US Green Card Lottery: List of 16 West African Countries Selected for 2026 Diversity Visa Programme
- The US government has published the full breakdown of countries selected for the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme, with West Africa featuring prominently
- About 129,516 prospective applicants across all regions were registered for the lottery, which received over 20 million entries during the application window
- Selectees from West Africa must act fast on their applications, as all visas must be processed before the September 30, 2026 deadline
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The United States government has released the official list of countries whose citizens were selected for the 2026 Diversity Visa (DV-2026) programme, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, with 15 West African nations appearing on the final list of registered selectees.
The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, confirmed that roughly 129,516 prospective applicants, including selectees and their accompanying spouses and children, have been registered and can now confirm their selection.
Source: Getty Images
The figure is intentionally higher than the available visa slots to account for applicants who may drop out or be found ineligible during processing.
The lottery received 20,822,624 qualified entries submitted during a 37-day window that ran from October 2, 2024 to November 7, 2024.
Under the programme, up to 55,000 permanent resident visas are made available each year to nationals of countries with historically low immigration rates to the United States, though the actual DV-2026 limit has been reduced to approximately 51,850 due to provisions under the NACARA legislation and the National Defence Authorisation Act for FY2024.
West African countries on the DV-2026 list
The following West African countries had citizens registered as selectees, with each figure representing the total number of prospective applicants, including family members:
1. Algeria — 5,457.
2. Benin — 1,064.
3. Burkina Faso — 252.
4. Cabo Verde — 35.
5. Côte d'Ivoire — 926.
6. The Gambia — 198.
7. Ghana — 1,642.
8. Guinea — 1,051.
9. Guinea-Bissau — 10.
10. Liberia — 1,593.
11. Mali — 268.
12. Mauritania — 261.
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13. Niger — 109.
14. Senegal — 478.
15. Sierra Leone — 639.
16. Togo — 2,473.
US DV-2026: What selected applicants must do next
To qualify for an immigrant visa, principal applicants must prove they hold 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. Applicants already living legally inside the United States may apply to adjust their status through the US Citizenship and Immigration Services rather than processing their case at an overseas consulate.
All selectees are urged to move quickly. Any applicant who does not receive a visa or status adjustment before September 30, 2026, will lose all benefit from their DV-2026 registration, and no extensions will be granted. The same deadline applies to spouses and children seeking to join or accompany a principal applicant.
Those interested in the DV-2027 programme are advised to monitor the US Department of State's Diversity Visa web page for updates on the registration period, which will be announced in the coming months.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported the full list of African countries selected for the 2026 US Diversity Visa programme.
US admits mislabelling certain African countries
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the US had admitted to mislabelling some African countries.
The map was used during an event at the international health conference and highlighted six African nations: Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, Malawi, and Cameroon.
According to a Substack post by AIDS expert Emily Bass, who shared a photo of the slide, not one of the six countries was placed correctly.
Source: Legit.ng
