Diversity Visa Cut-Off Numbers Remain Unchanged for All Countries Except Algeria

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has provided an update on the Diversity Immigrant (DV) Visa program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, including the crucial case number cut-offs. Visas for DV-2026 winners began to be issued on October 1, 2025, which is the start of the fiscal year.

For Nepali selectees, the maximum case number eligible for a visa has remained steady: applicants with case numbers up to 6,000 are eligible in October. This same cut-off of 6,000 is maintained for November and is also projected for December 2025, according to the latest Visa Bulletin. Globally, for November, most of the Africa region has a cut-off at 17,500 (with Algeria at 14,500 and Egypt at 16,000), Asia (excluding Nepal) at 10,000, and Europe at 7,750.

The DV-2026 program originally authorized up to 55,000 immigrant visas, but the final number available has been reduced to approximately 51,850 due to reductions mandated by the NACARA and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2024. To ensure all these visas are utilized, the Kentucky Consular Center has registered a large pool of approximately 129,516 prospective applicants, including the winners, their spouses, and children.

The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered annually by the U.S. Department of State, granting visas to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S. A total of 129,516 people were selected worldwide from over 20 million applicants for DV-2026, though visas are distributed across six geographic regions, and no single country can receive more than seven percent of the total available visas in any year. Selectees must meet simple yet strict eligibility criteria and must secure their visa by September 30, or they are automatically deemed ineligible under existing law.

The registration period for the DV-2027 lottery has been delayed, with no official opening date announced by the Department of State, which usually occurs in early October. Speculation attributes the delay to either a potential U.S. government shutdown or the time needed to develop a system for the new $1 electronic registration fee.

The final rule for this fee was recently published, and it will be collected electronically upon submission of the DV entry, aiming to more fairly distribute the cost of operating the lottery. However, the existing total visa application fee for successful applicants, which is currently $330, will not be immediately reduced.

Separately, the current Trump administration is working to reintroduce a rule making a passport mandatory for DV lottery applicants, but this requirement will not be in effect for the upcoming DV-2027 registration due to the time needed for final legal and procedural compliance.