GistReel
The US government has released the complete list of nations whose people were chosen to participate in the Diversity Visa (DV-2026) program, often known as the Green Card Lottery, which had around 129,516 prospective applicants enrolled across six geographic regions.
The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, randomly selected (20,822,624 qualified entries) submitted during the 37-day application window, which ran from October 2, 2024, to November 7, 2024.
The program makes up to 55,000 permanent residence visas available each year, while the DV-2026 ceiling has been cut to approximately 51,850 due to deductions under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024.
Selected candidates have until September 30, 2026, to finish their applications.
Those who do not obtain a visa or modify their status by that date will forfeit all benefits from their DV-2026 selection.
African countries selected for DV-2026
Africa had a solid performance throughout the program. The countries with registered prospective candidates are: Burundi (1,616), Ghana (1,642), Rwanda (1,252), Sierra Leone (639), Senegal (478), Chad (482), Republic of the Congo (448), Tanzania (404), Burkina Faso (252), Zimbabwe (327), Zambia (236), Mali (268), Mauritania (261), Libya (276), Guinea (1,051), Côte d’Ivoire (926), Tunisia (202), Gambia (198), Malawi (159), South Africa (187), Benin (1,064), Gabon (62), Central African Republic (19), Angola (763), Niger (109), Guinea-Bissau (10), Comoros (12), Equatorial Guinea (12), South Sudan (72), Cabo Verde (35),
Eritrea (206), Djibouti (204), Algeria (5,457), Egypt (5,527), Sudan (5,226), Morocco (3,670), Cameroon (3,533), Ethiopia (3,287), Kenya (3,949), Togo (2,473), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2,210), Somalia (1,554), Uganda (1,513), Liberia (1,593),
Madagascar (48), Botswana (7), Lesotho (6), Namibia (3), Mozambique (4), Eswatini (3), and Mauritius (2). Asian, European, and other regions: In Asia, Afghanistan led with 4,200 registrants, followed by Iran (4,137), Nepal (3,933), Yemen (2,449), Burma (1,540), Cambodia (811), Sri Lanka (1,028), Jordan (1,092), Syria (624), Iraq (616), and Saudi Arabia (577), among others.
European Countries Included
European countries with the highest representation include Russia (5,510), Ukraine (5,283), Uzbekistan (3,754), Tajikistan (3,708), Turkey (3,191), Kyrgyzstan (3,324), Kazakhstan (2,723), Turkmenistan (2,542), Armenia (2,639), Azerbaijan (1,817), and Georgia (1,406).
The UK registered 1,303 prospective applicants.
In Oceania, Fiji led with 2,094, followed by Australia (599) and New Zealand (229). South American countries represented include Peru (1,596), Ecuador (1,270), Guatemala (367), Bolivia (269), Argentina (124), and Trinidad & Tobago (139), among others.
The Bahamas was the only North American country represented, with 23 registrations.
Applicants must demonstrate that they have completed at least secondary school or have two years of relevant job experience within the last five years.
Those who are already legally present in the United States may apply for status adjustment through US Citizenship and Immigration Services.