Diversity Immigrant Visa facts for kids
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, often called the green card lottery, is a special program run by the United States government. It offers a chance for people from certain countries to receive an immigrant visa, which can lead to a permanent resident card. This program was created by the Immigration Act of 1990.
The program is managed by the Department of State. Each year, it offers up to 55,000 immigrant visas. Its main goal is to make the immigrant population in the United States more diverse. It does this by choosing applicants from countries that have sent fewer immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years. More than 22 million people apply for the lottery each year. This means fewer than 1 in 400 applicants receive visas.
Applicants enter the lottery by filling out a form on the Department of State website.
In December 2025, there was an announcement about suspending the program. However, it is not clear if this action has legal authority. The program is mainly run by the Department of State. Previous legal decisions have also stated that the President cannot cancel the program without Congress's approval.
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How the Green Card Lottery Started
The Diversity Visa program has an interesting history. Before it became a permanent program, the U.S. had a few temporary visa programs. These programs helped people from countries with lower numbers of immigrants come to the U.S.
From Temporary to Permanent Program
In 1990, the Immigration Act of 1990 was passed. This law created the permanent Diversity Visa (DV) program. It made 55,000 immigrant visas available each year. The main idea was to bring people from many different countries to the United States. This helps keep the immigrant population varied and rich in cultures.
Over the years, the number of visas has changed slightly. For example, from 1999 to 2019, about 50,000 visas were available. From 2020 to 2024, it was about 54,800. In 2025 and 2026, it is about 51,600 visas.
Applying for the Lottery Over Time
The way people apply for the lottery has also changed. At first, applications were sent by mail. Only the winners were told they had been selected.
Starting in 2005, the application moved to an online system. However, winners were still notified by mail. Since 2010, all applicants can check their status online. Mail notifications for winners stopped in 2011. Now, everything is done online.
In 2025, the Department of State added a small fee of US$1 to enter the lottery. The fee for selected applicants remained the same.
How the Lottery Works
To enter the Diversity Visa lottery, applicants must meet certain requirements. The process is designed to be fair and open to many people.
Who Can Apply?
To enter, you must be from an eligible country. This usually means the country where you were born. There are a couple of exceptions. You might be able to claim your spouse's birth country. Or, you might claim a parent's birth country if your parents were not born or living in your birth country when you were born. Your current country of residence or nationality does not matter for the lottery.
You also need to have a good education or work experience. You must have at least a high school education. Or, you need at least two years of work experience in a job that requires at least two years of training.
Filling Out the Application Form
You apply by completing an online form on the Department of State website. The form asks for information like your name, birth date and place, and a digital photo. It also asks about your education and if you are married. If you have a spouse or unmarried children under 21 who are not U.S. citizens, you must include their information and photos too.
If you are selected in the lottery, you will need to pay more fees to continue the process. You must also meet general requirements for all immigrants. These include health checks and showing you can support yourself.
Countries Not Eligible to Apply
Some countries are not eligible for the Diversity Visa lottery. This happens if a country has sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. through family and employment visas in the past five years.
For the DV-2026 lottery (which had its entry period in 2024), people from these countries were not eligible:
- Bangladesh
- Brazil
- Canada
- China (mainland and Hong Kong)
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- South Korea
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
The list of ineligible countries can change over time. Countries like Taiwan and the United Kingdom have been removed from the list in the past. Other countries, like Ecuador and Russia, have been added and then removed.
The visas are divided among six large regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. Some countries, like Turkey, are in Europe for this program, even if they are partly in Asia. North America only includes Canada and the Bahamas. Mexico, Central America, and other Caribbean countries are part of the South America region.
Dependent territories are usually treated as part of their main country. For example, Bermuda is part of the United Kingdom (Europe). However, there are some exceptions. Northern Ireland and Taiwan are treated as separate countries.
The visas are shared to make sure no one region or country gets too many. Regions that send many immigrants to the U.S. (like South America and Asia) get a smaller share of diversity visas. Regions that send fewer immigrants (like North America, Europe, Africa, and Oceania) get a larger share. No single country can receive more than 7% of the total diversity visas.
More than 100,000 applicants are selected in the lottery, even though only up to 55,000 visas are available. This is because some selected applicants might not meet all the requirements or might decide not to continue. This way, all available visas are usually given out each year. If you are selected, it's important to complete all steps quickly.
Watch Out for Scams!
It's very important to know that the only official way to enter the Diversity Visa lottery is through the U.S. Department of State website. You should never pay a company or website to complete the form for you.
There are many companies and websites that try to trick people. They might falsely claim to increase your chances of winning. Or, they might pretend to be connected to the U.S. government. The Department of State and the Federal Trade Commission have warned people about these scams.
You might also receive fake emails or letters. These messages might say you have won a permanent resident card. They often ask you to send a "visa processing fee." These messages are scams. The Department of State has stated that they never notify winners by email. If you get such a message, you should report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Impact of the Program
The Diversity Visa program has several important impacts on the United States.
Economic Benefits
Many experts believe the Diversity Visa program helps the U.S. economy. It brings people with different skills and backgrounds. This can lead to new ideas and help businesses grow.
Research suggests that immigrants, especially those with diverse skills, can help increase wages for workers born in the U.S. This is because they often fill different types of jobs. Countries with more people from other countries tend to have more innovation and higher incomes.
Ensuring Safety and Security
The U.S. government takes safety seriously. All applicants selected in the Diversity Visa lottery must go through thorough background checks. They also undergo security screenings. These checks are in place to make sure everyone entering the country meets safety standards.
While there have been discussions about security, reports have found no evidence that Diversity Visa recipients pose a general threat. The process is designed to be secure.
