India, March 16 -- The United States is tightening rules governing its long-running Green Card lottery program, introducing stricter identity verification requirements for applicants while keeping the core structure of the system largely intact. Legal experts say the changes are unlikely to lead to the exclusion of Russian citizens from participating in the lottery, despite broader shifts in US immigration policy and mounting geopolitical tensions.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly known as the Green Card lottery, distributes tens of thousands of immigrant visas each year to individuals from countries with relatively low rates of immigration to the United States. Administered by the US State Department, the program has for ...