On October 3, 2025, the U.S. State Department delivered a blow to thousands of hopeful Cuban migrants by confirming that Cuban citizens are excluded from the 2026 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, widely known as the "visa lottery." This announcement, which came as a clarification after some confusion, marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy and adds another layer of complexity to the already fraught relationship between the two countries.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, or DV-2026, is an annual lottery that randomly selects up to 55,000 applicants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For many, it represents a rare and coveted opportunity to obtain a U.S. green card. However, as the State Department explained in its October update, Cuban citizens are not eligible for the 2026 cycle. The reason? More than 50,000 Cubans have emigrated to the U.S. in the previous five years, a threshold that disqualifies a country from participation according to the program’s rules.
“A small number of participants from Cuba may have received incorrect information about their selection status,” the State Department acknowledged, noting that those who selected Cuba as their country of eligibility have been notified of their ineligibility for the 2026 program year. Registration for the DV program is free and typically runs from October 1 to September 30 each fiscal year, but this year, for Cubans, the door has closed.
For decades, the visa lottery—affectionately called "el Bombo" in Cuba—offered a legal path for many to start anew in the United States. According to official records from the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, Cubans have been among the most active participants and beneficiaries in recent years. Now, as the U.S. tightens its immigration policies, that lifeline has been cut off, leaving many on the island feeling stranded.
The exclusion of Cubans from the lottery comes amid a broader context of migration and political tension. The United States cited the recent surge in Cuban migration as a key factor. According to the State Department, this spike was driven in part by Biden administration policies, including a humanitarian parole program that allowed more Cubans to enter the U.S. legally. But as migration numbers soared, the very policy that helped many Cubans escape economic hardship has now contributed to their exclusion from the lottery.
Adding to the pressure, new U.S. measures under the Trump administration have further limited Cubans' options for legal migration. Family reunification programs have faced new restrictions, and it has become increasingly complicated for Cubans to obtain nonimmigrant visas for tourism, business, study, or temporary work. Applicants must now travel to the U.S. consulate in Georgetown, Guyana—a costly and logistically daunting requirement for most.
“Accordingly, the Department has notified individuals who selected Cuba as their foreign state of chargeability that they will be ineligible for the 2026 program year,” the agency stated. Selection in the lottery never guarantees a visa, as the process involves a rigorous review of education, work experience, and other requirements, not to mention the annual cap on visa numbers. Still, for many Cubans, the mere chance to participate represented hope.
The timing of the State Department’s announcement could hardly be more sensitive. Just days later, on October 7, 2025, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Ana Teresita González Vidal addressed the 12th Italy-Latin America and the Caribbean Conference in Rome, voicing Cuba’s deepening concerns over U.S. policy. According to Prensa Latina, the Deputy Foreign Minister denounced what she called the "maximum pressure" campaign by the U.S. administration, targeting both Cuba and Venezuela.
Vidal did not mince words about the dangers she perceives. She specifically highlighted the U.S. military deployment off Venezuela’s coast, describing it as a violation of the 2014 Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, an accord adopted in Havana. “These actions could have incalculable consequences for our region,” Vidal warned, underlining the gravity with which Cuban officials view the current state of affairs.
At a colloquium held at the Cuban embassy in Rome, Vidal also pointed to the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba—a blockade that has lasted more than 60 years. According to Vidal, this policy is designed to undermine the Cuban revolutionary process. She recalled that one of the Trump administration’s first executive orders was to place Cuba back on the U.S. list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism, a move that has had "serious economic consequences" for the island.
Despite the implementation of severe spending cuts by the current U.S. administration, including the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Vidal asserted that funding for activities aimed at destabilizing Cuba has remained intact. This, she argued, demonstrates the priority given by the current U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to intensifying pressure on Cuba.
The visa lottery exclusion fits into this broader narrative of escalating U.S.-Cuba tensions. For many Cubans, the tightening of legal migration pathways is not just a bureaucratic hurdle—it’s a reflection of a long-standing political struggle. The U.S. government, for its part, maintains that its policies are consistent with its legal obligations and national interests. The State Department emphasized that the lottery is designed to benefit countries with low rates of recent immigration to the United States, and the recent influx of Cuban migrants simply made the island ineligible under the law.
But for ordinary Cubans, the distinction between legal eligibility and political intent can feel academic. The loss of the visa lottery option comes at a time when economic hardship on the island is acute, and the U.S. remains, for many, a beacon of opportunity. As one Cuban applicant who learned of the exclusion put it, “It’s like they shut the door just as we were about to walk through it.”
Beyond the immediate disappointment, the policy shift is likely to have ripple effects. Migration experts warn that when legal pathways are closed, desperate individuals may turn to riskier, irregular routes—routes that can be dangerous and exploitative. The U.S. government, aware of these risks, has reiterated that selection in the lottery does not guarantee a visa, and that the number of visas is capped each year. But for those who have lost their chance, such reassurances ring hollow.
As the U.S. and Cuba find themselves at another crossroads, the future of migration between the two countries remains uncertain. What is clear is that, for now, the once-popular “Bombo” is no longer an option for Cubans dreaming of a new life in America. The evolving policies and the rhetoric on both sides suggest that the road ahead will be anything but straightforward.
In the end, the exclusion of Cubans from the 2026 Diversity Visa Program is more than a bureaucratic decision—it’s a window into the complex, often fraught relationship between two neighbors whose destinies remain tightly intertwined.
