The U.S. Diversity Visa (DV) program, established by the Immigration Act of 1990 and known as the “Diversity Lottery,” aims to increase immigrant diversity by selecting individuals from countries with historically low U.S. immigration rates. Annually, 55,000 immigrant visas are distributed through a random selection process. The U.S. Department of State has finalized significant changes to the Diversity Lottery, implementing new passport and fee requirements beginning with the DV-2027 program year.
Quick Hits
- DV-2027 entrants must provide valid passport information and upload scans of the biographic and signature pages with their entry form.
- A $1 registration fee is required, with no waivers.
- The changes aim to combat fraud and improve the integrity of the program.
The State Department’s final rule takes effect on April 10, 2026. Applicants for the DV-2027 lottery will be required to submit a scan of the biographic and signature page of a valid passport when completing the electronic entry. There are limited exemptions to the passport requirement for stateless individuals, nationals of Communist-controlled countries who are unable to obtain a passport from their government, and individuals who are beneficiaries of an approved waiver. This change is being made to combat fraud.
Additionally, all entrants must pay a $1 registration fee at the time of submitting their entry online. No waivers will be available for this nominal fee. The rule also replaces “gender” with “sex” on the entry form pursuant to Executive Order 14168, and replaces “age” with “date of birth” to improve accuracy.
To accommodate these new requirements, the State Department is deferring the opening of the DV-2027 entry period to give prospective entrants additional time to obtain passports.
Entrants may check their selection status by visiting the official Entrant Status Check webpage and entering their entry confirmation number, last name, and date of birth. The State Department exclusively uses this method to inform entrants of their selection status; notifications are not sent through email, mail, or phone. The selection notice on the webpage will be accessible until September 30 of the applicable fiscal year.
Next Steps
Applicants may prepare for entry in the DV-2027 lottery by taking the following steps:
- Obtain a passport.
- Budget ninety minutes for registration.
- Prepare a payment method for the $1 registration fee.
- Review official instructions on the State Department website.
- Submit an entry electronically on the Entrant Status Check once the DV-2027 period is announced.
