US Green Card Lottery: Only 1 African Country Barred from Participating in 2026
- The US Department of State published the list of countries whose nationals were ineligible to enter the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme
- Nigeria was named as the sole African country on the ineligibility list, while 49 other African nations participated in the lottery
- The DV-2026 programme received over 20 million qualified entries during its 37-day application window in late 2024
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Nigeria stands as the only African country whose nationals were barred from entering the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme, according to data published by the US Department of State on its official website.
The Diversity Visa programme, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, makes up to 55,000 permanent resident visas available each year to people from countries that historically send low numbers of immigrants to the United States.
Source: UGC
For the 2026 cycle, the Department of State listed Nigeria among 19 countries worldwide whose nationals were not eligible to participate.
Nigeria Excluded as 49 African Nations Participate
The full ineligibility list for DV-2026 includes 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, and Vietnam. Nigeria is the only African country on that list.
Every other African nation appeared on the eligible country breakdown published by the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, which manages the programme.
Countries such as Kenya recorded 3,949 registered prospective applicants, while Algeria had 5,457 and Egypt led the African region with 5,527. Sudan followed closely with 5,226, and Morocco posted 3,670.
Even smaller African nations such as Eswatini, Namibia, and Mauritius had nationals registered under the programme.
How the DV-2026 Programme Works
The DV-2026 application window ran for 37 days, from noon on 2 October 2024 to noon on 7 November 2024, attracting a total of 20,822,624 qualified entries worldwide.
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From that pool, approximately 129,516 prospective applicants, including selectees and their accompanying spouses and children, were registered as selected entrants.
The programme caps the share of visas issued to any single country at seven per cent of the total annual allocation. Selectees must present proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience in a qualifying occupation, at the time of their visa interview.
All selected applicants are required to complete their cases before 30 September 2026, after which any unused DV-2026 numbers will lapse.
The effective annual limit for DV-2026 has been reduced to approximately 51,850 visas, following deductions under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act and Section 5104 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.
The Department of State noted that dates for the DV-2027 registration period would be publicised in the coming months, and encouraged interested applicants to monitor the official Diversity Visa web page for updates.
List of African countries selected for US Green Card lottery
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the US State Department registered about 129,516 prospective applicants for the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme from across the world.
African countries featured prominently on the DV-2026 list, with Egypt, Algeria, Sudan and Kenya among those recording the highest number of selectees.
Source: Legit.ng
