Eligibility

Requirement#1:  Natives of nations with historically low rates of immigration to the US may be eligible.

The countries and regions whose populations qualify for DV-2026 are categorized by geographic region in the list below. Dependent regions located overseas are classified as part of the sovereign country’s territory. The countries whose citizens do not qualify for the DV-2026 program were determined by DHS using the formula outlined in Section 203(c) of the INA. Following the respective regional lists are the nations whose citizens are ineligible for the DV program (as they are the primary source countries of family-sponsored and employment-based immigration, or “high-admission” countries).

AFRICA

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad , Comoros , Congo , Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti , Egypt*, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, The Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia , Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Nigerian nationals are not eligible to apply for the Diversity Visa program this year.

ASIA

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel*, Japan***, Jordan*, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria*, Taiwan**, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
*Persons born in the areas administered prior to June 1967 by Israel Jordan Syria and Egypt are chargeable respectively to Israel Jordan Syria and Egypt. Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt; persons born in the West Bank are chargeable to Jordan; persons born in the Golan Heights are chargeable to Syria.
**Macau S.A.R. (Europe region chargeable to Portugal) and Taiwan (Asia region)do qualify and are listed. For the purposes of the diversity program only persons born in Macau S.A.R. derive eligibility from Portugal.
***Persons born in theHabomaiIslands, Shikotan,Kunashiri, andEtorofuare chargeable to Japan. Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia.
Applicants from the following Asia Region nations are ineligible for the Diversity Visa program this year: Vietnam, South Korea, Philippines, Bangladesh, China (including Hong Kong), India, and Pakistan.

EUROPE

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (including components and dependent areas overseas), Estonia, Finland, France (including components and, dependent areas overseas), Georgia, Germany, Great Britain (United Kingdom) Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau Special Administrative Region**, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands (including components and dependent areas overseas), Northern Ireland***, Norway (including components and dependent areas overseas), Poland, Portugal (including components and dependent areas overseas), Romania, Russia****, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vatican City

**Macau S.A.R. citizens are eligible and are enumerated above for informational purposes only; individuals born in Macau S.A.R. are eligible through Portugal.
***For purposes of the diversity program only Northern Ireland is treated separately. Northern Ireland does qualify and is listed among the qualifying areas.
**** Persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan. Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia.

NORTH AMERICA

The Bahamas
Natives of Canada and Mexico are not eligible for this year’s DV program in North America.

OCEANIA

Australia (including components and dependent areas overseas), Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Federated States of Nauru , New Zealand (including components and  dependent areas overseas), Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay

The following nations’ citizens are not qualified for this year’s DV program: Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Requirement #2: Every DV applicant must fulfill the program’s requirements for education and work experience by possessing one of the following:

  • a minimum of a high school diploma, or its equivalent, which is the successful completion of a 12-year formal elementary and secondary education program;

OR

If you do not fulfill both of these qualifications, you should not submit an entry to the DV program.

  • two years of work experience within the past five years in a profession that needs at least two years of training or experience to perform the duties of the position. In order to evaluate qualifications for work experience, the Department of State will use the O*Net Online database maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
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