What is the Diversity Visa Program?

Every year, 50,000 Diversity Visas are distributed through a random selection process for those who meet the eligibility requirements. The Diversity Visa (DV) Program is an annual lottery that offers opportunities for people from underrepresented countries to immigrate to the U.S. The program has faced criticism over fraud concerns and national security risks, while supporters praise its role in diversifying the U.S. workforce and immigrant population. This criticism raises questions about its future under the Trump administration.

How Did the Diversity Visa Program Begin?

Prior to the DV Program, the U.S. imposed national-origin quotas that limited immigration from certain countries during the 1920s. The quotas favored Northern and Western Europeans over other groups. The 1965 Immigration Act eliminated this quota statute and replaced it with criteria centered around workforce skills and family reunification. 25 years later, the DV was established under the Immigration Act of 1990 during the George H.W. Bush administration. 

A key figure who paved the way for the development of the DV was former Massachusetts representative Brian Donnelly. Donnelly aimed to provide a legal pathway for his Irish constituents in the 11th congressional district from 1979 to 1993. The program finally went into effect in 1995. It provided over 25,000 visas for both undocumented Irish people at risk of deportation and those who were forced to flee “The Troubles”, an ethno-nationalist religious conflict in Northern Ireland.

Who Can Apply for a Diversity Visa?

To qualify for a Diversity Visa, applicants must meet specific education, work experience, and country eligibility requirements set by the U.S. Department of State. Applicants for the visa must be a native of a country with low U.S. immigration rates. Applicants must demonstrate “successful completion of …elementary and secondary education comparable to a 12-year course in the United States.” Applicants must also have at least 2 years of work experience that meets a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or above. 

Information on marital status and children is also required in the visa application. Derivative beneficiaries (DBs) are individuals who are not required to meet the education and work criteria for the visa process. DBs can include an applicant’s spouse and unmarried children under 21. DBs are still able to qualify for the same visa status through the principal applicant. 

The application process requires payment of fees that have increased over time. The flat cost of applying is $330 USD. But, in September 2025, a $1 electronic registration fee was implemented, but it does not begin until the DV-2027 cycle. Although a seemingly small charge, critics worry that this will pose a new barrier to economically disadvantaged applicants. The Department of State estimates this fee will generate $25 million annually. They claim the revenue would aid in the maintenance of the program, increase vetting, and data collection. 

Who Receives Diversity Visas?

In 2025, the DV program received 131,060 prospective applicants out of 19,927,656 qualified entries, including principal applicants, their children, and spouses. The exact number of visas granted was 51,350. In total, the program had an approximately 0.26% successful application rate that year. 

The visa increased immigration rates for those coming from Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and Southern Asia. The latest U.S. Department of Homeland Security report showed the DV accounted for about 5.7% of lawfully permitted residents in 2023. Chargability assigns an applicant’s visa to their country of origin, often the applicant’s country of birth. Leading countries of DV chargeability for the DV-2026 program are Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Nepal, Russia, Sudan, and Ukraine.

Diversity Visa holders can mitigate work shortages, increase productivity, and increase education in the U.S. workforce. Experts from the Niskanen Center state that the program fosters economic growth and helps increase the wages of native-born Americans. DV holders retain one of the lowest unemployment rates among lawfully permanent immigrants. Holders of the visa had a median education of bachelor’s degrees, while both non-DV immigrants and native-born Americans had a median education of high school degrees. 

Past Developments and Future Implications

Over the years, several pieces of legislation have shaped the DV Program. Below are some key policies and events impacting DVs:

2004:  Fraud Concerns Lead to Increased Vetting

A House Judiciary Committee hearing in April examined DV visa fraud and abuse. The Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims, and the Committee on the Judiciary noted identity fraud, duplicate applications, inadequate documentation, and other security risks. These incidents prompted more vetting initiatives, such as increasing DV winner fees and electronic-only submissions. 

2017: RAISE Act

Representatives Tom Cotton and David Perdue proposed the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act (RAISE Act). The bill called for the elimination of the DV program. The bill argued that the program was too fraudulent and arbitrarily selective, which diminishes its purpose for diversity. The RAISE Act was introduced in the Senate but ultimately failed to pass. The bill is more likely to be revived under the second Trump administration. 

2021-2024: Lawsuit Challenges COVID-19 Suspension

 In the Gomez v. Trump case, the Trump administration was sued for suspending Diversity Visas during the COVID-19 pandemic through presidential proclamations. The plaintiffs included individual family-based immigrant visa petitioners, winners of the FY 2020 D lottery, and employers that sponsor visas for foreign workers. Once Biden took office, the case was renamed to Gomez v. Biden and finally received a ruling in June 2024. Initially, the district court ordered the State Department to reserve 9,095 diversity visas for applicants who had been impacted by the pause and gave preliminary relief for DV-2020 winners. However, the decision was overturned by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that plaintiffs were no longer eligible for visas due to the end of the 2020-2021 fiscal year. 

February 2025: Conservatives Renew Calls for Elimination

Several conservatives have called for President Trump to eliminate the DV program. In February of 2025, an article posted by The American Conservative noted that the elimination of the DV Program is notably absent from the sweeping immigration executive orders President Trump signed shortly after his inauguration. Jovan Tripkovic references the 2002 Los Angeles International Airport shooting by a DV visa holder, Hesham Mohamed Ali Hedayet from Egypt, as one alarming example concerning the lack of proper vetting in the DV Program. 

November 2025:  Undisclosed Changes Announced

The State Department announced undisclosed changes to the entry process of the DV program. However, applicants selected for the DV-2027 from Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2027, will not be affected. It is implied that the program remains in place. However, these changes are likely to have stricter guidelines because of changes in other visa programs during this administration.  

December 2025: Program Indefinitely Paused

 On December 18th, the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) announced an indefinite pause to the DV program. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in the 2025 Brown University shooting, entered the U.S. with a DV1 visa and received a green card. New DV visas will not be issued as the program is under review. The DHS will no longer be issuing green cards to those who came under the DV program. Progressives and Democrats argue that eliminating the program would greatly reduce the number of immigrants from the DV program countries and their ability to migrate to the U.S.  

Conclusion

The Diversity Visa Program remains an impactful but contentious pathway to legal residency in the U.S. While it has successfully performed its intended purpose of diversifying the U.S. immigration flow and workforce, it continues to face challenges. Its trajectory is uncertain, resting on an unstable foundation of ongoing legislative and executive scrutiny. The program’s existence will depend on the competing priorities of national security, economic growth, political feasibility, and pathways to legal status for those seeking opportunities in the U.S.  

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