The Trump administration has announced the suspension of the Diversity Visa Program, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery. The program offers foreign nationals a chance to live, work, and obtain permanent residency in the United States.
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the decision was made following directives from the President. US Citizenship and Immigration Services has been instructed to temporarily halt the program’s operations.
The Green Card Lottery annually grants up to 50,000 visas to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the US, primarily in Africa. Approximately 20 million people applied for the 2025 visa lottery, with over 131,000 individuals, including spouses of winners, initially selected. These individuals were then subjected to thorough vetting processes before being granted permission to enter the country.
This suspension comes after the Trump administration officially halted immigration and naturalization procedures for individuals arriving from 19 nations earlier this month.
Under the new guidelines, the decision will apply to immigrants who arrived from these countries after January 20, 2021, the date of President Biden’s inauguration. Each individual will be re-interviewed to assess the extent of their potential threat to national security.
DZWatch will continue to monitor this developing story and provide updates as they become available.
Keywords: Green Card, Immigration, Trump Administration, Diversity Visa Program, US Immigration
