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DV Lottery 2026: Eligible Countries

Overview of the Diversity Visa Lottery

The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, commonly known as the "DV Lottery" or "Green Card Lottery," provides individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States the opportunity to apply for a U.S. green card. Each year, the U.S. Department of State selects approximately 55,000 applicants through a random lottery process, granting them the chance to pursue permanent residency in the United States.

For the DV Lottery 2026, the registration period runs from October 2, 2024, to November 5, 2024. To participate in the lottery, applicants must meet specific eligibility criteria, including being a native of an eligible country and satisfying educational or work experience requirements.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the DV Lottery 2026, applicants must meet two main requirements:

  • They must be citizens or natives of a country with low immigration rates to the United States over the past five years.
  • They must have at least a high school education or its equivalent, or have two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.

It's important to note that the term "natives" refers to the country of birth. Even if a person currently lives in a different country, their eligibility is based on the country they were born in. There are also special cases where an applicant can claim eligibility through their spouse's or parents' country of birth, provided certain conditions are met.

Ineligible Countries

Certain countries are not eligible for the DV Lottery 2026 because they have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past five years. For the 2026 DV Lottery, the following countries are ineligible to participate:

  • Bangladesh
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China (including Hong Kong SAR)
  • Colombia
  • Cuba
  • Dominican Republic
  • El Salvador
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Mexico
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • South Korea
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam

Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan, however, are eligible to apply for the 2026 DV Lottery, even though they are part of China.

Eligible Countries for DV Lottery 2026

Citizens of the following countries are eligible to apply for the DV Lottery 2026, provided they meet the other eligibility requirements:

Africa

  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Chad
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Ghana
  • Kenya
  • Madagascar
  • Morocco
  • Niger
  • Senegal
  • South Africa
  • Tanzania
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda

Europe

  • Albania
  • Armenia
  • Belarus
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Estonia
  • Georgia
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Moldova
  • Montenegro
  • North Macedonia
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Ukraine

Asia

  • Afghanistan
  • Bahrain
  • Bhutan
  • Brunei
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Maldives
  • Nepal
  • Oman
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Syria
  • United Arab Emirates

Oceania

  • Australia
  • Fiji
  • Kiribati
  • New Zealand
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tonga
  • Tuvalu

South America, Central America, and the Caribbean

  • Argentina
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Bolivia
  • Chile
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • Guatemala
  • Guyana
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Suriname
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Uruguay
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