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How to Find out if You Won the 2026 Visa Lottery;
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, often known as the visa lottery, will allow up to 55,000 foreign nationals and their families to lawfully immigrate to the United States with a green card in 2026.
According to a recent notification by the US Department of State, applicants who entered the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2026) will find out if they were randomly selected for a visa.
Applicants can check the status of their applications on the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website. From May 6, 2025 to September 30, 2026, applicants can use the DV Entrant Status Check tool to see if they have been accepted for one of the 55,000 diversity visas available for Fiscal Year 2026.
How to Find out if You Won the 2026 Visa Lottery;
These visas are offered to people from countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States. To find out if they have been chosen, foreign nationals must enter their unique confirmation number preserved from their DV-2026 entry registration into a blue button labeled “Check Status,” according to the official guidelines for the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.
Selected applicants will be led to a confirmation page with additional instructions, including fees for moving to the United States.
The Department of State will not send or email notification letters to selectees, and US consulates and embassies will not provide the winners’ lists.
How to Find out if You Won the 2026 Visa Lottery;
While there are 55,000 green cards available, not everyone who is chosen will be eligible for an immigrant visa or complete the required requirements to receive one.
As a result, being chosen at random as a selectee does not guarantee that an individual will be granted a visa or have the opportunity to apply for one or schedule an interview. Instead, it only indicates that they may be qualified to apply for a Diversity Visa.
Those who are selected and qualify for a visa must apply for it during Fiscal Year 2026, which runs from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.
Before getting a visa, selectees must be admitted to the United States, electronically submit Form DS-260, the Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application, and pass an in-person consular interview that includes criminal and security-related questions to determine eligibility.
How to Find out if You Won the 2026 Visa Lottery;
US Visa Lottery
To obtain a visa, applicants must first be admitted to the United States, then electronically submit Form DS-260, the Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application, and pass an in-person consular interview that includes criminal and security-related questions.
These individuals must apply to USCIS for adjustment of status to permanent resident and ensure that USCIS can complete action on their case, including processing any overseas applications for spouses or children under the age of 21, by September 30, 2026, as their eligibility for the DV-2026 program expires at that time.
The initial step in obtaining a green card through the Diversity Visa Program for this set of selectees is to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and present supporting documentation.
How to Find out if You Won the 2026 Visa Lottery;
All selectees, including family members, must receive visas by September 30, 2026. While the majority of those chosen for the Diversity Visa Program live in a foreign country, some foreign nationals are already legal residents of the United States.
How to Find Out if You Won the 2026 Visa Lottery To determine whether you or a family member were picked in the visa lottery, the following information is required:
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