Effective April 10, 2026 applicants will need to submit a scanned copy of their passport when entering the U.S. Green Card lottery. Photo: Shutterstock
Effective April 10, 2026 applicants will need to submit a scanned copy of their passport when entering the U.S. Green Card lottery. Photo: Shutterstock

The U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa program (DV2027) is back starting this coming October, after the Trump administration paused it last November as part of its immigration crackdown.

Applicants however will face a significant new barrier: a passport will now be required to submit an entry. It is also no longer free to enter, as announced in September 2025.

The new rule takes effect on April 10, 2026 and will require those submitting entries for the lottery to also upload a scan of their valid unexpired passport.

The change, outlined in a notice filed by the State Department in the Federal Register, marks the most consequential shift in years for the program, commonly known as the green card lottery. In previous cycles, applicants could register with basic personal information, after a federal court in 2022 struck down the passport requirement for not following the notice-and-comment rule-making process required by law.

U.S. officials say the requirement is designed to curb fraud and strengthen the program’s integrity. In a recent lottery cycle, the government identified roughly 2.5 million fraudulent applications, often linked to third parties who withheld entry information from applicants unless they paid fees or participated in scams.

But the passport rule has already drawn criticism. Some immigration experts warn it could effectively exclude applicants from parts of Africa and Asia, where obtaining a passport can take months or require significant expense.

The exact start date in October to submit entries for DV-2027 have not yet been announced, but immigration advocates are advising those planning to enter the lottery to work on obtaining passports if they don’t have them, and get the scanned copy of the biographic and signature pages of the passport ready for when the entry period begins.

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  • Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

    He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the board of the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association.

    An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.

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About Tom Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief

Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the board of the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.

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