The US State Department announced that from September 16, 2025, an electronic registration fee of $1 will be required from all persons wishing to participate in the Diversification Visa (DV Lottery) or the popular "Green Card Lottery." This is the first time the annual fee will be collected from all candidates participating in the lottery.
It is reported that the main goal of this change is to distribute the costs of managing the DV lottery evenly and fairly not only among a select few applicants, but also among all participants. The new policy will officially come into force in 2027 before the DV lottery registration process.
Here's the basic information about the new payment:
Registration fee of $1: All participants pay $1 when submitting an electronic application through the official website of the US government. Payment is made through a special government portal.
The application fee remains unchanged: For selected applicants, the DV application fee remains at $330 USD. However, some administrative expenses covered within the previous fee are now covered by the registration fee.
Non-refundable fee: The registration fee is non-refundable regardless of the result and cannot be postponed to subsequent years.
The DV lottery has historically provided up to 55,000 visas to the United States annually from countries with low migration rates. In recent years, the number of applications has reached tens of millions, which has created significant administrative costs for the government.
According to DOS, the new structure can cover the costs of the program through approximately 25 million participants per year. This change will allow the DV lottery to generate an additional $25 million annually. These funds will be spent on system updates, data collection, and security checks.
Also, paying $1 will help reduce the number of fraudsters submitting fake applications. This change is part of the upward trend in total payments made by U.S. migration services. A significant portion of the costs are now being borne by applicants.
As the DOS anticipated, the new fee may result in a slight decrease in the number of participants, which will further enhance their capabilities. The new rules are aimed at increasing software security, increasing efficiency, and reducing processing time.
For millions of people, this policy is a new financial barrier. In some countries, access to electronic payment systems is limited or there may be difficulties in participating due to currency exchange costs. The main goal of the program is to ensure diversity in migration, therefore even a small fee can limit the possibility of participation from less developed regions.
In any case, the new $1 payment is a small but significant change. It can increase program effectiveness and reduce fraudulent applications, but it also creates a small financial barrier to participation from low-resource countries. As U.S. migration policy is steadily changing, it is important to monitor and use such new rules vigilantly.
Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!
