At least 1,513 Ugandans have been selected in the US Diversity Visa 2026 lottery, giving them an opportunity to proceed with applications for permanent residency in the United States.
Uganda ranked third among East African countries in the latest lottery, behind Kenya, which recorded 3,949 selectees, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which had 2,210.
The US Department of State said the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, had completed the selection and notification process for candidates eligible to continue with the DV-2026 immigration process.
Across East Africa, 12,570 applicants from eight countries were selected.
Burundi recorded 1,616 selectees, while Somalia had 1,554. Rwanda recorded 1,252, Tanzania had 404, and South Sudan had the lowest number in the region with 72.
The Diversity Visa programme, commonly known as the US Green Card Lottery, provides an opportunity for citizens of countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States to obtain permanent resident visas.
The programme makes available up to 55,000 permanent resident visas each year.
For DV-2026, the selections were made through a random computer-generated draw from 20,822,624 qualified applications submitted during the 37-day registration period between October 2 and November 7, 2024.
The programme recorded about 129,516 prospective applicants, including selected candidates, their spouses and children.
The US government distributes available Diversity Visas among six global regions and limits the number of visas issued to citizens of any single country to no more than seven per cent of the annual allocation.
Ugandan selectees can confirm their status through the official Entrant Status Check portal and, if they meet the required conditions, proceed with the next stages of their immigrant visa applications.
Applicants were selected from countries eligible to participate in the programme. Nigeria was excluded from the DV-2026 lottery because of its historically high levels of immigration to the United States.
The Diversity Visa programme remains a major immigration pathway for Africans seeking to live and work in the United States, although the number of available visas is limited compared with the volume of applications submitted each year.
East Africa Regional Breakdown
- Uganda: 1,513 selectees
- Kenya: 3,949 selectees (highest in the region)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): 2,210 selectees
- Burundi: 1,616 selectees
- Somalia: 1,554 selectees
- Rwanda: 1,252 selectees
- Tanzania: 404 selectees
- South Sudan: 72 selectees
Sources
- US Department of State — Diversity Visa 2026 programme information