The United States has kicked off the application process for the 2026 Diversity Visa (DV) Program, also known as the Green Card Lottery, offering up to 55,000 foreign nationals the chance to apply for permanent residency. The application period runs from October 2 to November 5, 2024, with submissions to be completed online, according to the U.S. State Department. It is designed to benefit individuals from countries with historically low immigration rates to the U.S.
The DV lottery provides a pathway to permanent residency for successful applicants, although certain countries are ineligible due to high immigration numbers. This year, citizens of India, Bangladesh, and Brazil, among others, are excluded from applying as these countries have had more than 50,000 immigrants move to the U.S. in the past five years. Individuals born in ineligible countries may still qualify if their spouse or parents are from an eligible country. Other ineligible countries include:
