The State Department has reimposed a worldwide pause on issuing Diversity Visas, the second in less than a year, just weeks before DV 2026 eligibility expires by law. Newly resurfaced figures show 129,516 selectees and family members were registered for the programme, but natives of Nigeria and 18 other countries were barred from entering at all.
The 2026 DV has been in turmoil for months. In December 2025, the Department of State imposed a sweeping pause on Diversity Visa issuance, and USCIS separately froze pending green card adjustment applications from DV selectees already in the U.S., moves the administration linked to a security review following a shooting incident tied to a DV programme beneficiary. That pause held for roughly eight months.
On August 28, 2026, U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila of the Northern District of California ruled for the plaintiffs in Medani et al. v. Trump et al., temporarily setting aside three Trump administration policies: the DV issuance pause, the USCIS adjustment of status hold, and a separate 75 country immigrant visa pause, as likely “arbitrary and capricious.” The court certified nationwide subclasses of DV 2026 selectees and ordered the government to resume ordinary processing where practicable. The State Department confirmed the December 2025 pause was lifted effective August 28.
The resumption was brief. On August 31, 2026, the State Department issued new guidance reimposing a worldwide pause on the actual issuance of Diversity Visas, this time citing an internal review of the programme’s screening and vetting procedures. Under the new guidance:
• DV applicants may still submit applications, attend already scheduled interviews, and receive new interview appointments.
• No Diversity Visas will be printed or issued while the review continues.
• The Department says there are currently no exceptions.
• Visas already issued before the pause have not been revoked.
A status conference in the Medani litigation is set for September 18, 2026, at which the court is expected to examine how adjudications have proceeded since its order, including this second pause.
The September 30 Deadline Cannot Move
Regardless of how the litigation unfolds, DV 2026 eligibility expires by statute on September 30, 2026. Visas cannot be issued, and status cannot be adjusted, under the programme after that date, a hard cutoff that no court order can extend. Applicants who don’t obtain a visa or complete adjustment of status in time lose the benefit of their selection entirely, as do their eligible spouses and children. USCIS has said it will deny any DV adjustment applications still pending after October 1.
Selectees are advised to track their case only through the official Entrant Status Check on the State Department’s Diversity Visa website; the government does not notify winners via unsolicited emails or letters, and never demands payment through such channels.
Selection Does Not Guarantee a Visa
Even without the pause, selection was never a guarantee. The State Department deliberately selects more applicants than there are visas available, since some selectees withdraw, fail to complete the process, or are later found ineligible. Although the programme is authorized to issue up to 55,000 visas a year, statutory deductions have reduced the effective DV 2026 allocation to roughly 52,101, according to the September 2026 Visa Bulletin. No single country may receive more than 7% of visas issued in a given year.
Principal applicants must also show at least a secondary school education (or its equivalent) or two years of qualifying work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years of training. Meeting these bars and being selected is only the beginning: applicants still must clear documentation checks, a medical exam, security screening and a consular interview.
Nigeria Among 19 Countries Excluded From the Start
Layered on top of the pause is a separate, longstanding issue. Nigeria was never eligible to enter DV 2026 in the first place. The Department of State has confirmed Nigeria was among 19 countries whose natives were barred from the programme, a fact reflected in country by country figures first published in the Department’s November 2025 Visa Bulletin and now drawing fresh attention amid the programme’s legal troubles.
Nigeria was excluded alongside Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela and Vietnam, all countries whose nationals sent so many immigrants to the U.S. through other channels in the preceding five years that they fall outside the programme’s eligibility rules.
The programme is designed to diversify U.S. immigration by benefiting countries with historically low rates of migration to the United States. Eligibility generally turns on a person’s country of birth rather than citizenship or residence, so a Nigerian born applicant could not enter DV 2026 directly, though limited “chargeability” exceptions allow some people to claim eligibility through a spouse or parent born in an eligible country.
The Numbers: 129,516 Registered Worldwide
Official figures show approximately 129,516 prospective applicants were registered under the programme, a total that includes principal selectees along with their eligible spouses and children. The selections were drawn randomly from more than 20.8 million qualifying entries submitted during the 37 day registration window between October 2 and November 7, 2024.
Africa: Egypt recorded the continent’s highest number of prospective applicants, with 5,527, followed by Algeria (5,457) and Sudan (5,226). Kenya recorded 3,949, Morocco 3,670, Cameroon 3,533 and Ethiopia 3,287.
Other notable African totals included Togo (2,473), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2,210), Ghana (1,642), Burundi (1,616), Liberia (1,593), Somalia (1,554), Uganda (1,513), Rwanda (1,252), Benin (1,064) and Guinea (1,051).
Côte d’Ivoire recorded 926, Angola 763, Sierra Leone 639, Chad 482, Senegal 478, the Republic of the Congo 448, Tanzania 404 and Zimbabwe 327. Smaller totals included Libya (276), Mali (268), Mauritania (261), Burkina Faso (252), Zambia (236), Eritrea (206), Djibouti (204), Tunisia (202), The Gambia (198), South Africa (187), Malawi (159) and Niger (109).
Nigeria does not appear among the African figures because its nationals were barred from entering the programme in the first place.
Beyond Africa: Russia recorded 5,510 prospective applicants, Ukraine 5,283, Afghanistan 4,200, Iran 4,137, Nepal 3,933 and Uzbekistan 3,754.
The resurfaced country by country figures should not be mistaken for a new application window or any guarantee of permanent residence. They reflect how many people were registered as prospective applicants; final visa issuance still depends on eligibility, visa availability, and the outcome of the current pause and litigation.
