U.S. Diversity Visa
United States
Residency
At a glance
The Diversity Visa is a green card route for people selected in the US Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Birth in an eligible country only allows entry into the lottery; the person must then be selected and meet the education or work-experience rule and the usual immigration checks before the deadline.
- Type
- Green card lottery route
- Selection fit
- People from eligible countries selected in the lottery
- Core requirements
- Selection notice, qualifying education or work experience, and the usual immigration and background checks
- What to know
- Selection is required and never guaranteed
- Duration
- Leads to U.S. lawful permanent residence if the immigrant visa is issued.
- Renewal / path
- Green cards are usually renewed as cards; citizenship may follow after residence rules are met.
Summary
The Diversity Visa (DV) program is an annual, random-selection immigrant program for people chargeable to countries with comparatively low recent immigration to the United States. Selection gives a person only an opportunity to apply; it does not reserve a visa or prove eligibility.
The program is subject to a critical current restriction. On December 23, 2025, the State Department paused all DV visa issuances, with no exceptions announced. Applicants may still submit applications and attend scheduled interviews, but consulates are not issuing DV visas under that guidance as of August 15, 2026.
Eligibility
A principal applicant generally must:
- Have submitted a valid entry during the official registration period and been selected through Entrant Status Check;
- Be chargeable to an eligible country under that program year's rules, usually based on country of birth rather than current citizenship;
- Have completed a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a U.S. 12-year education, or have two years of qualifying work experience within the past five years in an occupation meeting the State Department's requirements;
- Have correctly listed the existing spouse and all living, unmarried children under 21 when the original entry required it; and
- Be otherwise eligible and admissible for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status.
Each program year has its own country list and instructions. A spouse's country of birth or a parent's country can sometimes support alternative chargeability under precise rules.
What This Route Allows
If a visa is available, the applicant is fully eligible, and issuance resumes in time, DV can lead to lawful permanent residence for the principal, spouse, and qualifying children. A person already eligible to adjust status in the United States may use the USCIS process, but the same fiscal-year deadline and visa-number limits apply.
DV-2026 eligibility ends September 30, 2026. No visa or adjustment can be approved after that deadline, and numbers can run out earlier. Selection cannot carry over to another fiscal year.
What This Route Is Not
DV is not presently a reliable route to visa issuance because of the State Department pause. An interview, fee payment, or favorable document review does not overcome the pause or extend the statutory deadline.
The official result appears only in Entrant Status Check; the State Department does not notify winners by email or demand payment by wire transfer. Current nationality-based immigrant-visa restrictions can create an additional bar even if DV issuance resumes.
Next Steps
- Check selection only at the official Entrant Status Check site using the saved confirmation number.
- Read the instructions for the exact program year, including chargeability, education/work, family-listing, and deadline rules.
- If selected, submit truthful forms and gather civil, police, education/work, and medical records, understanding that issuance remains paused.
- Monitor the State Department pause page for a formal change; do not assume social-media reports lifted it.
- Obtain case-specific advice urgently if seeking adjustment in the United States because timing, lawful-entry, and visa-availability rules are strict.
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