Diversity Visa Lottery Selection Finalized for Fiscal Year 2026

Quick Hits

• Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery entrants may want to verify their selection status through the official Entrant Status Check webpage.
• Selection in the DV Lottery does not guarantee a visa due to the limited number of available visas.
• Fraudulent emails and letters targeting DV Lottery entrants have increased. The U.S. government will never request advance payment. Official notifications are only available through the Entrant Status Check webpage.

Entrants may check their selection status by visiting the official Entrant Status Check webpage and entering their entry confirmation number, last name, and date of birth. The State Department exclusively uses this method to inform entrants of their selection status; notifications are not sent through email, mail, or phone. The selection notice on the webpage will be accessible until September 30, 2026. Entrants who do not verify their selection status may forfeit the opportunity to continue with the DV Lottery process.

If selected, the portal will provide instructions on how to proceed with an application for permanent residence. However, being selected in the DV Lottery does not guarantee a visa, as approximately 125,000 entrants will be initially chosen for only 55,000 available visas. This over-selection accounts for cases where applicants may not pursue visa issuance, fail to qualify, or are affected by the statutory limit of 7 percent of available visas per country. Each selectee receives a unique case number associated with the selectee’s country of birth that determines the order of processing, with lower numbers being processed earlier. The State Department publishes a monthly Visa Bulletin indicating which case numbers are current for processing. Selectees may want to monitor this bulletin starting in September 2025.

Provided the Visa Bulletin permits, and all other criteria outlined in the selection notice are satisfied, selectees will be eligible to file for adjustment of status or an immigrant visa application until September 2026. If present in the United States, diversity visa selectees must complete the adjustment of status process by September 30 of the fiscal year for which they were selected. Unused visas cannot be transferred to the following fiscal year.

The State Department cautions that there has been a significant rise in fraudulent emails and letters targeting Diversity Lottery entrants. Scammers often impersonate the U.S. government to solicit payment or personal information from entrants. Although entrants might receive an email from the U.S. government reminding them to check their selection status via the portal, they will not receive a notification letter or email confirming their selection. The official Entrant Status Check webpage is the sole method for verifying selection status. The fees associated with the DV application process are paid to the U.S. embassy or consulate cashier at the time an appointment is scheduled. The U.S. government will never ask an entrant to send payment in advance by check, money order, or wire transfer.

If an entrant is not selected, they may continue to monitor their email and the official Entrant Status Check webpage for notice of a second selection. Non-selectees and first-time entrants may enter the 2027 Diversity Visa Lottery, which will likely begin accepting applications in fall 2025.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

The State Department has completed the selection process for the Diversity Visa Lottery for fiscal year 2026. Entrants may check their selection status by visiting the portal on the official Entrant Status Check webpage.

As a cautionary step, all entrants may want to remain vigilant to scams and contact official U.S. government resources for assistance.

Selectees should review their selection notice for the next steps and monitor the Visa Bulletin to determine when they may apply for adjustment of status or an immigrant visa application.

Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group will continue to monitor developments and will publish updates on the Immigration blog as additional information becomes available.

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