Written by The Banking Post
Recently, a claim titled “DV Lottery 2026: Bad News, Bangladesh Not on the List” has been circulated in the media and on social media platforms.
Fact-check
The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation found that the United States’ Diversity Visa (DV) program has not been suspended for Bangladeshi citizens recently. In fact, under U.S. law, Bangladesh became ineligible for the DV program back in 2012, and that status remains unchanged. The recent claim is therefore misleading.
At the beginning of the investigation, a report published on the Janakantha website was reviewed. The report described the absence of Bangladesh from the 2026 DV Lottery list as “bad news.” However, it failed to mention that Bangladesh has been excluded from the DV Lottery for the past 13 consecutive years, since 2012 — a key fact that led to public confusion.
An analysis of the comment sections under the viral posts revealed that many Facebook users mistakenly assumed this was the first time Bangladesh had been excluded from the DV Lottery and used it as an opportunity to criticize the current interim government.
During the investigation, a report titled “No More DV Lottery for Bangladeshis”, updated on 8 December 2014, was found on the Prothom Alo website.
From the report, it is clear that the Diversity Visa (DV) program for Bangladeshi citizens ended in September 2012. Between 2007 and 2012, over 50,000 Bangladeshis immigrated to the United States under this program. According to the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, under U.S. law, any country that sends more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. within five years becomes ineligible for the DV program. As a result, Bangladesh no longer qualifies to participate in the DV Lottery.
A notice from the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh on the Diversity Visa (DV) program stated:
“Between 2007 and 2012, more than 50,000 Bangladeshis immigrated to the United States under this visa, which caused Bangladesh to lose eligibility. The DV program is intended for countries with relatively low immigration rates to the United States.”
Furthermore, the U.S. State Department’s website lists eligible and ineligible countries for the DV Lottery each year. Bangladesh has been consistently included in the ineligible list since 2012, along with several other countries, for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025.
In summary: Since 2012, the DV Lottery has not been reopened for Bangladeshi citizens. The recent claim portraying Bangladesh’s absence in the 2026 DV Lottery as new is therefore misleading.
Sources:
- Prothom Alo report, 8 December 2014: “No More DV Lottery for Bangladeshis”
- U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Diversity Visa program notice
- U.S. State Department DV Lottery eligibility lists
