The United States offers various immigrant visas, including family ties, employment, adoption, special categories, and diversity visas, for those interested in immigrating or sponsoring someone. The Diversity Visa is an annual program granting visas to individuals meeting strict eligibility criteria from low-immigration countries for the United States.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program has a limited registration period each fiscal year, with detailed instructions from the Department of State each year. Electronic Diversity Visa entries must be submitted electronically during registration periods, with no late or paper entries accepted. Multiple entries may result in disqualification using advanced technology.
DV-2026 program will open in October 2024. There is no cost to register for the DV Program. USCIS encourages applicants to complete the entry form themselves without a ‘Visa Consultant or Visa Agent, or other facilitator who offers to help. If someone else assists you, you should be there when your input is completed so that you can offer proper answers to the questions and keep the confirmation page and your unique confirmation number.
DV-2024 Entrants have until September 30, 2024 to check the status of their entry through this website. The DV-2024 registration period was from October 5, 2022, until November 8, 2022. DV-2025 Entrants should keep their confirmation number until at least September 30, 2025.
The US Department of State has stated that it will not process Diversity Visa cases related to lower court decisions from the DV-2020 and DV-2021 program years. Individuals from eligible countries can submit a new Diversity Visa entry during the DV-2026 program year, opening in October 2024.
Each year, the Department of State conducts a random selection of Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) applicants, based on allocations of available visas in each region and country, from all registered entries. On May 4, 2024, information on the Entrant Status Check on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website was updated to let all entrants know if their online registration was selected or not.
If you receive notification through the E-DV website that you have been selected for further processing in the DV Program, and you are physically present in the United States, you may be eligible to adjust your status to obtain permanent residence through the DV Program. It is important to remember that selection does not guarantee you will receive a visa. To receive a DV to immigrate to the United States, selectees must still meet all eligibility requirements under U.S. law.