US Introduces $1 Registration Fee for Green Card Lottery Applications
Kenyans seeking to apply for the United States Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery, commonly known as the Green Card, will now be required to pay a mandatory $1 (about Ksh129) registration fee starting October 16, 2025.
New Registration Fee Announced
For the first time in the history of the Green Card programme, applicants will pay a small fee to submit their entries. The US Department of State (DOS) announced the new measure, stating that it aims to distribute administrative costs more evenly among all registrants.
Previously, registration for the lottery was entirely free, with only those selected for interviews paying a $330 (Ksh42,619) visa application fee.
“The new policy ensures administrative costs are shared across all registrants rather than being borne solely by those who proceed to interviews,” the DOS stated.
Cost Sharing and Implementation
The new rule means that roughly 25 million global applicants will now help fund operational costs for the DV Lottery.The department expects the fee to generate about $25 million annually, and these funds will go toward system upgrades, data processing, and enhanced security checks.
The change takes effect with the 2027 DV Lottery cycle, opening in early October 2025, and will apply to all future lotteries.
The State Department clarified that the $1 registration fee is non-refundable, even if an applicant is not selected, and applicants cannot transfer it between different lottery years.
Each year, the U.S. government selects only 55,000 applicants worldwide to receive Green Cards through the Diversity Visa Programme.
Application Process and Eligibility
A passport-size photo
A birth certificate or national ID
A valid passport (names must appear in the order of last/family name, first name, and middle name)
Applicants must also meet the following eligibility criteria:
Completion of at least 12 years of primary and secondary education (equivalent to a US high school education).
At least two years of work experience within the last five years in an eligible occupation.
There is no minimum age requirement, but most applicants below 18 are often disqualified due to education or work experience limitations.
Multiple or incomplete submissions will result in automatic disqualification.
Fewer Applicants, Better Odds
The State Department noted that the introduction of the registration fee might slightly reduce the total number of entries. However, it expects this change to improve the chances of selection for genuine applicants while reducing the administrative burden of processing tens of millions of applications annually.
