Diversity Visa Passport Rule Press Conference

Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 11:00 AM EST, African Communities Together, Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown University Law Center, Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman, LLP, and plaintiffs in the Diversity Visa lawsuit, E.B. v. Department of State, held a virtual press conference discussing the recent federal court ruling vacating the Trump-era “passport rule”.
Since its inception in 2019, the “passport rule” has resulted in a worldwide drop of DV applications from 14.7 million in 2018 to 6.7 million in 2019. The rule required applicants to possess a valid passport just to enter the lottery for a chance to receive a visa to immigrate to the United States through the DV Program. This effectively foreclosed the program to low-income people from countries where passports are expensive or difficult to obtain. On Friday, February 4, 2022, the court held that the government did not follow public notice and comment procedures required by federal law before enacting the rule, and rejected the government’s claim that immigration regulations are exempt because they implicate “foreign affairs.”