The Green Card 2026 lottery

Every year, the United States offers more than 50,000 foreign nationals the opportunity to obtain a Green Card by drawing lots. This lottery is part of the U.S. Diversity Visa Program. This program was set up to manage immigration to the United States.

What is the Green Card 2026 lottery?

Each promotion in the Green Card draw bears the number of the year in which the candidates will finally be holders of an American Green Card. So the 2026 Green Card lottery concerns the quota of Green Cards to be issued in 2026. The U.S. administration is calling this promotion of new visas stemming from the diversity program: DV-2026 for Diversity-Program 2026.

When is the Green Card 2026 quota draw?

There are several stages in the process of obtaining a Green Card through the lottery. The first step is the draw.

DV2026 candidates must register from October 2, 2024 to take part in the draw, which takes place every year at the beginning of November. Online registration for the DV2026 draw closes on November 5, 2024.

When are the results of the DV-2026 draw published?

The results of the Green Card draw are published approximately 6 months after the end of registration: The results of the DV2026 draw are published from May 2025.

What are the next steps for lottery winners?

Winners must then apply for a Diversity visa. The following are the main steps in obtaining a Green Card:

• Complete visa application form DS-260.
• Payment of the Green Card fee for this mandatory visa application;
• Conduct your Green Card interview with a USCIS agent who participates in the Diversity Visa Program.

The Green Card and the visa are different documents. Obtaining a Diversity Visa is one of the steps required to obtain a Green Card.