US Green Card Lottery: Full List of African Countries Selected for the 2026 Diversity Visa Programme
- The US State Department registered about 129,516 prospective applicants for the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme from across the world
- African countries feature prominently on the DV-2026 list, with Egypt, Algeria, Sudan and Kenya among those recording the highest number of selectees
- All DV-2026 selectees must complete their visa applications before September 30, 2026, after which their selection becomes invalid
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The United States Department of State has published the full list of countries whose citizens were selected to participate in the Diversity Visa (DV) 2026 programme, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, with dozens of African nations appearing among the eligible states.
The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, registered roughly 129,516 prospective applicants — including selectees and their accompanying spouses and children — after conducting a random draw from [20,822,624 qualified entries] submitted during a 37-day window between October 2 and November 7, 2024.
Source: Getty Images
The programme makes up to approximately 51,850 permanent resident visas available for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026), after deductions under the NACARA and National Defence Authorisation Act provisions.
African countries on the DV-2026 list
The following African countries were registered for the DV-2026 programme, with the number of prospective applicants listed for each:
1. Algeria — 5,457.
2. Angola — 763.
3. Benin — 1,064.
4. Botswana — 7.
5. Burkina Faso — 252.
6. Burundi — 1,616.
7. Cabo Verde — 35.
8. Cameroon — 3,533.
9. Central African Republic — 19.
10. Chad — 482.
11. Comoros — 12.
12. Congo, Democratic Republic of the — 2,210.
13. Congo, Republic of the — 448.
14. Côte d'Ivoire — 926.
15. Djibouti — 204.
16. Egypt — 5,527.
17. Equatorial Guinea — 12.
18. Eritrea — 206.
19. Eswatini — 3.
20. Ethiopia — 3,287.
21. Gabon — 62.
22. The Gambia — 198.
23. Ghana — 1,642.
24. Guinea — 1,051.
25. Guinea-Bissau — 10.
26. Kenya — 3,949.
27. Lesotho — 6.
28. Liberia — 1,593.
29. Libya — 276.
30. Madagascar — 48.
31. Malawi — 159.
32. Mali — 268.
33. Mauritania — 261.
34. Mauritius — 2.
35. Morocco — 3,670.
36. Mozambique — 4.
37. Namibia — 3.
38. Niger — 109.
39. Rwanda — 1,252.
40. Senegal — 478.
41. Sierra Leone — 639.
42. Somalia — 1,554.
43. South Africa — 187.
44. South Sudan — 72.
45. Sudan — 5,226.
46. Tanzania — 404.
47. Togo — 2,473.
48. Tunisia — 202.
49. Uganda — 1,513.
50. Western Sahara — 2.
51. Zambia — 236.
52. Zimbabwe — 327.
US DV-2026: What selectees must do next
To qualify, principal applicants must show proof of at least a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training. Visas are shared across six global regions, with no single country allowed to receive more than seven per cent of the total allocation.
Selectees who are already living in the United States with legal status can apply to adjust their immigration status through US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Those outside the country must follow the instructions in their notification letters and move quickly, as any selectee who does not secure a visa or adjusted status by September 30, 2026 will lose all benefit from their DV-2026 selection. The same deadline applies to spouses and children seeking derivative status.
The State Department said dates for the DV-2027 registration period will be announced in the coming months on its official Diversity Visa page.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported hope for some African countries as a US court overturned Trump's visa ban.
West African countries on US travel ban
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported 11 West African countries on the US travel ban.
Nationals from four countries face outright entry suspensions, meaning they are largely unable to obtain visas to enter the United States.
Those four countries are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Sierra Leone.
Source: Legit.ng
