Diversity Visa: Guide to the U.S. Green Card Lottery

The Diversity Visa Program, popularly known as the “green card lottery,” is one of the most unique immigration programs in the world. Created by the Immigration Act of 1990 and regulated by section 203(c) of the INA, it makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available each year to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Unlike other migration pathways, the diversity lottery does not require a job offer, family sponsorship, or investment.

In December 2025, the Trump administration indefinitely suspended the program, creating unprecedented uncertainty for more than 129,000 DV-2026 selectees and for the future of the entire system. For nationals of eligible Portuguese-speaking countries such as Portugal, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor-Leste, and Guinea-Bissau, the lottery represented a concrete opportunity for permanent residence in the US.

This article examines how the program works, who can participate, what the real chances of selection are, and what the current status is after the executive suspension.

Program Suspension

On December 18, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem ordered USCIS to immediately suspend all Diversity Visa processing. The measure was taken after shootings at American universities, with the suspect having entered the US through the diversity lottery in 2017.

The suspension directly affects DV-2026 selectees, who must obtain their visas by September 30, 2026, a legal deadline that cannot be extended. USCIS instructed its adjudicators to pause all pending adjustment of status petitions linked to the DV, including associated work and travel authorization requests.

It is essential to distinguish: the program is suspended, not canceled. The Diversity Visa was created by federal law and its permanent elimination would require Congressional action. The current suspension is an executive action pending security review. The registration period for DV-2027, which would normally open in October 2025, was never announced.

How the Program Works

The Department of State (DOS) administers the program and conducts selection by computer. When operating normally, the process follows these steps:

1. Free registration period through the official portal dvprogram.state.gov, usually in October, lasting about 5 weeks
2. Random computer selection among all qualified entries
3. Results released, generally in May of the following year, exclusively through the Entrant Status Check on the official portal
4. Selectees begin the immigrant visa process via consular processing or adjustment of status
5. Visa must be obtained by September 30 of the corresponding fiscal year

Being selected in the lottery does not guarantee a green card. It only means the candidate is eligible to apply for the immigrant visa. The DOS selects more candidates than available visas to ensure all 55,000 slots are filled, since not all selectees complete the process within the deadline.

Who Can Participate

Two basic requirements must be met to participate in the diversity lottery:

Nationality: The applicant must be a native of an eligible country. Countries with high rates of immigration to the US in the last 5 years are excluded. For DV-2026, excluded countries included Brazil, Mexico, India, China (except Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Canada.

Eligible Portuguese-speaking countries include:

• Portugal
• Cape Verde
• Mozambique
• Angola
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Timor-Leste
• Guinea-Bissau

Education or experience: The applicant must have at least a high school diploma (equivalent to 12 years of formal education) or two years of work experience in the last five years in an occupation classified as Job Zone 4 or 5 in the Department of Labor’s O*Net database, with an SVP (Specific Vocational Preparation) of 7.0 or higher.

Alternative Eligibility

If the applicant was born in a non-eligible country, two exceptions allow participation. The spouse may have been born in an eligible country and must accompany the applicant to the US with a DV-2 visa. Alternatively, if both parents of the applicant were born outside the applicant’s country of birth and were not residing there when the applicant was born, it is possible to claim the parents’ country as the basis for eligibility.

Statistics and Chances

The DV-2026 numbers illustrate the extraordinary competitiveness of the program:

Historically, Africa and Europe receive the largest number of diversity visas. Chances vary by region and year, depending on the volume of entries and regional quotas. The individual probability of approximately 0.25% reflects that even among the 129,516 selectees, not all manage to complete the process within the fiscal deadline.

It is important to note that selection is genuinely random: there is no weighting for income, education, or profession. The only variable is regional distribution, with the 7% per country limit ensuring geographic diversity.

After Selection

Selected candidates must follow a rigorous process within strict deadlines:

1. Check the result exclusively through the Entrant Status Check on the official portal, as the DOS does not send letters or notification emails
2. Fill out the DS-260 (Immigrant Visa Application) form online and gather the required documentation: valid passport, birth certificate, school records, police clearance certificates
3. Undergo the immigration medical exam with a consulate-accredited physician
4. Attend the consular interview when scheduled and pay the immigrant visa fee

Those already in the US in valid status may opt for adjustment of status (form I-485) as long as a visa is available according to the Visa Bulletin. However, with the current suspension, both consular processing and adjustment of status are halted for DV cases.

Protection Against Fraud

The DOS consistently warns that scammers send fake emails claiming lottery selection and requesting payments. Some essential precautions should be observed:

• Registration is completely free; any charge is a scam
• The only official way to check selection is the Entrant Status Check on the dvprogram.state.gov portal
• The DOS never sends notification by email, mail, or phone
• Only one entry per person is allowed per period; multiple entries disqualify all applications
• Websites that charge to “check” or “submit” entries are fraudulent

Program Outlook

As of April 2026, the future of the Diversity Visa remains uncertain. The executive suspension is still in effect, and no date has been announced for resumption of processing or opening of registration for DV-2027. Bills to permanently eliminate the program have been introduced in Congress in various legislatures, but none have been passed.

The distinction between administrative suspension and legislative elimination is crucial: as long as the program exists in federal law, there remains the possibility of resumption under a different administration or by court order. For citizens of eligible Portuguese-speaking countries, monitoring the official portal dvprogram.state.gov and following ongoing court decisions is the best way to stay prepared in case the program is reactivated.

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

Leading journalism and editorial content at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps make immigration topics clear, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.