Why Indians Won’t Be Eligible for the US Green Card Lottery This Year?

India ruled out of US Green Card Lottery until at least 2028: Overview

It might sound dramatic, but yes, citizens of India are ineligible for the DV lottery for years to come. Why? Because the DV programme is designed to favour countries with low levels of immigration to the US, and India simply doesn’t qualify anymore. Hence, making them not be a part of the lottery system aims to ensure that their migration is reduced.

Why is India not eligible for the lottery?

For a country to be eligible, it must have sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the past five years. However, India is way above the immigration number requirements. Check the immigration data from Indian to USA from the previous years:

Here’s India’s recent data:

• 2021: 93,450 Indians immigrated to the US.

• 2022: 127,010 Indians immigrated to US, which is way more than South America with 99,030 immigrants, Africa with 89,570, or Europe with 75,610 immigrants in that year.

• 2023: 78,070 Indians arrived in US.

These numbers show that India has passed the “low‑immigration threshold,” automatically disqualifying it until 2028. This means that Indians have to explore some other alternatives to migrate in US, given the current green card lottery blockage. Even if you found a workaround, it would take years of consistently low immigration numbers for India to become eligible again.

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US Official Rule that Excludes Indians from US Green Card Lottery

The DV Lottery states: “Countries that have sent more than 50,000 immigrants in the previous five years are ineligible.” Because India meets and exceeds that mark, it’s tagged as a high‑immigration country in DV terms. Therefore, Indian nationals are off the list at least until 2028 or beyond. Some sources say “until at least 2029”.

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What should Indians in US do now? Explore Alternative Pathways

The DV‑2026 cycle has excluded India (and other high‑immigration countries like China, Canada, South Korea, Pakistan) from applying. Since the easy “lottery dream” is blocked, Indian applicants must explore other routes to stay in US. They can choose different pathways, such as work visas, family sponsors, and many more. Check below for details:

• Convert a work visa (e.g., H‑1B Visa) into permanent residency.

• Family sponsorship

• Investment‑based routes

These options are slowing down, facing longer wait times and greater scrutiny. So, it is crucial for Indians too take action as early as possible according to their visa status and eligibility. if you’re from India, don’t waste time collecting lottery‑entry hopes; focus on the other routes instead.

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