Green Card Lottery: US Explains What Happens if an Applicant Dies after Being Selected
- The US government has published official guidance explaining how a DV selectee's death affects the Green Card Lottery case
- The explanation also covers what becomes of the selectee's spouse and children who were included in the application
- The official guidance is contained in the official DV-2026 Plain Language Instructions and FAQs document, which Legit.ng sighted
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The United States government has clarified what happens to a Diversity Visa (DV) case when a lottery selectee dies before travelling to the US or completing the immigration process.
According to the official DV-2026 Plain Language Instructions and FAQs published by the US Department of State, the death of a selectee at any point before they have either travelled to the United States or adjusted their immigration status results in the automatic closure of the DV case.
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US Green Card Lottery: What happens to family members
The guidance makes clear that derivative beneficiaries, meaning a spouse and any children linked to the deceased selectee's case, lose all entitlement to apply for a Diversity Visa once the principal applicant dies. Any visas that may have already been issued to those family members will be revoked.
The rule applies regardless of how far along the case was at the time of death, as long as the selectee had not yet entered the US or finalised their status adjustment before passing away.
Green Card Lottery: Why this matters for DV applicants
The Diversity Visa programme, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, gives nationals from countries with historically low immigration rates to the US the chance to apply for permanent residency.
Each year, tens of thousands of people are selected, including many Nigerians and other African nationals who see the programme as a key route to relocating abroad.
Because the process can take months or even years from selection to final travel, the question of what happens in the event of a selectee's death is one that directly affects families who may have built significant plans around the outcome.
The US State Department's guidance for 2026 leaves no room for exceptions in such cases. Once the selectee dies, the case closes, and no surviving family member can continue the application independently or inherit the DV selection.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that the US had explained how successful applicants are selected for the Green Card Lottery.
US Green Card Lottery: How to know you've been selected
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported how to know you have been selected for the US Green Card Lottery.
According to official instructions published by the State Department, the Entrant Status Check on the government's official DV programme website is the only channel through which selection results will be communicated.
The portal is available from May 3, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Source: Legit.ng
