(Image source from: Deccanchronicle.com)
Indian citizens have been left out of the United States Diversity Visa lottery until at least 2028. This well-known visa program, known as the green card lottery, aims to make the immigrant population in America more varied by choosing applicants mainly from countries with low immigration rates to the US in the past five years. It only allows citizens from nations that have sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants in the last five years to take part. India has a high number of immigrants to the US, which exceeds the program's limits, thus disqualifying it from the lottery. In 2021, 93,450 individuals from India moved to the US. That number rose to 127,010 in 2022, surpassing the total of migrants from South America (99,030), Africa (89,570), or Europe (75,610) coming to the US. In 2023, 78,070 Indians immigrated to the US. This number makes Indian applicants unable to join DV lotteries until 2028.
Other countries that do not qualify for the DV lottery in 2026 include China, South Korea, Canada, and Pakistan. For nations that do qualify, the most recent visa allocations were revealed on Wednesday. With yet another option unavailable, Indians face limited ways to gain permanent immigration status in the US. These paths include changing an H-1B work visa into permanent residency, immigration through investments, seeking asylum, or applying via family sponsorship. However, under US President Donald Trump's stricter immigration policies, each of these paths is becoming more difficult, causing concern for both applicants and employers. Since taking office, the Trump administration has taken a firm stance on student visas as a part of its immigration policies, increasing social media checks and enhancing screening processes. This year, directives from the State Department instructed US diplomats overseas to be careful of any applicants who might be considered adversaries of the US or who have a background in political activism. State Department officials have also been directed to monitor applicants who "support, assist, or back recognized foreign terrorists and other national security risks; or who engage in illegal anti-Semitic harassment or violence."
