US Green Card Lottery: Countries Barred from DV-2026

The US Department of State released the official breakdown for the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme, revealing that nationals from 19 countries are ineligible to participate. The selection process, managed by the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, registered around 129,516 prospective applicants, including selectees and their families.

The application window ran from 2 October 2024 to 7 November 2024, during which 20,822,624 qualified submissions were received. The countries barred from the DV-2026 programme include Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

The programme allocates up to 55,000 diversity visas annually, but due to deductions, the limit for DV-2026 is approximately 51,850 visas for the fiscal year 2026, covering 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. Applicants must meet specific educational or work experience requirements and complete all necessary steps before 30 September 2026.