US Proposes Stricter Identity Verification for Green Card Lottery Applicants

The United States Department of State has made an eye-opening decision regarding the number of changes in the Diversity Visa Program, also known as the green card lottery, which includes new identity checks, redefining the participation of the millions of candidates in the lucrative immigration gateway.

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Significant Changes to the DV Program Application Process

The proposed rule also necessitates that every Diversity Visa Program applicant scan their passport and upload images as part of their initial application. This is a significant change compared to the existing system, whereby the applicants could only upload the passport documentation in the case of selection.

In the new requirements, the applicants will be required to submit:

• Legitimate passport number not out of date

• Description of the country of origin of the passport

• Information on expiring dates

• Digital scan of biographic and signature pages in JPEG format (under 5MB)

This is an alteration to the 2026 DV lottery program, which traditionally starts accepting applications in October 2025, under which 25 million applicants may be impacted worldwide.

Fraud Prevention as Primary Driver

Extensive fraud was cited as the primary reason behind the Department of State's increased security measures. Officials have reported that examples of criminal businesses taking advantage of the existing system are often highly complex fraud rings stretching over geographical borders.

Documented Fraud Cases

New research studies indicated worrying trends of mistreatment:

• Ukraine Fraud Ring: A travelling service affiliated group charged between USD 3.000 and USD 15.000 to applicants or forced them into sham marriages

• Multi-Country Operations: Hundreds of operations that have similar schemes in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Moldova

• Identity Theft: Applications made by third parties without consent and extortion of victims in the future

The Department noted that during a previous implementation period (2019-2022), duplicate disqualifications dropped dramatically from 2.5 million to just 760,079 cases, demonstrating the effectiveness of passport verification.

Program Overview and Impact Statistics

The Diversity Visa Program provides immigrant visas annually, up to 55,000 visas to persons who belong to countries that have historically been low in the US immigration. This lottery scheme is an essential gateway to legal immigration, especially for candidates who would not have qualified under other family- and employment-based entries.

Also Read: Cost of Transit Visa for USA: New Fees & Process Guide

Current Program Statistics

Regional Allocation for 2025

Eligibility Requirements and Exceptions

The novelty of a passport requirement has certain exceptions for vulnerable categories:

• People who lack a national passport where they belong.

• Nationals of communist controlled countries who could not get passports

• Authorised waiver beneficiaries who the government officially exempts

The conventional eligibility standards are not changing. A candidate must hold a high school education or have at least two years of relevant work experience in the past 5 years.

Implementation Timeline and Process

The new rule is to come under normal federal rulemaking processes, where comments are allowed before full implementation. Assuming the changes are approved, they will be implemented on the DV lottery program by 2026, which opens in October 2025.

Also Read: Difference Between B1 and B2 Visa USA: Experts' New Guide

Application Process Updates

The following procedural changes can be envisioned by people who apply to the university at present:

• Pre-application work: Acquiring a valid passport before entering the lottery

• Digital scanning: Generation of passport page images of compliance

• Upload verification: File size/ format check

• Identity verification: Increased verification of the process

The Department focused on mobile-friendly functionality, stating that most applicants can scan a passport practically with the help of smartphone cameras.

Cost Analysis and Global Impact

According to the Department of State, the worldwide compliance cost is estimated at 38 million dollars, based on anticipated volumes of applications and the time required to process the applications. The average face value of individual passports in DV-eligible countries is $74.43, which is a considerable financial consideration for most applicants.

Economic Considerations

• Labour processing challenge: Average foreseen at 1.52 minutes added time per application

• Apps needed: Smartphone or scanner to digitise uploads

• Passport fee: The costs for new applicants who do not have travel documents.

Expert Analysis and Future Implications

Policy experts and immigration lawyers consider these reforms as a continuation of the process to enhance identity verification in federal programs. The actions align with the Executive Orders' requirements of strengthened federal identity confirmation procedures.

The proposal also reverses requirements of the exact nature that were first introduced in 2019 and later dropped on procedural grounds in 2022. With the reduction in the fraud rates during that implementation period, it is possible to assume that the new approach will be practical.

Also Read: US Visa Bulletin for April: Green Card Backlogs Deepen 

Conclusion

The identity check done with the proposed US green card lottery will be the most significant modification to the Diversity Visa Program over recent years to strike a balance between preventing fraud and maintaining access to legal immigration routes. Although the new requirements are likely to erect even more hurdles in the way of some applicants, the authorities contend that increased security demands can only safeguard those who participate legitimately and boost the program's integrity.

The first step that potential applicants can take toward getting ready to face these changes is to ensure they have valid passports and understand the nuances of creating a digital submission. Actual implementation of the final rule will be determined by how the review processes by the federal authority are completed and the incorporation of public comments. Contact TerraTern for more information!