Visa Lawyer Blog: Registration for FY 2026 Diversity Visa Lottery is now open until November 5th.
Great news! Online registration for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program for fiscal year 2026 (DV-2026) is now open and will remain open until November 5, 2024.
What you need to know
Deadline for Registration
The State Department is accepting online registrations for the Diversity Visa Lottery program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 from now until Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST).
It is completely free to submit an online registration.
Foreign nationals who want to have a chance of being selected must register for the lottery by this deadline.
Submission of more than one entry for a person will disqualify all entries for that person.
The Fiscal Year 2026 DV lottery program will have up to 55,000 green cards up for grabs that will be selected through a randomized computer-generated process.
Winners for FY 2026 are expected to be announced starting May 3, 2025, through September 30, 2026, on the Website by selecting DV Entrant Status Check.
Why should I apply?
Foreign nationals selected in the FY 2026 lottery are eligible to file their green card applications starting October 1, 2025.
Please note that all who are selected in the DV 2026 lottery must apply for their immigrant visas during fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026).
Once all 55,000 diversity visas have been issued, the program will end. That is why it is so important for applicants to apply for an immigrant visa as early as possible.
Am I eligible to enter?
You are eligible to participate if you meet the following requirements.
Requirement #1: You must be a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States to enter
Click here for the complete list of countries eligible (p. 30 to 35).
If you are not a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, there are two other ways you might be able to qualify.
- Is your spouse a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States? If you are a native of an unaffected country, you may claim the country of birth of your spouse, provided you and your spouse both enter the United States simultaneously. If both of those statements are true, you may claim the country of birth of one of your parents if it is a country whose natives are eligible for the DV-2026 program
- Requirement #2:
Each DV applicant must meet the education/work experience requirement of the DV program by having either:at least a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education
- OR
two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. The Department of State will use the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net Online database to determine qualifying work experience.
- Applicants should not submit an entry to the DV program unless they meet both of these requirements.
Submission of more than one entry will disqualify you for a diversity visa.How do I enter the DV-2024 lottery?
Applicants may submit their Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form or DS-5501), online at www.dvprogram.state.gov from now until
Tuesday November 5th at 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time.The State Department will not accept incomplete entries or entries sent by any other means. The online entry form is free.
How will I know if I am selected?All DV2024 entrants must go to the Entrant Status Check using their unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2024 online entry registration to find out if their entry has been selected in the DV program.
The Entrant Status Check will be available on the E-DV website at
How will I know if I am selected?All DV2024 entrants must go to the Entrant Status Check using the unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2024 online entry registration to find out whether their entry has been selected in the DV program.The Entrant Status Check will be available on the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov from
May 3, 2025, through September 30, 2026
.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.
Entrant Status Check is the ONLY means by which the Department of State notifies selectees of their selection for DV-2023. The Department of State does not send out notification letters to selectees or email them. Do not ask anyone else to help you complete your registration. Only the applicant, or a state-licensed immigration attorney, can submit a form on your behalf. If you are eligible, we encourage you apply. We wish you luck!
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If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-569-1768 or call 619-819-9204.
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