One week before the DV2021 lottery opened up for applications, the US State Department published a new passport requirement that all applicants must provide a none expired valid passport number and expiration dates to be able to join the dv lottery. In most countries it is not possible to get a passport in 5 weeks from the day you apply and in some wealthier countries it is possible if you pay an expedite fee.

This requirement came as a surprise to most applicants and sent many applicants that wanted to apply for the dv lottery scrambling to get a passport or renew their expired passport. This might not sound like an unreasonable requirement for people living in wealthier countries, but for the vast majority of applicants the cost of a new passport can be the choice between putting food on the table or perusing their dream of receiving a green card through the green card lottery. It is not clear why this new requirements was announced so late as it would have taken the US State Department time to update their web site to make this a requirement on the entry form.

The Trump administration has in the past tried to limit immigration from less fortunate countries and this could be another effort to stem the flow of immigrants from those countries. It is most likely that the total number of applicants that applied for the DV2021 lottery is down sharply from the number of applicants that applied for the DV2020 lottery of the same reason.

There are two exceptions to the passport rule and all main principle applicants must provide the required passport information unless they are stateless, nationals of a Communist-controlled country and unable to obtain a passport from the government of the Communist-controlled country, or the beneficiary of an individual waiver approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State.

This new passport requirement introduced right before the DV2021 lottery, will also be a requirement for the DV2022 lottery. Make sure you have a valid passport prior to November 6, 2020 if your intention is to enter the DV2022 lottery.

Enter this years Green Card Lottery today. 50,000 American Green Cards Must Go Each Year. This is your chance to reach your dream of becoming an American resident today!