American Visa Lottery: Eligibility & Program Suspension Notice (2026) 

Important Notice: Effective December 23, 2025, the U.S. Department of State paused Diversity Visa issuances while it reviews the program’s screening and vetting procedures. Applicants may continue to submit visa applications and attend scheduled interviews, but no Diversity Visas will be issued during the pause. Registrations for the DV-2027 Diversity Visa Program are currently on indefinite hold. Continue to monitor official U.S. Department of State announcements for updates. 

The American Visa Lottery, officially known as the Diversity Visa lottery or Diversity Visa (DV) Program, provides immigrant visas each fiscal year to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Federal law authorizes up to 55,000 Diversity Visas annually. After visa numbers reserved under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA), approximately 50,000 to 52,000 visas are available each year. 

American visa lottery eligibility is determined primarily by an applicant’s country of birth, also known as the country of chargeability. For the Diversity Visa lottery, the term country includes countries, economies, and other jurisdictions recognized by the U.S. Department of State. 

DV-2026 Ineligible Countries 

The following countries are not eligible to participate in the DV-2026 Diversity Visa lottery. Cuba has been added to the list of DV-2026 ineligible countries. 

Eligibility is determined using immigration data from the previous five years. The statutory immigration threshold includes only immigrants admitted through family-sponsored (including immediate relatives of U.S. citizens) and employment-based immigration categories. It does not include refugees, asylees, Diversity Visa immigrants, NACARA beneficiaries, or other humanitarian immigration programs. 

Applicants born in an ineligible country may still qualify through cross-chargeability, a provision that allows eligibility to be based on the country of birth of a spouse or, in certain circumstances, a parent. 

DV-2026 Eligible Countries 

The following countries and jurisdictions are eligible to participate in the DV-2026 Diversity Visa lottery. Eligible countries are grouped by geographic region. 

Africa 

• Algeria
• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Cabo Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Comoros
• Congo
• Congo, Democratic Republic of the
• Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Eswatini
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Rwanda
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• Togo 
• Tunisia 
• Uganda 
• Zambia 
• Zimbabwe 

Asia 

• Afghanistan
• Bahrain 
• Bhutan 
• Brunei 
• Burma 
• Cambodia 
• Indonesia 
• Iran 
• Iraq 
• Israel 
• Japan 
• Jordan 
• Kuwait 
• Laos 
• Lebanon 
• Malaysia 
• Maldives 
• Mongolia 
• Nepal 
• North Korea 
• Oman 
• Qatar 
• Saudi Arabia 
• Singapore 
• Sri Lanka 
• Syria 
• Taiwan 
• Thailand 
• Timor-Leste 
• United Arab Emirates 
• Yemen 

Notes: 

• Persons born in areas administered before June 1967 by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt are chargeable, respectively, to Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt. 
• Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt. 
• Persons born in the West Bank are chargeable to Jordan. 
• Persons born in the Golan Heights are chargeable to Syria. 
• Taiwan qualifies for the Diversity Visa Program and is included in the eligible country list. 

Europe 

• Albania 
• Andorra 
• Armenia 
• Austria 
• Azerbaijan 
• Belarus 
• Belgium 
• Bosnia and Herzegovina 
• Bulgaria 
• Croatia 
• Cyprus 
• Czech Republic 
• Denmark (including components and dependent areas overseas) 
• Estonia 
• Finland 
• France (including components and dependent areas overseas) 
• Georgia 
• Germany 
• Great Britain (United Kingdom) 
• Greece 
• Hungary 
• Iceland 
• Ireland 
• Italy 
• Kazakhstan 
• Kosovo 
• Kyrgyzstan 
• Latvia 
• Liechtenstein 
• Lithuania 
• Luxembourg 
• Macau Special Administrative Region 
• Malta 
• Moldova 
• Monaco 
• Montenegro 
• Netherlands (including components and dependent areas overseas) 
• North Macedonia 
• Northern Ireland 
• Norway (including components and dependent areas overseas) 
• Poland 
• Portugal (including components and dependent areas overseas) 
• Romania 
• Russia 
• San Marino 
• Serbia 
• Slovakia 
• Slovenia 
• Spain 
• Sweden 
• Switzerland 
• Tajikistan 
• Turkey 
• Turkmenistan 
• Ukraine 
• Uzbekistan 
• Vatican City 

Notes: 

• Macau Special Administrative Region qualifies for the Diversity Visa Program and is included in the eligible country list. For Diversity Visa purposes, persons born in Macau Special Administrative Region derive eligibility from Portugal. 
• For Diversity Visa purposes, Northern Ireland is treated separately and qualifies independently. 
• Persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan. 
• Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia. 

North America 

• The Bahamas 

Oceana 

• Australia (including components and dependent areas overseas) 
• Fiji 
• Kiribati 
• Marshall Islands 
• Micronesia 
• Federated States of Nauru 
• New Zealand (including components and dependent areas overseas) 
• Palau 
• Papua New Guinea 
• Samoa 
• Solomon Islands 
• Tonga 
• Tuvalu 
• Vanuatu 

South America, Central America, and the Carribean 

• Antigua and Barbuda 
• Argentina 
• Barbados 
• Belize 
• Bolivia 
• Chile 
• Costa Rica 
• Dominica 
• Ecuador 
• Grenada 
• Guatemala 
• Guyana 
• Nicaragua 
• Panama 
• Paraguay 
• Peru 
• Saint Kitts and Nevis 
• Saint Lucia 
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 
• Suriname 
• Trinidad and Tobago 
• Uruguay 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Is the DV lottery suspended? 

Yes, the U.S. Department of State paused all Diversity Visa issuances in December 2025, while it reviews the program’s screening and vetting procedures. Applicants may still submit applications and attend scheduled interviews, but no Diversity Visas will be issued during the pause. 

Can I still pursue my DV-2026 case? 

Yes, DV-2026 applicants may continue to submit required documents and attend scheduled interviews. Selection does not guarantee visa issuance, and all DV-2026 visas must be issued by September 30, 2026. Applicants who do not receive a visa or adjust status by that date will receive no further benefit from their DV-2026 selection. 

How is American visa lottery eligibility determined? 

American visa lottery eligibility is determined primarily by your country of birth (country of chargeability), not your citizenship or current country of residence. If you were born in a country that is not eligible for the DV-2026 Diversity Visa Program, you may still qualify through cross-chargeability in certain circumstances.