The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Related Articles
The United States government has announced the introduction of a $1 (approximately Sh129) registration fee for applicants of the Diversity Visa (Green Card) Lottery, marking the first time such a charge will apply to the initial registration process.
According to a statement published in the U.S. Federal Register, the new fee is intended to cover the operational costs of managing the annual lottery, including system maintenance, data storage, automated random selection of winners, and security reviews.
Click here to join our WhatsApp Channel
The move, which takes effect ahead of the 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery registration period set to open in early October, will require all applicants to pay the fee when submitting their entries through the official U.S. government website.
The Department of State said the decision aims to “fairly distribute the cost of administering the lottery among all registrants,” rather than burdening only the small percentage of successful applicants who move forward in the visa process.
In addition to the new $1 registration fee, successful applicants will still be required to pay the $330 (Sh42,570) Diversity Visa application fee, which remains unchanged. The registration fee will be non-refundable and cannot be transferred to another year’s lottery.
The new rule amends the existing Schedule of Fees to include the electronic registration charge and clarifies that the payment must be made through an authorized U.S. government portal at the time of registration.
Click Here To Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, grants up to 50,000 immigrant visas annually through a random selection process. It is designed for individuals from countries with historically low immigration rates to the United States.
Applicants who win the lottery and live outside the U.S. complete the process through consular interviews, while those already in the U.S. must finalize their status adjustments by September 30 of the fiscal year for which the visa is issued. Unused visas cannot be carried over to the following year.
