This archive report was first published on 21 September 2019.
The US State Department has introduced a new requirement for the upcoming green card lottery: participants must have a valid, unexpired passport. This change was announced in June 2019 and will be in effect for the DV-2021 registration period.
According to the State Department, the new passport requirement is aimed at reducing fraudulent entries in the Diversity Visa program. In some cases, third parties have been submitting entries for individuals without their knowledge, then charging them exorbitant fees to claim their winning confirmation numbers.
Individuals who are stateless, nationals of a Communist-controlled country, or beneficiaries of an individual waiver approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State are exempt from the passport requirement. The passport requirement only applies to principal entrants, not dependents.
For the first time, a passport will be required for all participants in the green card lottery, not just winners. This change is expected to reduce the number of fraudulent entries and make the process more secure.
The DV-2021 registration period runs from October 2nd to November 5th, 2019.
