The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (“DV Lottery”) is open to people from countries with “historically low rates of immigration” to the U.S.  Selected individuals who successfully complete the immigration process will be able to obtain their immigrant visa or adjust status (become permanent residents/green card holders) in the U.S., along with their dependents.     The entry submission period for DV-2026 is from 12:00PM EDT (GMT -4) on October 2, 2024 to 12:00PM EST (GMT -5) on November 5. 

Applicants must have

• Completed high school (or the equivalent in another country)

-OR-

• Two years of work experience in the past five, in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform

Details on these requirements, including a list of eligible and ineligible countries, further specifics and certain loopholes are contained in in the DV lottery instructions.

Those selected in the lottery must then complete the documentation and interview steps required of all immigrants, in time to meet the visa issuance deadline of  September 30, 2026.

A flow chart outlining all the steps, with links to details on each step, is here.