The U.S. Department of State Releases Final Rule on Diversity Immigrant Visa Program

The U.S. immigration landscape sees yet another major update in the final rule issued by the U.S. Department of State on the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program. Published in March 2026, this rule, titled “Visas: Enhancing Vetting and Combatting Fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program,” adds some new important revisions.

As always, our EB-1A consultants have analyzed this rule in detail and discussed everything you need to know.

What is the diversity visa program?

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, also known as the “Green Card Lottery,” provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the program aims to promote diversity in the U.S. immigrant population while upholding fairness through a randomized selection process.

However, with millions of applicants each year, the system has also been vulnerable to a myriad of fraud and compliance issues that the new rule directly addresses. In essence, the new rule directly develops some countermeasures for these issues.

Important highlights of the final rule

Mandatory passport requirement

One of the most important revisions in the final rule is the reintroduction of the passport requirement.

Applicants must now:

• Provide a valid, unexpired passport number
• Submit a scan of the passport’s biographical page

This requirement will apply starting with the DV-2027 program. The Federal Register disclosed that the move is incorporated to strengthen identity verification and reduce fraudulent entries.

Enhanced vetting and fraud prevention

The core objective of this revision is to combat fraud and strengthen system integrity.

Historically, the system has experienced several fraudulent practices, including:

• Multiple entries under different identities
• Fake documentation submitted through third-party agents
• Organized “entry mills” exploiting applicants

These regulatory updates are intended to “enhance vetting” and ensure that only genuine applicants participate.

Interestingly, the revision of requiring passport data upfront greatly reduces large-scale fraud by making identity fabrication more difficult.

Changes in language and data validity

The final rule also introduces a few technical and important updates:

• “Gender” is replaced with “sex.”
• “Age” is replaced with “date of birth.

To quote the Federal Register, here are linguistic changes that have been introduced:

‘Additionally, the Department is standardizing and amending its regulations to add the word “shall” to simplify guidance for consular officers; ensure the use of the term “sex” in lieu of “gender”; and replace the term “age” in the DV Program regulations with the phrase “date of birth” to accurately reflect the information collected and maintained by the Department during the immigrant visa process.’

Additional compliance actions

The final rule has also introduced the following further measures:

• A nominal registration fee (reported as $1) to discourage frivolous or bulk entries
• Limited exemptions to the passport requirement (e.g., stateless individuals or persons unable to obtain passports)
• Delays in DV-2027 registration timelines to allow applicants time to comply with new requirements

These measures jointly seek to establish a more secure and credible selection process.

Final thoughts

The 2026 final rule by the U.S. Department of State acts as an essential change in how the Diversity Visa Program operates. With these sets of reforms, the government intends to preserve the program’s integrity within an increasingly complex immigration environment.

A thorough breakdown published on JD Supra shows that the final rule fits into a broader regulatory trend emphasizing program integrity. Though the DV program remains an integral immigration pathway, authorities are more and more focused on verifying that every application is authentic and verifiable.

For more insights, news, and analysis, stay tuned to our blog section. For personalized consultation on merit-based pathways, get in touch with our EB-1A experts. We wish you a safe and stress-free immigration journey ahead.

Sources & Further Readings

1. U.S. Department of State.““Visas: Enhancing Vetting and Combatting Fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.”" Federal Register, March 11, 2026.
2. JD Supra “Diversity Immigrant Visa Program Update." JD Supra