US Green Card Lottery: 10 African Countries With the Fewest Selected Applicants

The United States Department of State has announced that the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, has registered and notified applicants selected to participate in the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme. The department said the random selection was conducted under Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes up……

The department said the random selection was conducted under Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes up to 55,000 permanent resident visas available annually to people from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

According to a post on the departments website, approximately 129,516 prospective applicants, comprising selected entrants, their spouses and children, have been registered and can confirm their selection, making them potentially eligible to apply for immigrant visas.

It explained that the number of registered applicants is higher than the available visa quota because the selection process is random and does not account for the number of family members who may immigrate with each selected entrant. Some selectees may also fail to complete their applications or may be found ineligible for a visa.

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The department said the larger number of selectees is intended to ensure that all DV-2026 visa numbers can be used during the 2026 fiscal year, which runs from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026.

Entrants for the DV-2026 programme were selected randomly from 20,822,624 qualified entries received during the 37-day registration period, which ran from noon Eastern Daylight Time on October 2, 2024, to noon Eastern Standard Time on November 7, 2024.

The visas will be apportioned among six geographic regions, with no more than seven per cent issued to persons chargeable to any single country.

The Department of State said principal applicants must, during their visa interview, provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience within the previous five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.

It urged selected applicants to act quickly on their immigrant visa applications, follow the instructions contained in their notification letters and complete all required steps.

Selectees who are physically present in the United States with legal status may apply to adjust their status by first contacting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for information on the requirements and procedures.

The department said the DV-2026 programme will end once all available visa numbers have been used. Selectees who do not receive visas or adjustment of status by September 30, 2026, will derive no further benefit from their DV-2026 registration.

The Department of State said the dates for the DV-2027 registration period will be widely publicised in the coming months and advised those interested in participating to check its Diversity Visa webpage for updates.

The department also noted that the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA), passed by Congress in November 1997, provides for up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually allocated Diversity Visas to be made available under the NACARA programme.

This will reduce the DV-2026 annual limit to approximately 54,850. Additionally, Section 5104 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 amended NACARA provisions relating to the Diversity Visa programme, resulting in a further deduction from the annual allocation.

As a result, the DV-2026 annual limit will be reduced further to approximately 51,850.