Kenyans' green card lottery applications surged to 442,966 in Fiscal Year 2018, marking a 23% increase from 360,023 entries in 2017, according to US State Department statistics.
The 2018 total included 317,029 primary applicants and 125,937 dependents, such as spouses and children, added to their applications. This follows 304,693 entries in 2016, indicating a consistent upward trend in participation.
Globally, Ghana led with 2,227,523 applicants, followed by Uzbekistan (2.1 million), Iran (1.6 million), and Ukraine (1.4 million). The Diversity Visa program allocates 55,000 annual visas to individuals from countries with low immigrant populations in the US.
Nationals from 17 countries, including India, China, and Nigeria, were excluded from the 2018 lottery due to high immigration rates. The DV-2021 registration period is scheduled for October-November 2019, with results for DV-2020 expected to be posted online starting May 7, 2019.
