Nigeria Excluded from 2026 US Green Card Lottery

The Department of State has announced the exclusion of Nigeria and 18 other countries from the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program, commonly referred to as the Green Card Lottery. This exclusion applies to any country whose nationals have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the previous five years.

This rule is part of the lottery's design, established under Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which aims to benefit nations with historically low immigration rates to the U.S. The other countries excluded alongside Nigeria include Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

The program is not punitive; it is intended to increase immigration diversity. For the 2026 fiscal year, up to 55,000 diversity visas will be available, with no single country receiving more than seven percent of the total visas in any year.

Participation in the lottery has no registration fee, but selected applicants must pay a visa application fee before their interview.