News

07 Oct 2024

United States

State Department Starts Accepting Applications for the FY2026 Diversity Visa Program

On October 2nd, the United States Department of State opened the registration application for the Fiscal Year 2026 Diversity Visa (DV-2026) Program through its Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website. The DV program is an annual U.S. government-sponsored program that makes 55,000 immigrant visas available worldwide to citizens of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Citizens of the following countries may not apply for the DV-2026 program: Bangladesh; Brazil; Canada; The People’s Republic of China (including mainland and Hong Kong but excluding Macau SAR and Taiwan); Colombia; Cuba; Dominican Republic; El Salvador; Haiti; Honduras; India; Jamaica; Mexico; Nigeria; Pakistan; Philippines; Republic of Korea (South Korea); Venezuela; and Vietnam.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will determine the applicable regional DV limits for FY2026 through a formula prescribed by the Immigration and Nationality Act. The number of immigrant visas the Department of State may issue to natives of each country will depend on the regional limits, the number of applicants from each country, and the number of such applicants found eligible for a visa. A maximum of seven (7) percent of the 55,000 visas may be issued to natives of any single country.

A person not eligible for the DV program based on their native country may still qualify for the DV-2026 program through a spouse who is eligible as a native of a country with low rates of immigration to the United States. A person not eligible for the program based on their native country may also qualify if neither of his/her parents were born in or a legal resident of the person’s native country at the time of his/her birth.

Each DV-2026 applicant must meet the education/work experience requirement of the DV program. These are either: at least a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. The Department of State will use the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net Online Database to assess qualifying work experience. No offer of employment in the United States is required. There is also no English language skill requirement.

Applications for participation in the DV-2026 Program may be filed from noon EDT on October 2, 2024, until noon EST on November 5, 2024. Applications must be filed online through the DV-2026 application portal at Electronic Diversity Visa Program (state.gov).  Applications may not be mailed through the United States Postal Service or any express mail or courier service. All applications must include a photograph of the applicant and any dependents. The photographs must meet the DV entry photo requirements described in the DV-2026 instructions. An application will be disqualified if a non-compliant photo is submitted. The DV-2026 application portal provides examples of acceptable photos. The application form comprises two parts: one for the primary applicant, and the other for dependent applicants, if any. Each part must be correct and complete before proceeding to the next part. After all parts are completed, the entry will be submitted to the DV-2026 Processing Center. Submission of more than one application for a person will disqualify all applications for that person.

After registering, applicants must print and save their confirmation page with their unique confirmation code. This may be used to check the status of an application. Starting on May 3, 2025, applicants may use their confirmation number to check if their application was selected through the online portal. Successful applicants will receive instructions on how to apply for immigrant visas for themselves and their eligible dependents. Confirmation of visa interview appointments will also be made through the portal. Applicants will not receive communications about their applications by mail, email or phone and should be mindful that any contact by a third party notifying the applicant that his/her application has been selected is almost certainly fraudulent. Applicants should also be reminded that there is no fee to apply for the DV-2026 program, and the U.S. government will not request any payments via email or letter that are connected to this program.

 

Conclusion

The DV-2026 program is the only avenue to obtaining permanent resident status in the United States that does not require an offer of employment, a tie to a family member who is a United States citizen or permanent resident, or another compelling reason. Citizens of nations with historically low rates of immigration to the United States are encouraged to apply for the program, even though they may already be in the United States in valid nonimmigrant status. The volume of applications for the DV-2026 program is expected to be very high, with the probability of selection correspondingly low. In 2021, the most recent year for which official State Department statistics are available, the total number of applications received was 11,830,707.

© 2022 Tafapolsky & Smith LLP. All rights reserved.
The content above is provided for informational purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. Use of this information does not create an attorney-client relationship. 

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