You need one of two things for the DV lottery. You need 12 years of formal school, or two years of the right work. A GED does not replace the school. You cannot enter today, because the State Department has not posted entry dates.
The Diversity Visa lottery, also called the green card lottery, lets selected people apply for a visa. Selection is not the visa. The last full instructions say you should not submit an entry unless you meet the country rule and this education-or-work rule. DV-2027 instructions are not published. The test below is the one still written down.
What does this mean for me while I wait?
You can check your papers now. You cannot file them. The form is closed.
Picture two keys for one door. The school key is 12 years of real school. The work key is two years in a job that takes at least two years to learn. Either key can fit. A GED does not fit the school lock. The door is also shut. A key in your hand does not open registration, and it does not mean your name will be drawn.
The notice published November 5, 2025 says the DV-2027 start date will be announced. It names no day. Is it too late to enter the DV-2027 lottery? explains why a closed form is not a deadline you missed.
What are the two ways to qualify?
Either path is enough. 22 CFR 42.33, restated in the rule effective April 10, 2026, requires two things. The person is a native of a low-immigration country. And the person has a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of qualifying work in the five years before applying for a visa.
“High school education or its equivalent” means a finished 12-year course.
| Path | What counts | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| School | A finished formal course of 12 years of elementary and secondary school, in the United States or a comparable course in another country. | A GED, correspondence study, or school you have not finished. |
| Work | Two years in an occupation with an O*NET SVP range of 7.0 or higher, inside the five-year window. | A job title with no SVP check, or dates outside those five years. |
The DV-2026 instructions state the same choice. No later notice replaces it for DV-2027.
Does 12 years of school count, and does a GED?
A finished formal course of that length counts. A GED does not.
In the United States, the rule is successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education. In another country, it is a formal course comparable to that one: similar in length and kind. The DV-2026 entry asks for the highest education you have achieved, as of today, from a menu that includes primary school, some high school, a high school diploma, vocational school, and university degrees. “As of today” means the day you submit. Choosing “vocational school” does not, by itself, prove a 12-year course.
The same instructions say only formal courses meet the education requirement. Correspondence programs and equivalency certificates, such as the General Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D.), are not acceptable. A GED does not close the work path. You do not upload the diploma with the entry. A consular officer, the U.S. official at the visa interview, checks the papers then. The April 2026 rule says officers do that check because school papers differ by country.
Can two years of work replace the diploma?
Yes, when the work has all three parts.
- Two years you already worked. A plan to start does not count.
- A five-year window. The regulation counts the five years before you apply for the visa, which is after selection. The DV-2026 instructions say “within the past five years.” Keep both sentences until a DV-2027 notice defines the window. Write down each job, the dates, and the duties.
- An SVP range of 7.0 or higher. SVP means Specific Vocational Preparation, a number for how long a job takes to learn. The Department uses O*NET OnLine, the Labor Department job site. A range that starts below 7.0 does not qualify.
Job Zone is a label. The number in the instructions is the SVP range. The DV-2026 example is Aerospace Engineers: Job Zone 4 and an SVP range of 7.0 to less than 8.0. The O*NET page still shows Job Zone Four and that range. Search the kind of work you did, not your employer’s name. At the interview, the officer compares your duties with that description. Keep letters, contracts, or pay records.
When do I show the papers?
You state your education level on the entry. You show proof at the interview. If the entrant misses the rule, that person is ineligible, and the spouse and children are ineligible for derivative visas through that entry. A derivative visa is a visa for a spouse or child based on the entrant’s selection. There is no minimum age to type an entry. The instructions say this rule effectively disqualifies most people under 18.
What if my spouse qualifies and I do not?
Your spouse may submit one entry if your spouse has the school or the work, and meets the country rule. You can be listed on that entry. Can my spouse and I both enter? explains the one-entry rule. Your own entry needs your own path. A diploma in the house is not a family diploma.
What should you do now?
- Do not pay anyone to enter you. No DV-2027 period is posted.
- Find the school paper. It needs to show a finished formal 12-year course. A GED does not.
- If school does not fit, read the SVP range for each recent job on O*NET OnLine. Keep occupations at 7.0 or higher, with the dates.
- Keep the papers for a visa interview, if you are selected and you apply.
- Check the country rule for the person who will enter. Can I use my spouse’s country? explains the other claims.
- Wait for a notice with a website, a start, and an end. Then submit one entry and save the confirmation number. A rule effective September 16, 2025 sets the registration fee at $1, in addition to the $330 application fee. Pay the $1 on the official page after the form opens. The $330 comes later, only if you are selected and you apply.
Does the December bulletin or a court date change this?
No. On November 11, 2026, the Visa Bulletin list shows November 2026 as the current bulletin. December 2026 is not listed. The November bulletin has no Diversity Visa chart. Why the November Visa Bulletin has no DV numbers explains that blank. A bulletin does not grade a diploma.
A court date is not an entry day. On October 29, 2026, the Ninth Circuit paused the order that would have required registration to open. That stay is a pause while a higher court reviews the case. The lawyers’ papers are due November 17 and December 15, 2026. A different hearing is set for December 11. Does the December 11 hearing open the DV lottery? explains it.
| Date | What it is |
|---|---|
| November 5, 2025 | A notice that the start date will be announced. Not an entry day. |
| April 10, 2026 | The current education definition took effect. |
| November 11, 2026 | November 2026 is the current bulletin. December 2026 is not listed. |
| November 17 and December 15, 2026 | Writing deadlines for the lawyers. Not entry days. |
| December 11, 2026 | A hearing in a different case. Not an entry day. |
| September 30, 2027 | End of the visa period named for DV-2027 selectees. Not a school deadline. |
The USCIS diversity visa page does not post a DV-2027 entry date.
What photo can I prepare?
You can make the photo files now. You cannot upload them until a form opens.
The April 10, 2026 rule says each photo is a color JPEG, taken no more than six months before you submit. You face the camera. The head covers about 50 percent of the photo, on a neutral light background. You do not wear eyeglasses. A head covering is allowed only for religious beliefs, and it may not cover the face. Until a later notice says otherwise, the DV-2026 file is exactly 600 by 600 pixels, 240 KB or smaller, with the head at 50 to 69 percent of the height, on white or off-white. If six months pass, take a new photo. Include yourself, a spouse you must list, and each unmarried child under 21.
How to make a DV lottery photo while you wait walks through the family list. The size and file size pages follow those measurements. The tool on this site exports a 600 by 600 JPEG. dvlotteryphoto.com makes one JPEG per order, made to those measurements, with the background corrected and the file size checked. Order one file per person.
A finished photo is made to meet the written DV photo requirements. It is not approved by the State Department. It does not submit an entry, pay the $1 fee, or prove your school or your work. It does not guarantee selection or a visa.
This is general information from public records, not legal advice. See the editorial policy.
Questions
Do I need a high school diploma for the DV lottery?
Finish 12 years of formal school, or have two years of work in an occupation with an O*NET SVP range of 7.0 or higher. A GED does not replace the school. You cannot enter today.
Does a GED count for the DV lottery?
No. The DV-2026 instructions say a General Equivalency Diploma and correspondence programs are not acceptable as the education requirement. Qualifying work is a separate path.
Can work experience replace a diploma?
Yes, if you have two years in an occupation with an SVP range of 7.0 or higher. The regulation places those years inside the five years before you apply for the visa.
When do I show my diploma or job papers?
At the visa interview, if you are selected. The entry asks for your education level. It does not ask you to upload the diploma. There is no open entry today.
Does a diploma let me enter the DV-2027 lottery now?
No. No entry dates are posted. A diploma, a qualifying job, or a finished photo does not open the form or guarantee selection or a visa.
What if my spouse has the diploma and I do not?
Your spouse may enter if your spouse qualifies. You may be listed on that entry. Your own entry needs your own education or qualifying work.
Sources
- 22 CFR 42.33, Diversity immigrants. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/section-42.33
- Final rule effective April 10, 2026, restating the education definition, the interview check, and the photo rules. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/11/2026-04737/visas-enhancing-vetting-and-combatting-fraud-in-the-diversity-immigrant-visa-program
- Diversity Visa instructions for DV-2026, October 1, 2024. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/01/2024-22482/diversity-visa-instructions-for-dv-2026
- “Changes to Entry Period for 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) Program,” published November 5, 2025. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/changes-to-2027-dv-program-entry-period.html
- Visa Bulletin index. On November 11, 2026, November 2026 is current and December 2026 is not listed. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html
- Ninth Circuit stay pending appeal, No. 26-6943, October 29, 2026. https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/10/29/26-6943.pdf
- Ninth Circuit order of October 30, 2026, keeping brief dates of November 17 and December 15, 2026. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74994271/red-eagle-law-lc-v-rubio/
- Fee rule effective September 16, 2025: $1 registration fee and $330 application fee. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/16/2025-17851/schedule-of-fees-for-consular-services-department-of-state-and-overseas-embassies-and
- O*NET OnLine, Aerospace Engineers, 17-2011.00. https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/17-2011.00
- USCIS, “Green Card Through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.” https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-eligibility/green-card-through-the-diversity-immigrant-visa-program
DV Lottery Guide is an independent, unofficial guide and is not affiliated with the U.S. government. A photo made to the written DV requirements is not approved by the State Department. Entering the lottery does not guarantee selection or a visa.