What is the DV-2027 Lottery?
The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery — commonly called the Green Card Lottery — is a U.S. government program that grants up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. The program has been running for over 30 years and is one of the most popular legal pathways to U.S. permanent residency, drawing more than 15 million entries annually, the majority from Africa and South Asia.
The DV-2027 cycle, however, is unlike any before it. Multiple significant rule changes have been introduced simultaneously, leaving millions of prospective applicants around the world navigating new requirements and a delayed timeline.
The biggest change: passport now mandatory
On March 11, 2026, the U.S. Department of State published a final rule in the Federal Register titled "Visas: Enhancing Vetting and Combatting Fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program." The rule took effect on April 10, 2026.
Under the new rule, every DV-2027 applicant must upload a digital scan of the biographic and signature page of a valid, unexpired passport at the time of submitting their entry. Previously, applicants could enter the lottery without a passport and only needed to obtain one if selected. That flexibility is now gone entirely.
The passport requirement is a reinstatement of a policy first introduced during the first Trump administration, which was struck down in court in 2022 and has now been reinstated through formal rulemaking. For many applicants in parts of Africa and Asia where obtaining a passport is costly or bureaucratically difficult, this is a significant barrier.
The $1 registration fee — a historic first
For the first time in the Diversity Visa program's three-decade history, applicants are required to pay a registration fee. The U.S. Department of State announced the $1 non-refundable electronic fee, published in the Federal Register on September 16, 2025, taking effect October 16, 2025.
While the amount is modest, the implications are significant. The fee serves three stated purposes: fraud prevention (fraudulent agents often submit thousands of fake entries), cost distribution across all registrants, and digital traceability. No waivers are available — all applicants must pay at the time of entry, through the official DV lottery portal only.
Current status: paused, but not cancelled
As of April 8, 2026, the U.S. State Department website confirms that all DV visa issuances remain paused. This pause was first announced on December 23, 2025 and has not been officially lifted. However, critically, DV-2027 has not been cancelled.
The fact that the State Department published a detailed final rule overhauling how DV-2027 entries will work is itself a strong signal that the program is continuing. The government is not simply talking about the DV program — it is actively rewriting the entry system ahead of reopening it.
Key dates and timeline
$1 DV registration fee published in the Federal Register.
$1 fee takes effect for all DV-2027 entries.
State Department announces changes to DV entry process, delaying the DV-2027 registration period beyond the traditional October opening.
State Department pauses all DV visa issuances with immediate effect. No end date announced.
Final rule published requiring mandatory passport scans for all DV-2027 entries.
Passport requirement rule takes effect. DV-2027 registration start date still pending official announcement.
Visa application window for DV-2027 selectees — unchanged and confirmed by State Department.
Other rule changes to know
The final rule also introduced two smaller but notable form changes. The word "gender" has been replaced with "sex" on the entry form, following Executive Order 14168. Additionally, "age" has been replaced with "date of birth" on the form to improve accuracy in record-keeping.
Who is ineligible for DV-2027?
As in previous years, nationals of countries with historically high immigration levels to the United States are not eligible to enter. The ineligible countries for recent DV cycles include:
Most African countries (excluding Nigeria), Eastern Europe, parts of Asia, and Latin America remain eligible. Applicants born in an ineligible country may still qualify using a spouse's or parent's eligible country of birth, subject to cross-chargeability rules.
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