The US State Department has released its 2026 Diversity Visa list, indicating that only one African country is ineligible for the Green Card Lottery, according to Tuko. The report does not name the excluded nation or explain the criteria in the provided blurb. The announcement affects prospective African applicants seeking US permanent residency through the annual diversity visa program.

The United States has published a list of 19 countries whose citizens are not eligible for the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery. According to Tuko, the programme offered 51,850 Green Cards and attracted more than 20 million applications. The ineligibility list affects prospective applicants from the named nations seeking permanent residency in the US through the annual lottery system.

Vanguard News reports that the US Diversity Visa programme, popularly known as the Green Card Lottery, excludes nationals of certain countries each year based on their recent levels of immigration to the United States. The article provides a full list of the countries whose citizens are ineligible for the programme. The Diversity Visa scheme annually offers a limited number of permanent resident visas to applicants from nations with historically low rates of immigration to the US.

The US government has set out strict passport photo requirements for the 2026 Diversity Visa (Green Card) lottery, warning that failing to follow photo rules could lead to disqualification, according to Legit.ng. The guidance also covers how applicants should list family members, with errors or omissions potentially disqualifying entries. Prospective applicants are advised to review the requirements carefully before submitting their entries to avoid losing eligibility.

More than 53,939 Africans selected in the US Diversity Visa Lottery 2026 risk losing their chance to obtain permanent residency, according to Tuko. The selectees face a race against time to complete processing before the programme year ends on 30 September, as a reported suspension of Diversity Visa processing threatens their applications. The situation leaves thousands of hopeful migrants uncertain about whether they will secure their green cards before the deadline passes.

The United States Diversity Visa programme, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, selected entrants unevenly across Africa, with some countries recording notably lower numbers than others. According to Tuko, a list of the 10 African countries with the fewest selected entrants highlights disparities in how applicants from different nations fared in the programme. The Diversity Visa scheme offers selected applicants a pathway to permanent residence in the United States through an annual random selection process.