Are DV Lottery Winners from 19 Countries Still Eligible to Immigrate?

(UNITED STATES) Diversity Visa lottery winners from 19 countries of concern are effectively shut out of immigrating to the United States 🇺🇸 for at least two years, after a presidential proclamation imposing a sweeping travel and visa ban took effect on June 9, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EDT. The proclamation cut off thousands of families mid-process and froze new cases for the 2026 fiscal year.

The order suspends both immigrant and non-immigrant visas for nationals of the affected states, and it specifically includes Diversity Visa (DV) applicants born in those countries, regardless of where they currently live or hold residence.

Immediate impact on DV-2025 winners

For DV-2025 winners (fiscal year ended September 30, 2025), the impact was immediate and severe.

• Anyone from the 19 countries of concern who had not completed a consular interview or received an immigrant visa stamp before June 9 saw:
  • interviews canceled,
  • cases marked refused, and
  • the once-in-a-lifetime chance to immigrate through the lottery disappear overnight.
• Under Diversity Visa rules:
  • Unused visas do not roll over to the next year.
  • There are no automatic extensions for people blocked by a travel ban, court delay, or administrative backlog.
  • DV-2025 selectees from banned states who lacked issued visas by the September 30 deadline simply lost eligibility.

DV-2026 winners: blocked from the start

For DV-2026 winners (processing window opened October 1, 2025) the situation is starker.

• They are blocked from the very start of the fiscal year if born in one of the 19 countries of concern.
• U.S. consulates were instructed not to schedule interviews or issue immigrant visas for these cases while the presidential proclamation remains in force.
• The ban also applies to adjustment of status inside the United States, closing the door even for DV winners who are already in the U.S. in another status and hoped to apply for permanent residency through the program.

Waivers and exceptions

The proclamation contains narrow national-interest waivers, but:

• Past experience with similar restrictions shows waivers are very hard to obtain.
• They often require intensive documentation and are granted only in rare, exceptional circumstances.
• For most affected applicants, waivers do not provide a realistic path forward under their Diversity Visa selection.

Which countries are affected?

The proclamation does not list the 19 countries of concern in the lottery guidance itself. However, related official documents and analysis by VisaVerge.com identify the affected states. They include large sending countries such as:

• Nigeria
• Ethiopia
• Egypt
• Ghana

and other nations in Africa and Asia that historically produce many successful Diversity Visa applicants each year.

(An explicit full list is not provided in this article’s source materials.)

Ongoing uncertainty and timing

• Officials have not set an end date for the restrictions.
• As of late 2025, the ban remains in effect, creating deep uncertainty for families who won the lottery for DV-2026.
• Many winners are watching the months of their fiscal year tick away while they are unable to even submit documents to the embassy.

The State Department continues to process cases normally for winners from countries not covered by the 19-country list, though consular posts are applying enhanced security screening to many files. These extra checks can:

• slow cases,
• push processing toward the end of the fiscal year, and
• make timing critical for time-limited Diversity Visa cases.

Situation for those who already received visas

People who already received their immigrant visas before June 9, 2025 are in a different position:

• The proclamation allows them to travel on those visas.
• If they enter the United States before the visa expiration date printed in their passports, they can become permanent residents in the usual way — even if they come from one of the 19 countries of concern.

Stories of canceled interviews and refusals

For those who had interviews scheduled later in June, July, or August, the shift was dramatic.

• Consular officers sent notices canceling appointments and, in many cases, formally refusing visas under the authority of the proclamation.
• Many winners who passed the strict selection process — and often spent years preparing — received nothing more than an e-mail saying their chance had vanished.

“A win does not create a permanent right to immigrate, only a short window during that fiscal year to finish all background checks, medical exams, security screenings, and interviews.”
— Observation commonly shared by immigration lawyers about the Diversity Visa system

Immigration lawyers emphasize that when a broad policy like this travel ban arrives in the middle of that short window, there is usually no legal remedy for the lost opportunity.

Effect on future DV participation and alternatives

Advocates warn that people from excluded nations may now think twice before entering the DV lottery, especially after stories of winners:

• selling property,
• leaving jobs, or
• making major life changes in expectation of a move,

only to learn that a later presidential proclamation — not an individual mistake — ended their chance to immigrate.

The State Department’s guidance on the Diversity Visa program, published on its official website, states that:

• selection in the lottery is only the first step, and
• visas can be issued only if applicants remain admissible and if no other law or order blocks issuance — language that now directly affects people born in the 19 countries of concern.

Link to official guidance: The State Department’s guidance on the Diversity Visa program, published on its official website, states that:

What can affected families do?

Because the proclamation has no fixed sunset clause, outcomes will depend on:

• future legal challenges in federal courts, or
• a later decision by the White House to amend, narrow, or revoke the restrictions.

Affected families face hard choices:

1. Wait and hope for change in policy or successful legal challenges.
2. Pursue other immigration options, such as:
   • employer sponsorship, or
   • family-based petitions.

These alternatives are typically slower and far more expensive than a Diversity Visa case.

Key takeaways and warnings

• Unless you already hold a printed immigrant visa (issued before June 9, 2025) or can meet the strict national-interest waiver standard, a Diversity Visa win tied to one of the 19 countries of concern will not lead to a green card while the proclamation is in place.
• Many fear those lost chances will never be restored.

Critical warning: If you are a DV selectee from one of the impacted countries and do not yet hold an issued visa, do not assume there will be another opportunity under the Diversity Visa program unless and until the proclamation is changed or lifted.