US green card lottery adds $1 online entry fee

The United States has started charging a $1 online entry fee for its diversity visa lottery, known as the green card lottery, Algérie 360 reported.

The diversity visa lottery is a yearly US scheme that selects winners by a random draw for green cards. Applicants must pay the $1 fee in full when they send their online form. It is the first time since the programme began that online entry has not been free.

What applicants pay

Before this change, entering the lottery cost nothing. The US government paid all the administrative costs of handling millions of entries from around the world.

Winners have always paid consular visa fees, the charges for processing a visa at an embassy or consulate. These fees are $330, payable at the US embassy, and they have not changed.

Successful applicants therefore make two separate payments: the $1 fee when they apply, and the $330 fee if they win.

Why the fee was introduced

The US government said the fee will help pay for running the programme. Each year it handles several million entries, which need secure computer systems, reliable storage servers, constant maintenance and qualified staff.

The US government also said the fee aims to slow abuse of the system. It said that for years, some individuals and agencies had flooded it with multiple or fake entries, which slowed processing.

Until now, only winners carried the cost of the programme. The fee also spreads the cost across all applicants.