By he United States Diversity Visa programme, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, excluded citizens of 19 countries from participating in the 2026 programme.
The US Department of State said nationals of countries that had sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States during the previous five years were not eligible for the DV-2026 programme.
The Diversity Visa programme is designed to provide immigrant visas to people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
The 19 countries excluded from DV-2026
The countries whose natives were not eligible to participate were:
- 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
Ugandans who met the other requirements could therefore enter the lottery. Eligibility, however, was not based on nationality alone. Applicants also had to meet the programme’s education or qualifying work-experience requirement.
For DV-2026, the registration period ran from October 2, 2024, to November 7, 2024. The US government received more than 20.8 million qualified entries during the registration period.
Being selected in the lottery does not automatically guarantee a Green Card. Selected applicants must still meet all US immigration requirements and complete the required visa process.
For DV-2026, the eligibility period ends on September 30, 2026. After that date, DV-2026 visas cannot be issued.
For DV-2027, the U.S. Department of State has changed the usual registration schedule and has not yet announced the opening date for entries; it says the registration date will be announced as soon as practicable, while the visa application period for those selected will remain October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
Source: US Department of State.
