Indian nationals will not be eligible to participate in the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program, also known as the green card lottery, a program designed to “diversify” the immigrant population in the United States.
The Reason for India’s Exclusion
The ineligibility of Indian nationals for the DV-2026 program is due to a specific rule in the US State Department’s criteria: any country from which more than 50,000 nationals immigrated to the US over the previous five-year period is excluded from the following year’s lottery.
Because over 50,000 natives from India immigrated to the US in the previous five years, India is classified as a high-admission country and is therefore not eligible for the DV-2026 lottery.
Other Ineligible Countries and Program Details
Besides India, several other countries are ineligible for the DV-2026 program, including: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Pakistan, Philippines, Venezuela, and South Korea.
The US State Department has stated that up to 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available for the fiscal year 2026. These DVs are distributed among six geographic regions globally, with a cap that no single country can receive more than seven per cent of the total available visas in any given year.
Requirements for the Diversity Visa Program
There are two primary requirements for an individual to be eligible for the Diversity Immigrant Visa program:
- Country of Origin: Applicants must be citizens of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the US. If an individual’s native country is ineligible, they may still qualify by claiming their spouse’s or one of their parents’ birth country, provided that country has low immigration rates.
- Education or Work Experience: Every applicant must meet minimum standards of education or work experience, requiring:
- At least a high school education or its equivalent.
- OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that mandates at least two years of training or experience.
Application and Selection Process
The registration window for the DV-2026 program took place between October 2 and November 7, 2024. There is no cost to register.
The selection process is conducted by the Department of State, which randomly selects individuals via computer from the pool of qualified applicants, based on the allocations available for each region and country. Selected applicants must then be admissible to the US and are required to pay a visa application fee before their formal visa application and in-person consular interview, where eligibility under US law is determined.
Context: Trump Immigration Crackdown
The news of the DV-2026 exclusion comes amid a period of heightened immigration scrutiny. Since taking office in January of the current year, US President Donald Trump has adopted a more aggressive approach toward immigrants, with his administration initiating several moves to limit immigration, including imposing a high fee on H-1B visa applications, tightening visa rules, and expanding social media and security-related vetting.