- Indian nationals have been excluded from the US Diversity Visa lottery, at least until 2028
- India exceeded the immigrant threshold for eligibility of the DV lottery, also known as the green card lottery
- Other countries excluded from the 2026 DV lottery include China, South Korea, Canada, and Pakistan
Indian nationals have been excluded from the United States Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, at least until 2028. The popular visa programme, also known as the green card lottery, aims at diversifying the immigrant population in America by selecting applicants primarily from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States over the past five years.
It only allows participation of citizens from countries that have sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants over the past five years. India, with its high immigration volume to the US over the years, exceeded the programme's eligibility threshold, automatically disqualifying it from the lottery.
In 2021, 93,450 Indians immigrated to the US. The number was 127,010 in 2022, which was more than the total number of South American (99,030), African (89,570), or European (75,610) migrants moving to the US. In 2023, 78,070 Indians immigrated to the US. This figure automatically leaves Indians ineligible for DV lotteries till 2028.
Other nations that don't qualify for the DV lottery for 2026 also include China, South Korea, Canada, and Pakistan. For countries that qualify, the latest visa allocations were announced on Wednesday.
Lesser Immigration Route For Indians
With one more route closed, Indians are left with limited permanent immigration paths to the US. These include converting an H-1B work visa to permanent residency, investment-based immigration, asylum or applying through family sponsorship.
But under US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, each of these avenues is narrowing, leaving both applicants and employers anxious.
Immigration Crackdown
Since coming to power, the Trump administration has adopted a particularly hard-line approach toward student visas as part of its immigration crackdown, tightening social media vetting and expanding screening. Directives from the State Department this year have ordered US diplomats abroad to be vigilant against any applicants whom Washington may see as hostile to the United States and with a history of political activism.
State Department officials have also been asked to screen for those "who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to national security; or who perpetrate unlawful anti-Semitic harassment or violence".
