The U.S. Department of State announced that registration dates for the DV-2027 Green Card lottery will be publicized in the coming months. The program, which makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available annually, arrives alongside exclusion lists and education and work requirements for applicants worldwide.
State Department Guidance and the DV-2027 Registration Outlook
Prospective applicants eyeing the Diversity Visa program have been directed to monitor official channels for upcoming registration windows. The U.S. Department of State released an update following the recent publication of the DV-2026 lottery results, signaling that a formal application window for the DV-2027 cycle is forthcoming.
While officials have not yet released an exact opening date, the advisory urges participants to rely strictly on official federal resources rather than third-party platforms. The department stated:
“Dates for the DV-2027 program registration period will be widely publicised in the coming months. Those interested in entering the DV-2027 program should check the Department of State’s Diversity Visa web page in the coming months.”
Kenyans eyeing the 2027 Green Card lottery are among those waiting on a formal announcement of the registration window. TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto has over eight years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting, offering insights into Kenyan and global economic trends. Kenyans interested in the DV-2027 lottery are advised to rely solely on the State Department’s official Diversity Visa page for accurate information on registration.
DV-2026 Selection Results and Visa Allocations
The update on future programs follows the processing of the DV-2026 lottery cycle. More than 20 million valid entries were submitted during the 37-day registration period for the DV-2026 programme, running specifically between October 2, 2024 and November 7, 2024.
The selection process was overseen by the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky. According to official figures, 129,516 prospective applicants were registered as potential beneficiaries of the DV-2026 programme, a total that includes principal selectees as well as their eligible spouses and dependants, selected from the 20,822,624 valid entries.
For the 2026 fiscal year—which runs from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026—the statutory allocation of 55,000 Diversity Visas has been reduced to approximately 51,850. This reduction is due to deductions required under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) and the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA).
Country Exclusions Based on Immigration Levels
The US Diversity Visa, popularly known as the Green Card Lottery, excludes nationals of a number of countries each year based on their recent levels of immigration to the US. Under US law, countries from which more than 50,000 natives immigrated to the US over the previous five years are generally excluded from the programme.
The Diversity Visa programme makes immigrant visas available to people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For the DV-2026 programme, the US Department of State listed the following countries as ineligible:
- Bangladesh
- Brazil
- Canada
- China, including Hong Kong SAR
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- South Korea
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
The exclusion does not mean that citizens of these countries are generally banned from travelling to or immigrating to the United States. Rather, people born in the listed countries cannot normally enter the Diversity Visa lottery for that particular programme year. The list can change from one Diversity Visa programme year to another depending on immigration figures.
Eligibility Criteria: Education and Work Experience
The US government has outlined eligibility requirements that all DV Programme applicants must satisfy before submitting an application. Applicants who lack the required education or qualifying work experience are warned that visa fees will not be refunded if they apply.
The qualifying criteria are defined as follows:
- High school education: Applicants must meet basic eligibility criteria, including at minimum a high school education or its equivalent.
- Qualifying work experience: Alternatively, applicants may have two years of qualifying work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training.
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