Congressman Introduces Bill to End Visa Lottery

Texas Republican Keith Self seeks to abolish the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery, citing fraud and random selection concerns.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Immigration

Congressman Introduces Bill to End Visa Lottery

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Should the U.S. keep the random Diversity Visa lottery for green cards?

Texas Republican Congressman Keith Self introduced the End the Visa Lottery Act to abolish the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery. The move follows a Democratic bill introduced in June to protect the program.

Why it matters

The program, which makes up to 55,000 permanent resident visas available each year, has drawn scrutiny after a lottery entrant became a suspect in shootings in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Self argues the lottery is riddled with fraud and weak identity checks and selects applicants without regard to merit or willingness to assimilate.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery makes up to 55,000 permanent resident visas available each year, with applicants required to hold a high school qualification or two years of relevant work experience. Final selection is determined by random draw, and the outcome of the competing repeal and protection bills has not been reported.

The players

Keith Self

Keith Self is a Texas Republican who represents the state's Third Congressional District and has held the seat since 2022.

Yvette Clarke

Yvette Clarke is a Democratic congresswoman who represents New York's Ninth Congressional District and introduced a bill to protect the visa lottery.

The details

Self made the case for repeal in a post on his verified Facebook page after introducing the bill in late October. The program was established under the Immigration Act of 1990, and the Trump administration suspended it in December before a federal judge in California ordered the State Department to restore it.

1990: The Immigration Act established the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery.
December: The Trump administration suspended the lottery.
June: Yvette Clarke introduced the Diversity Visa Protection and Modernisation Act.
Late October: Keith Self introduced the End the Visa Lottery Act.

Legal Context

The 2026 repeal and protection bills revisit a lottery created under the Immigration Act of 1990, which set aside permanent resident visas by random draw. The dispute now centers on whether that randomized allocation should survive in its current form.

Prospective applicants to the lottery face uncertainty, since the program's suspension and the competing bills could change eligibility or availability. Anyone relying on the lottery as a pathway should monitor the outcome of both bills and the court order.

The takeaway

The fate of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery now depends on competing congressional efforts and a federal court order. Readers following immigration policy should watch how merit-based and randomized selection models are debated next.