Green Card Lottery 2026 – Check Here

Education and professional experience that will qualify you for the DV 2026 program. In this update, we will analyze the educational and professional experience requirements to help you develop a compelling application. To qualify for a DV 2026 immigration visa, one of the two prerequisites must be met:

1. Complete a US High School Degree or a Foreign Equivalent

To be eligible for the DV 2026 Lottery, an applicant must have earned a high school diploma from the United States or a foreign equivalent. The completion of a formal elementary and secondary education program that is equivalent to a 12-year education in the United States or a formal elementary and secondary education program in another country is required to obtain a high school degree or its equivalent.

Passing the high school equivalency exam is inadequate. It is permissible to have completed one’s education in less than 12 years or more than 12 years if the course of study concluded is equivalent to a US High School degree.

2. Work Experience Requirements

Although a high school diploma is one method of admission, if one lacks the necessary education, one may qualify through work experience. To be eligible for the DV 2026 Lottery, an applicant must have worked in at least one recognized occupation for a minimum of two years within the previous five years. Ensure that your work experience aligns with one of the approved occupations to satisfy the requirements.

Qualifying Job List

A

• Judges Accountants Engineering operation technicians
• Actuaries
• Air traffic controllers who have completed their secondary education
• Administrative law
• Flight engineers
• Hearing administrators and adjudicators
• Postsecondary appraisers
• Managers of administrative services
• Real estate arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators
• Adult literacy remedial education and GED instructors and teachers
• Assessors who specialize in postsecondary education
• Managers of advertising initiatives
• Art directors in post-secondary institutions
• Aviation
• Engineers in the field of aerospace
• Biochemists
• Managers of crops
• Agricultural Engineers
• Instructors of biological sciences
• Agricultural surveyors
• Agricultural Sciences
• Postsecondary boat builders and ship boiler manufacturers
• Specialists in aircraft engines
• Airframe and power plant mechanics
• Binders
• Pilots and co-pilots of commercial airlines
• Anesthesiologists
• Budget analysts
• Animal scientists
• Anthropologists
• Analyst of broadcast news
• instructors of archaeology and anthropology
• Archaeologists
• technicians who specialize in broadcasting
• Naval architects, except landscape architects
• Artists who create cartoons
• Drafter of architectural plans
• Instrumentation and calibration technicians
• Music, drama, and art instructors
• Instructors of chemistry
• Astronomers
• Repairs of photographic instruments and cameras
• Athletic trainers
• Chefs and chief cooks
• Space and atmospheric specialists
• Operators of cameras
• Technicians of audio and video equipment
• Central office and PBX installers and repairers
• Audiologists
• Photogrammetrists and cartographers
• Specialists in the collection of audiovisual materials
• Installers of carpets
• Auditors
• Installers of ceiling tiles
• Chemical engineers
• Postsecondary researchers
• Child support
• School social workers and insurance investigators
• Chiropractors
• Choreographers
• Property and Casualty Insurance clergy
• Technicians in the field of civil engineering
• Civil architects
• Specialists in computer security at the postsecondary level
• Examiners of claims
• Clinical psychologists
• Psychiatrist
• Scouts and coaches
• Industrial and commercial designers
• Dentists
• Pilots who operate commercial aircraft
• Managers of compensation and benefits
• instructors of economics
• Composers
• Managers of information systems and computers
• Economists who have completed their high school
• Engineers in the field of computer hardware
• Programmers of computer systems
• Repairers of data processing apparatus
• teachers of computer science
• Engineers who specialize in computer software
• Administrators of databases
• Computer Support Specialists
• Carpenters who specialize in construction
• Publishers of general desktop software
• Managers of construction
• Copywriters
• Editors
• Authors of creative works
• Credit analysts
• Administrators of elementary and secondary education
• Special agents who specialize in criminal investigations
• Curators
• Administrators of education
• Child Care and Preschool Facility
• Psychologists who specialize in education
• School counselors and educational vacationists
• Repairers of electrical and electronic equipment
• Electrical drafters for powerhouse substations and relays
• technicians in the field of electrical engineering
• Electrical specialists
• Nutritionists, dietitians, and dietetic tech technicians

B

• Electrical powerline installers and repairers
• Electromechanical technicians
• administrators of post-secondary education
• Operators of electronic concealing systems
• Technicians in the field of electronics engineering
• Dancers who specialize in custom tailoring
• Teachers of elementary schools, except those who specialize in special
• Installers of elevators
• Managers of engineering
• English language literature instructors in postsecondary education
• instructors in the field of engineering
• Specialists and environmental scientists, including health epidemiologists
• General practitioners and family physicians
• Advisors in the administration of farms and residences
• Video and film editors
• Technicians in the film laboratory
• Designers of exhibits
• Financial analysts
• Examiners of financial affairs
• Administrative assistants and executive aides
• Managers of Finance
• Fire investigators from the branch or department
• Fire prevention and protection Engineers
• First-line administrators and managers
• Managers of mechanics and contractors
• Managers of fish hatcheries
• Fitters
• Engraver setup operators in post-secondary institutions
• Food scientists and technologists
• Managers of food service
• Police and detective managers
• Instructors of foreign languages and literature
• Forensic science technicians who have completed postsecondary education
• Forest firefighting
• Teachers of conservation science and forestry
• Repairers of gas appliances
• Geographers
• Funeral directors who have completed postsecondary education
• Executives in the public sector
• Health educators
• Graduate teaching associates
• Graphic designers
• Compositors that operate by hand
• Engineers who specialize in industrial engineering
• Instructors of health-related subjects
• Engineers who specialize in industrial safety and health
• Heating and air conditioning mechanics who have completed postsecondary education
• Industrial-organizational psychologists
• Scholars of history
• instructors of history
• Supervisors of sanitation in post-secondary institutions
• Managers of human resources
• Insurance appraisers
• Hydrologists
• Manager of industrial production
• Designers of interior spaces
• Landscape architects
• Legal assistants
• Magistrate judges
• Managers of lawn care services
• Attorneys
• Insurance Underwriters for Automobile damage
• Librarians
• Loan counselors
• coordinators of instruction
• Officers in charge of lending
• Locomotive Engineers
• Machinists
• Analysts of management
• Marine architects
• Inspectors of marine cargo
• Engineers who specialize in marine
• Market research researchers
• Managers of marketing
• Engineers of Materials
• Scientists in the field of material science
• instructors of mathematical sciences
• Postsecondary mathematical technicians
• Mathematicians
• Technicians in the field of mechanical engineering
• Engineers who specialize in mechanical
• Inspectors of mechanical systems
• Planners of conventions and meetings
• Substance addiction and mental health social workers
• Microbiologists
• educators in the middle school
• Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
• Heavy equipment technicians
• Supervisors of municipal firefighting and prevention
• Music arrangers and orchestrators
• Music directors
• Performers of music
• Managers of the natural sciences
• Analysts of data communications and network systems
• Engineers who specialize in nuclear engineering
• Operators of nuclear-generating reactors
• Managers of nurseries and greenhouses

C

• instructors and educators in the field of nursing
• Obstetricians and gynecologists who have completed their postsecondary education
• Specialists in occupational health and safety
• Occupational specialists
• Analysts of research
• Assemblers of optical instruments
• Dispensing optometrists
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• Orthodontists
• Artists and illustrators
• Engineers specializing in petroleum
• Operators of control panels and petroleum refineries
• pharmacists
• Physical therapists
• Physician attendants
• Pipefitters
• Scientists who specialize in plants
• Plasterers
• Masons
• Plate champions
• Podiatrists
• Lyricists and poets
• Detectives from the police force
• instructors of political science
• Political scientists who have completed their postsecondary education
• Operators of power plants, except those who operate auxiliary apparatus
• Inspectors of pressure vessels
• Executives in the private sector
• Producers
• Engineers who specialize in product safety
• Directors of programs
• instructors of psychology
• Specialists in public relations who have completed postsecondary education
• Inspectors of public transportation
• Buyers and purchasing agents
• Agents who purchase agricultural products
• Radiation doctors
• Radiologic technologists
• Radiologic technologists
• Yardmasters and railroad attendants
• Nurses who are registered
• Sales agents and correspondents
• Securities
• Sales Engineers
• Managers of sales
• Operators of scanners
• Artists who specialize in sculpture
• educators in secondary schools
• Captains of vessels and boats
• Engineers of ships
• Repairers of signal and track switches
• Managers of social and community services
• instructors in the field of sociology
• Postsecondary soil conservationists and soil scientists
• Surgeons
• Technicians who conduct surveys
• Tax examiners
• Revenue agents and collectors
• Directors of technical operations
• Author of technical documentation
• Traffic engineers
• Managers of training and development
• Specialists in Training and Development
• Transformer repairers
• Managers of Transportation
• Urban and regional administrators
• Veterinary professionals
• Teachers of vocational education
• Instructors of vocational education at the postsecondary level
• Vocational education instructors in middle schools
• Welder
• Pumps for wellheads
• Zoologists
• Biologists who specialize in wildlife

Important Notice

The DV 2026 Lottery does not require applicants to submit evidence of their qualifications during the registration process. However, a consular officer will request and require documentation from the applicant upon the formal application for a permanent residence visa. Your application for the DV 2026 Lottery should not be submitted if you do not satisfy these two fundamental requirements, as doing so would result in your disqualification.

Upon being selected, you will be required to provide documentation of your employment and training history from your native country. You are not required to submit this information at this time on the Green Card Lottery registration form.

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Benefits of Green Card Lottery

• Pathway to Permanent Residency: The lottery provides the opportunity to qualify for a U.S. Green Card (Permanent Resident Card), which enables winners to reside and work permanently in the United States.
• Enhanced Mobility: Winners who become permanent residents are granted the freedom to travel to and from the United States and to take advantage of the advantages of living in one of the world’s most advanced economies.
• Access to Employment Opportunities: Green Card holders are entitled to work for any employer in the United States without the requirement of employer sponsorship or work visas.
• Eligibility for U.S. Citizenship: Green Card holders are eligible to petition for U.S. citizenship after meeting residency requirements, which typically last for five years. This status grants them additional benefits, including the right to vote and access to federal jobs.
• Healthcare and Social Services: Permanent residents of certain states are eligible for healthcare benefits through programs such as Medicaid, as well as other public benefits and social services.
• Educational Opportunities: In-state tuition rates at public universities and colleges are available to Green Card holders and their immediate family members (spouse and children), and they may be eligible for a variety of financial assistance programs.
• Family Sponsorship: Green Card holders have the option to sponsor specific family members (spouse and unmarried children) for their own Green Cards, which could potentially establish a family-based immigration pathway.
• Legal Protection and Rights: Permanent residents are afforded legal rights and protections that are comparable to those of U.S. citizens, such as the ability to reside in the United States without concern for visa expiration or renewal.
• Pathway to Long-Term Stability: Winning the lottery grants the recipient a stable and permanent immigration status, which enables them to establish a life and career in the United States without the uncertainties that are associated with temporary visas.
• Cultural and Social Integration: The opportunity to experience and integrate into American culture and society is provided by living in the United States, which contributes to personal and professional development.

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