The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program, also known as the “green card lottery,” is a lottery administered by the Department of State every year. It makes available 55,000 immigrant visas annually and aims to diversify the immigrant population in the United States by selecting applicants among individuals whose countries of birth have historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
Information about this year's lottery, DV-2026, can be found here. The list of countries eligible for the DV lottery can be found within the DV-2026 Program Instructions. You should read about the entire process on the official Diversity Visa Program webpage before you start the free and online application.
Please note that fraud and scams are common around the DV lottery as some websites and emails attempt to pose as providers of official U.S. government information. There is no cost to apply for the lottery. Please contact OISS if you suspect fraud.
Unfortunately, OISS cannot advise on how to apply for the DV lottery, since we cannot legally represent personal applications. The lottery has two stages: the lottery itself, and then the green card application process for those selected. The lottery registration is straightforward and should not need any legal representation. Previous guidance form the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security indicated that registering for the lottery itself does not constitute a change in nonimmigrant intent for international students and scholars on nonimmigrant visas (such as F-1, J-1, and etc.). However, please contact your designated OISS adviser if you get selected in the DV lottery to discuss how the second stage of applying ofr the green card process might affect your Yale-sponsored visa. We also recommend that you get legal counsel if your case is selected in the lottery. OISS can provide names of appropriate attorneys upon request.
