American visa
Washington/Abuja – September 6, 2026 – Nigeria is the only African country whose nationals were ineligible to participate in the DV-2026 Diversity Visa programme, commonly known as the US Green Card Lottery, according to official data released by the United States Department of State.
The Kentucky Consular Center, which manages the programme, confirmed that natives of 19 countries worldwide were barred from entering the lottery.
Nigeria stands alone on the African continent among the excluded nations, while citizens of 49 other African countries were eligible and recorded selectees.
The full list of ineligible countries for DV-2026 comprises Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Under US immigration law, countries whose natives have accounted for more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States through family-sponsored and employment-based categories over the previous five years are classified as “high-admission” nations and are therefore excluded from the Diversity Visa programme. The programme is designed to promote immigration from countries with historically low rates of migration to the US.
The DV-2026 lottery, which received more than 20.8 million qualified entries during its application window in late 2024, registered approximately 129,516 prospective applicants (including selectees and their spouses and children). Africa accounted for a substantial share, with 53,939 prospective applicants from eligible nations. Egypt led the continent with 5,527, followed by Algeria (5,457), Sudan (5,226), Kenya (3,949), Morocco (3,670), Cameroon (3,533) and Ethiopia (3,287).
Nigeria’s exclusion reflects its status as one of the leading sources of immigrants to the United States in recent years through family and employment pathways. Officials note that the threshold applies only to those specific categories and does not count refugees, asylees or previous diversity visa recipients.
Selected applicants from eligible African countries face a firm deadline of September 30, 2026, to complete the visa process or adjust status. Those who fail to do so will forfeit their selection. The programme makes up to approximately 55,000 diversity visas available annually, subject to regional allocations and a seven-per-cent per-country limit.
The Diversity Visa lottery remains one of the few pathways for permanent residency available without a US sponsor, job offer or family relationship. For Nigerians, alternative immigration routes continue through family reunification, employment-based visas, student programmes and other categories, though these typically involve longer processing times and stricter requirements.
The State Department’s official instructions and the published statistical breakdown of selectees confirm Nigeria’s unique position as the sole African nation left off the DV-2026 eligibility list.
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