State Department proposes new rule for diversity visa lottery

On August 5, 2025, the State Department proposed a new rule for the diversity visa lottery program intended to increase vetting and combat fraud. Under the proposed rule, program petitioners will be required to provide valid, unexpired passport information and a scan of the biographic and signature pages uploaded to the electronic entry form, or otherwise indicate that they are exempt from this requirement.  The proposed rule would also update language in the diversity visa lottery regulation 22 C.F.R. § 42 to simplify guidance for consular officers, replace the word “gender" with “sex” in compliance with Executive Order 14168, and replace “age” with “date of birth” to more accurately reflect the information that the State Department collects and maintains during the immigrant visa process. 

The public has until September 19, 2025, to submit comments on the proposed rule. After the comment period closes, the State Department must read and respond to comments before publishing a final rule implementing the new requirements. 

See the proposed rule here.