Diversity Visa Lottery: Complete Guide & Results

The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, often called the green card lottery, gives natives of countries with low rates of immigration to the United States a chance at lawful permanent residence without an employer sponsor or family-based petition. For employees, it can be a direct route to a green card and unrestricted work authorization. For employers, it is one of the few pathways where a foreign worker can secure permanent status independently. This guide explains how the lottery works, the major 2026 change that has paused the program, the DV-2026 selection results, eligibility rules, what selectees do to claim a green card, and the alternatives for those not selected. The rules and figures below are tied to official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) guidance wherever a government source applies.

How the Diversity Visa Lottery Works

Who Runs the Program and How Many Visas Are Available

The DV Program is administered by the U.S. Department of State, not USCIS. According to USCIS, the program "makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States." The statutory ceiling is 55,000 per year. A set-aside of up to 5,000 under NACARA can apply, which is why USCIS generally describes the figure as up to 50,000. For DV-2026 specifically, after the NACARA reduction and a further deduction under Section 5104 of the National Defense Authorization Act, the State Department set the limit at approximately 52,000. Under a formula in the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Department of Homeland Security determines which countries qualify as low-admission, and therefore eligible, each year, while the Department of State administers the program, conducts the random selection, and publishes the regional visa allocations.

Most selectees live outside the United States and immigrate through consular processing. A smaller group already lives in the United States in a temporary or other lawful status, and that group applies through USCIS by filing Form I-485 to adjust status.

How the Random Selection Works

After the entry window closes, a computer randomly selects entries within six geographic regions (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, Central America, and the Caribbean), weighted so that regions and countries sending fewer immigrants receive more selections. No single country can receive more than 7 percent of the diversity visas available in a year. The State Department selects far more entrants than there are visas, because many selectees do not pursue their cases or are found ineligible. Selection earns the right to apply; it does not promise a visa, and visas can run out before the fiscal year ends.

2026 Update: The Diversity Visa Program Is on Hold

The defining development for the lottery in 2026 is that the program is paused. On December 19, 2025, USCIS issued Policy Memorandum PM-602-0193 ("Hold and Review of Pending USCIS Adjustment of Status Applications Filed by Aliens Under the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program"), directing officers to place a hold on all pending adjustment of status applications, along with related work permit, travel document, and waiver filings, submitted by DV selectees. USCIS confirmed the action in a public alert on strengthened screening and vetting, which lists PM-602-0193 among several memoranda that placed diversity visa adjustment of status applications on hold.

The State Department separately paused diversity visa issuance at consulates. As of June 2026, both holds remained in effect; the USCIS update dated March 30, 2026 listed PM-602-0193 among active holds and did not announce its lifting.

The memorandum states the hold was issued at the direction of the Secretary of Homeland Security and orders a comprehensive review of the screening and vetting procedures for DV adjustment cases. It also directs officers to interview or re-interview DV applicants as needed to reassess national security, criminal, identity, and admissibility concerns. The hold remains in place until lifted or modified by the USCIS Director or the Secretary.

What the Hold Means for Selectees Inside the United States

For a selectee who already filed Form I-485 to adjust status, the case is paused. USCIS may continue to schedule interviews and request evidence, but no approvals or denials are issued while the hold is in effect. The fiscal-year deadline continues to run during administrative pauses. Updates that lift or modify the hold are published in official USCIS newsroom alerts.

What It Means for Employers

For an employer of someone who was selected and is adjusting status, the timing is uncertain. An employee waiting on a paused green card case may rely on an existing work visa as a backup, and the green card may not arrive within the fiscal year. Alternative sponsorship options, such as an H-1B petition, remain relevant while a case is paused, and for businesses that rely on a key foreign hire, the lottery outcome remains uncertain until the green card is issued.

DV-2026 Results: Selection Numbers and Odds

The DV-2026 selection results were released through the State Department's Entrant Status Check beginning May 3, 2025. The State Department, which runs the drawing, selected about 129,516 prospective applicants, including spouses and children, from 20,822,624 qualified entries received during the entry window. Because that pool is far larger than the number of available visas, many selectees will not ultimately receive a green card.

Lower case numbers are processed earlier in the fiscal year, so a high case number can mean visas are exhausted before a selectee's turn arrives. Selection begins a competitive process rather than completing it, and with the current hold, completion within the fiscal-year window is not assured.

Eligibility: Who Qualifies

Two core requirements decide whether a person can enter: where they were born, and their education or work background.

Country of Birth (Chargeability)

Eligibility is based on country of birth, not citizenship or current residence. Natives of countries that sent large numbers of immigrants to the United States over the prior five years are excluded for that cycle. The Department of Homeland Security identifies the ineligible countries for each cycle; for DV-2026 the list included Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and Brazil, among others, with Cuba newly added for that cycle. The list can change from year to year, and the official entry instructions for each cycle identify which countries are eligible.

Education or Work Experience

Each principal entrant must meet one of two standards. The first is education: a high school diploma or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education. The second is work experience: at least two years of experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. Equivalency certificates such as a GED, and on-the-job training that does not meet the occupational standard, do not satisfy the education route.

Cross-Chargeability

A person born in an excluded country may still qualify by claiming a different country of birth in two situations. A spouse's country of birth can be claimed if both are named on the same entry, both are found eligible, and both immigrate together. A parent's country of birth can be claimed if neither parent was born in, nor was a legal resident of, the applicant's country of birth at the time of the applicant's birth.

How to Enter the Lottery

The Entry Window and Fee

The lottery has a single annual entry window, normally opening in early October and closing in early November of the prior calendar year, with the resulting visas issued during the federal fiscal year that begins the following October. As of June 2026, the State Department had deferred the DV-2027 registration window and had not published an opening date, so the usual early-October to early-November window had not occurred on its typical schedule. Entry is only through the official electronic form on the State Department's entry site during that window. Paper entries are not accepted, and submitting more than one entry per person disqualifies all of that person's entries.

Entering was historically free. Starting with the DV-2027 cycle, the State Department added a $1 entry fee, paid at the time of submission on the official site under a fee rule effective September 16, 2025. Selectees who move forward later pay a separate immigrant visa application fee set by the State Department, which has been $330 per applicant, plus the costs described in the green card sections below.

Avoiding Scams

The official entry process does not use agents, and no one can improve the odds. The State Department does not notify winners by email, mail, or phone; the only way to learn a result is to check the entry online using the confirmation number. Anyone emailing to say you won and asking for a fee is running a scam. Only the official government entry and status-check sites are used, and the confirmation number cannot be replaced, so a result cannot be retrieved without it.

If You Are Selected: The Path to a Green Card

Selection allows an application for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status. There are two routes, depending on where the selectee lives.

Adjustment of Status (Inside the United States)

A selectee in the United States in a lawful nonimmigrant or other legal status applies through USCIS by filing Form I-485. According to USCIS, adjustment under the DV Program requires selection by the State Department's lottery, an immigrant visa immediately available when filing, and admissibility. Visa availability is shown in the monthly Department of State Visa Bulletin: Section B shows the current month's diversity visa availability by region, and Section C shows the following month's rank cut-offs as advance notice.

The current Form I-485 filing fee is $1,440 for an applicant, which now includes biometrics. If a work permit application (Form I-765) and a travel document application (Form I-131) are filed with a pending I-485, the I-765 fee is $260, a reduced rate that applies when filed with a pending I-485 (the standalone fee is $520), and the I-131 fee is $630, under the current USCIS fee schedule. A medical examination by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon is also required. Fees can change; current amounts are listed on the official USCIS fee schedule. USCIS publishes current processing times by form type and office at the USCIS processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times). Times vary by service center and field office.

Consular Processing (Outside the United States)

Most selectees live abroad and use consular processing. After selection, the immigrant visa application is submitted through the State Department's online system, the case is reviewed at the Kentucky Consular Center, and an interview is scheduled at a U.S. embassy or consulate once a visa number is available for the case. A medical examination with an embassy-approved physician is completed before the interview. If approved at the interview, the immigrant visa is issued, after which the USCIS Immigrant Fee of $235 is paid before the green card is produced.

Required Documents, Medical Exam, and Deadlines

Whichever route applies, documents typically include a valid passport, a birth certificate, police certificates (generally required from a country of nationality or current residence with at least six months of residence, and from any other country with at least 12 months of residence after age 16, plus any country where an arrest occurred), court or military records where relevant, proof that the education or work-experience requirement is met, photographs, and financial evidence. The governing rule is the deadline: every diversity visa and adjustment must be completed by September 30 of the fiscal year for which the selectee was chosen. There is no carryover, and visas can be used up before that date.

What Selection Means for Employers and Employees

For an employee, a diversity visa does not depend on a specific job or employer. Once permanent residence is granted, the holder can change jobs freely, and a spouse and unmarried children under 21 can be included under the principal applicant's case number and regional rank cutoff.

For an employer, a worker's selection can reduce the burden of sponsorship, since permanent status may be obtained independently. The main variables are timing and certainty: with the program on hold and a firm fiscal-year deadline, a selected employee may not complete the process in time. For individuals weighing the lottery, and for businesses supporting them, employment-based options and a diversity visa entry are often pursued in parallel rather than as alternatives.

Not Selected? Alternative Work Visa and Green Card Options

With roughly 20 million entries competing for about 52,000 visas, most entrants are not selected, and the program is currently paused on top of that. Employment-based options do not rely on chance. The O-1 visa suits people with a record of achievement in their field and can lead to permanent residence. The EB-1A and EB-2 NIW categories are self-petition green card routes that, like the lottery, do not require an employer sponsor, which makes them relevant for someone drawn to the diversity visa for its independence. The H-1B is the most common employer-sponsored work visa, and the L-1 serves multinational transfers. A full overview of permanent options is on Alma's employment-based green cards page.

Alma is an attorney-led, software-enabled immigration law firm that helps individuals and companies pursue employment-based work visas and green cards. Alma reports a 98%+ approval rate across its cases, along with a roughly two-week document preparation timeline, a dedicated attorney leading each matter rather than paralegals, and real-time portal access to track progress.

Why Choose Alma for Your Immigration Strategy

Alma combines experienced immigration attorneys with software that organizes documents, populates forms, and tracks deadlines, so cases move efficiently. The pricing is a flat fee per case, published up front, with no hourly billing. Success stories from Alma's clients include researchers, founders, and engineers.

Transparent, flat-fee pricing. Published legal fees include O-1 at $8,000, H-1B Cap at $3,500, and EB-2 NIW at $10,000, with EB-1 or EB-2 NIW reduced to $7,000 when an approved O-1 is already held. The adjustment of status bundle, which covers Forms I-485, I-765, and I-131, is $2,000 for an adult. These are legal fees only; government filing fees are separate.

Included support. Alma's case fee covers attorney and paralegal work, responses to a Request for Evidence, administrative costs such as shipping and printing, platform access, and up to three consultation calls per matter.

Speed and access. Alma describes a roughly two-week preparation timeline, a dedicated attorney rather than rotating associates, and a portal that shows case status in real time.

Schedule a consultation to compare available pathways.