by There are some changes coming up in the application of the Diversity Visa Lottery, the introduction of the application fee of $250. Yes, it used to be free online application for the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery, but might be some changes. If certain bill is going to be approved, will be $250 for application fee. Along with that one, there’ll be the increase in the Diversity Visa fee, if you are the winner, when you go to the interview.
Usually, when you go to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery is a free online application, meaning you go and take a photo which has to meet the requirements. Make sure you meet the requirements and to go and do the proper application in the application form, and the application form is on the dvprogram.state.gov, and that application usually is done in the new fiscal year in the month of October to November.
For this coming DV lottery, which we’ll call DV2027, the dates will likely be from Wednesday on October 1st to November 4th, which will be on Tuesday. Those are the tentative dates for the upcoming DV lottery application.
Read Also:
- USA Diversity Visa Lottery Sponsorship Program | Requirements and How to Apply
- Top 10 tips to increase your chances of being selected for the DV Lottery Program
- List of Documents Required for Diversity Visa Interview
- What Next After Submitting DS-260 and the Publication of First Cut-Off Numbers?
- What next after winning the DV Lottery | How to fill DS-260 Form
- How to Check DV-2026 Lottery Results: Step-by-Step Guide for Entrants
About One Big Beautiful Bill Act
DV Lottery application used to be free of charge to apply, but there is a new bill, which is called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”. In that bill, it has over 1,081 pages. Inside there, there are so many things. Among the things which are there is the issue about no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, etc.
When you go to page around 481, 482, one page is talking about the changes in the application of the diversity visa lottery. Among the changes are:
- There will be the introduction of the application fee
Just to apply for the diversity visa lottery, you have to pay $250 as the minimum. So the bill hasn’t said how much exactly, but it says the secretary of state will be the in charge to determine how much that fee should be.
But that fee should not be less than $250. It has to be 250 and above. So if the bill is going to be approved, then there’ll be a time for secretary to determine how much and the modality, the mode of payment of that amount and that amount to be embedded into the application.
- Then the issue about the visa fee
If the bill is approved, once you win, the visa fee at the moment is around $330, it will be 400 and above, minimum of 400. Remember based on the inflation, things might be changing down the road.
This bill has already passed in the House. For those who do not know, there is House representative and then there is a Senate. House representative has voted and passed it. The next process is going to the Senate. Senate will have a debate on that. They might add or remove certain things. After that, the House will look into it again, if they agree with the Senate, then it will be taken to the president, so that it can be approved. It has to be approved before September 30th because the new fiscal year is October 1st.
When there was introduction of the passport as a requirement for the application of the DV lottery application, the number of applicants dropped from over 20 to 25 million, because some people in so many developing countries were not able, processing the passport was complicated, it’s expensive to just start getting the passport just for the purpose of applying for the DV lottery.
So if just the passport dropped over 60% of all application, just assume $250, how many people will be able to apply? And even those who are able to pay $250 just to apply lottery, what if they don’t win?
There are some people that will take their chances and pay the money, saying “because we are few now, if I apply, I have higher chance”. There is no guarantees, it’s still a lottery. So I don’t see if this particular aspect will be able to be approved.
Remember, the secretary of state or department of state is the in charge of the DV lottery. The department of state has to go and decide how much is the application fee. The application fee, according to the regulation, the bill, should not be less than $250. So they can say let’s put it 250 or 260, 270, 300, whatever the amount they’re going to put. But once they do that, so it is a process.
If they approve it, then they have to work what mode of payment should that be. If they put the payment through visa and the master card, it will be difficult for some people to be able to do that because not every country have the access of using the visa and the master card. Those are some of the challenges to see at the beginning, if it’s going to be approved, let see if it going to be approved.
When it’s going to be approved?
If it’s going to be approved, let’s say August or September, then there’ll be a little time to prepare for the next review lottery. Next review lottery maybe October 1st. They might not use applicable for this fiscal year exactly. Just saying for instance.
What if the bill is denied?
If it’s going to be denied, it’s going to be free application.
Yes government need money, then is it on this way? Many people spend money for visa fee and still get denied. If people are complaining that one, why going to take another battle of putting $250? Let’s wait and see, I’ll keep updating you about the big beautiful bill progress, if there’ll be changes from the Senate, if it’s going to be approved or not, and what will be next.
Advice for You
Don’t wait only for the diversity visa lottery. If your dream is to go to overseas, there are so many legal ways to go to different countries. You can go as a visitor, you can go as a conference, you can go there as a student, you can go there for volunteering.
Find different legal ways to go to those countries and stay there legally. You can be able to succeed if you are legal in a higher way, than if you go illegally. Sometimes it will be a challenge down the road, but don’t give up.
