The United States has implemented stricter rules for the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, commonly known as green card The lottery requires applicants to provide comprehensive passport information during the application process. The change is part of a larger effort by U.S. officials to strengthen identity verification and reduce fraud within the immigration system.
The Diversity Visa Program allocates up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year to applicants from countries with relatively low U.S. immigration rates.
According to new U.S. regulations State Councilthose taking part in the Diversity Visa Lottery must provide details of a valid and unexpired passport when submitting their application.
In addition, applicants must upload digital scans of their passport’s personal data page and signature page as part of the electronic registration form.
Officials stressed that applications lacking passport information or valid passport scans will automatically be disqualified from the lottery.
The revised regulations will come into effect on April 10, 2026 and are expected to be relevant to the DV-2027 lottery cycle, which is expected to begin later in 2026.
The Diversity Visa Program attracts millions of applicants from around the world each year, making it one of the most competitive immigration options in the United States.
this us government Points out that the passport requirement is intended to address fraud and prevent duplicate entry into the program.
Authorities found that there were more than 2.5 million duplicate applications for the DV-2025 lottery, many of which were submitted by third-party agents without the knowledge of the applicants.
Mandating passport documentation early in the application process helps officials verify the identity of applicants and prevents widespread abuse of the system.
Despite the new rules, the change will not affect Indian applicants as India is not eligible for the diversity visa lottery.
The program only allows countries that have sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the past five years to participate. Since India has exceeded this limit, Indian nationals cannot apply for the DV lottery.
Therefore, Indians seeking permanent residency in the United States must rely on other avenues such as employment visas, family sponsorship, or investment programs.
The DV program has been criticized recently for linking several lottery winners to acts of terrorism and mass shootings.
According to the New York Times, Saifulo SaipovThe man accused of the 2017 New York terror attacks that killed at least eight people drove a truck through a crowded bike lane in Manhattan. He is an Uzbek immigrant who arrived in the United States in 2010 after being selected for the DV program and eventually obtained permanent residency.
Likewise, the suspect in the December 2025 shooting at Brown University that left four people dead was identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese immigrant who entered the United States in 2017 after being selected for the DV program.
These events prompted calls for an end to the DV program altogether. In the wake of the Brown University tragedy, the Trump administration halted the issuance of all diversity immigrant visas, delayed the DV-2027 registration period, and put pending applications on hold.
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