularly known as the green card lottery began on October 2, 2024, and will conclude on November 5, 2024.
The U.S. Department of State opened the portal for interested persons seeking to permanently relocate to America to apply for a green card.
However, not all countries are eligible to apply for the green card. The U.S. Department of State locked out 19 countries from the DV-2026 program.
The State Department explained that natives of the 19 countries and the autonomous state of Hong Kong are not eligible to apply because more than 50,000 nationals from those countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years.
The countries locked out from DV-2026 include: 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, and Vietnam. Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.
How to apply
All applications are submitted electronically on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website from October 2, 2024 to November 5, 2024. No late entries or paper entries are accepted.
You are only required to apply once or for each person during each registration period. The State Department uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries. If you submit more than one entry you will automatically be disqualified.
After you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number. You must print the confirmation screen for your records.
It is imperative that you retain your confirmation number. It is the only way you can check the status of your entry, and you will need it to obtain further instructions or schedule an interview for a visa if you are selected.
Most importantly, note that there is no cost whatsoever to register for the green card lottery.
The US Department of State encourages applicants to complete the entry forms themselves, without a visa consultant, visa agent or other facilitators who offer to help.
If applicants are assisted by a second party, they are advised to be present when the entry is prepared so that they can provide the correct answers to the questions and retain the confirmation page and their unique confirmation number.
Click the link below to apply for the green card lottery 2026.