- On October 29, 2026, a federal appeals court paused the order that required the State Department to open DV-2027 registration by November 1, so no entry dates are set.
- The Ninth Circuit stay suspends the court deadlines (announcement, opening and the December 3 selectee notice); the underlying lawsuit continues and further review is possible.
- DV-2026 closed on September 30, 2026, and no DV-2028 dates have been announced.
The DV-2027 Diversity Visa Lottery, commonly called the Green Card Lottery, never took place on its normal schedule. Registration did not open in the fall of 2025, no winners were drawn in May 2026, and the DV-2027 visa year began on October 1, 2026 with nobody selected. A federal judge tried to change that: on October 14, 2026, she ordered the State Department to open DV-2027 registration by November 1, 2026. But on October 29, 2026, a Ninth Circuit panel granted the government a stay pending appeal, suspending those deadlines. As of October 31, the State Department has announced no DV-2027 entry dates.
This guide covers the program as of October 31, 2026: the paused court order on DV-2027 registration, the new passport and fee rules that will apply to the next entry, what happened to DV-2026 selectees, the court cases, eligibility, and the steps to take now. For the latest developments, see our news report on the October 14 court order that is now paused on appeal and our explainer on how little time DV-2027 winners will have.
Whether you are waiting for a registration window, a DV-2026 selectee whose September 30 deadline has passed, or someone considering the lottery for the first time, the sections below are updated with the court orders and agency actions through October 31, 2026.
The Diversity Visa program, established by Congress under Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allocates up to 55,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. The program has been a pathway for millions of people from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania to obtain lawful permanent residence in the U.S.
The events of December 2025 and the court fights of 2026 upended the program. Here is the full picture.
Current Status of the DV Lottery Program (October 2026)
In December 2025, after the shooting at Brown University and the killing of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, officials identified the suspect as a Portuguese national who entered the U.S. through the diversity visa program in 2017. On December 18, 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that, at President Trump’s direction, USCIS would pause the program. On December 23, 2025, the State Department stopped issuing diversity visas worldwide.
This pause was not implemented through a numbered executive order. Instead, it came through three administrative actions:
- DHS Secretary Noem’s directive (December 18, 2025) ordering an immediate program pause
- USCIS Policy Memorandum PM-602-0193 (December 19, 2025) placing all pending DV adjustment-of-status applications on “hold and review”
- State Department guidance (December 23, 2025) halting diversity visa issuance at all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide
A separate State Department policy that halted immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries took effect on January 21, 2026 and hit many DV applicants. U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas vacated that policy nationwide on August 21, 2026 in CLINIC v. Rubio.
The diversity visa pause itself ended on August 28, 2026, when U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila issued a preliminary injunction in Medani v. Trump (N.D. Cal.) and certified nationwide classes of DV-2026 selectees and family members. The State Department then announced that “as of August 28, 2026,” the December 2025 pause “is no longer in effect.” USCIS also resumed DV-based green card cases after the court vacated its hold memo.
A critical legal point: the DV program is established by federal law. Permanently ending it would require an act of Congress, not just executive directives. Previously issued diversity visas have not been revoked.
DV-2027 Registration: Court Order Paused on Appeal
In a typical year, DV registration opens in early October and runs about five weeks. For DV-2027, the delay began before the December pause. In October 2025 the State Department said registration dates would be “widely publicized in the coming months,” after scam sites falsely claimed that registration had opened.
On November 5, 2025, the department said it was “implementing certain changes” to the entry process and would announce the DV-2027 registration period and results date “as soon as practicable.” It published no dates in the 11 months that followed, and as of October 31, 2026 it still has not.
The same notice said the visa application period for DV-2027 selectees “will remain Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2027.” That window opened with no selectees. Whenever registration finally opens, entry, selection, DS-260 filing and interviews must all fit before September 30, 2027, because a DV selection is valid only for the fiscal year of the program. The longer the delay, the less time any future selectees will have.
A California immigration firm forced the issue. In Red Eagle Law L.C. v. Rubio (S.D. Cal., No. 3:26-cv-04738), filed August 19, 2026, the firm argues federal law requires a registration period of at least 30 days each fiscal year. Judge Jinsook Ohta denied an emergency order on September 3, then heard the firm’s preliminary injunction motion on September 24. On October 14, 2026, she granted the injunction, and at the joint request of the government and the firm she amended it to set these deadlines. These deadlines are now suspended by the Ninth Circuit stay described below, so they are history rather than requirements:
- By October 29, 2026 (midnight ET), no longer required: publicly announce the registration period, including the opening and closing dates, the entry website and the participation requirements
- By November 1, 2026 (midnight ET), no longer required: open registration and keep it open for 30 days
- By December 3, 2026 (midnight ET), no longer required: notify selected entrants
- Through September 30, 2027: the DV-2027 visa year still ends on this date, and DV-2027 visa applications can be processed until the annual limit is used up or the fiscal year ends
The first version of the order set earlier dates: an announcement by October 15, an opening by October 18 and notices by November 19. The government appealed and asked for a stay.
On October 29, 2026, a Ninth Circuit panel (Judges M. Margaret McKeown, N. Randy Smith and Holly A. Thomas; appeal No. 26-6943) granted a stay pending appeal of the October 14 injunction. As a result, the State Department does not have to open DV-2027 registration by November 1, announce dates by October 29, or notify selectees by December 3. The panel found the law firm likely lacks a cause of action and standing, which is a procedural finding. It did not rule that the State Department acted lawfully, writing: “We do not endorse the Department’s failure to open the lottery registration period.” Judge Smith wrote a separate concurrence. The clerk will set a briefing schedule, and no argument date has been set.
What happens next is open. Plaintiff’s counsel, Curtis Morrison, says the firm plans additional litigation, so further review is possible. As of October 31, 2026, the State Department has announced no DV-2027 entry dates and has published no DV-2027 or DV-2028 eligible-country list.
DV-2028 would normally open for registration in early October 2026. The paused court order covers only DV-2027, and no DV-2028 instructions or dates have been published.
New Rules for DV-2027: Passport Scan and $1 Fee
On March 11, 2026, the State Department published a final rule (Federal Register document 2026-04737), “Visas: Enhancing Vetting and Combatting Fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.” It took effect on April 10, 2026 and requires every entrant to provide valid passport information and upload a passport scan. The $1 entry fee comes from a separate consular fee rule published on September 16, 2025.
Why the passport requirement is back
The State Department cited alarming fraud data as justification. During the DV-2025 cycle (FY25), more than 2.5 million duplicate entries were disqualified, compared with only 760,079 duplicates during FY22, when a passport requirement was in effect. That is more than a 3x increase in fraud when the passport rule was removed.
Many of these duplicate entries were submitted by unauthorized third parties and criminal enterprises who filed on behalf of individuals without their knowledge, then contacted selectees to demand large fees or coerce them into fraudulent schemes. The reinstated passport requirement is designed to make mass duplicate filing significantly harder.
What Happened to DV-2026 Selectees
DV-2026 results were released on May 3, 2025, and the DV-2026 visa year began on October 1, 2025. After deductions for the NACARA program and Section 5104 of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the September 2026 Visa Bulletin set the DV-2026 limit at 52,101 visas, below the statutory 55,000.
The December 2025 pause froze most of the year:
- Visa issuance: halted at embassies and consulates from December 23, 2025 until August 28, 2026
- USCIS adjustment: pending DV green card applications were placed on hold by memo PM-602-0193 on December 19, 2025; courts in Rhode Island ruled against the hold in June 2026, and the Medani order vacated it for the certified DV-2026 class on August 28, 2026
- Restart: the State Department said the pause was no longer in effect as of August 28, 2026, and USCIS resumed DV cases
- Program closed: the DV-2026 year ended on September 30, 2026. DV-2026 visas can no longer be issued and DV-2026 adjustment cases can no longer be approved, including for derivative spouses and children; there are no extensions or carryovers
Legal Challenges: Where the Lawsuits Stand
Several lawsuits have shaped the program in 2026. Most concern DV-2026 selectees; one targets DV-2027 registration, and Congress now has a bill to end the program.
- Ivanov v. Trump (D.D.C., filed March 2026): DV-2026 selectees challenged the USCIS hold, the State Department DV pause and the 75-country pause. On August 25, 2026, Judge Richard J. Leon granted partial summary judgment in Ivanov and two related cases, Chersak and Saito, ordering processing for the named plaintiffs and their derivatives.
- Rhode Island litigation: a federal court ruled the USCIS adjudication hold unlawful on June 5, 2026 and vacated it on June 11, 2026.
- CLINIC v. Rubio (S.D.N.Y.): Judge Jeannette A. Vargas vacated the 75-country immigrant visa pause nationwide on August 21, 2026.
- Medani v. Trump (N.D. Cal., No. 5:26-cv-06332): Judge Edward J. Davila issued a preliminary injunction and certified nationwide DV-2026 classes on August 28, 2026. Our explainer covers who the classes include.
- Red Eagle Law L.C. v. Rubio (S.D. Cal., No. 3:26-cv-04738): sought to force DV-2027 registration. Emergency relief was denied on September 3, 2026, but Judge Jinsook Ohta granted a preliminary injunction on October 14, 2026, later amended to require registration to open by November 1. On October 29, 2026, a Ninth Circuit panel granted the government a stay pending appeal (No. 26-6943), suspending that deadline. The panel found the firm likely lacks a cause of action and standing and did not endorse the State Department’s delay.
- H.R. 10896 (Congress): introduced October 22, 2026 by Rep. Keith Self (R-TX-3) as a bill “to terminate the diversity immigrant visa program.” It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and has no cosponsors. It is not law.
None of the DV-2026 orders extended the September 30, 2026 deadline. Only the Red Eagle order covers DV-2027 registration, and it is currently stayed. No order covers DV-2028.
DV-2027 Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility for the next lottery will be set out in that year’s official instructions. The core criteria come from the law and have not changed:
Country of birth requirement
You must be a native of a country that qualifies for the DV program. Countries with more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the preceding five years are excluded. The list of eligible and ineligible countries changes annually and is published in the official DV instructions for each cycle; none has been published yet for DV-2027 or DV-2028. Historically excluded countries include India, China (mainland-born), Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland), Canada, and others.
If you were born in an ineligible country but your spouse was born in an eligible country, you may be able to “cross-charge” and claim eligibility through your spouse’s country of birth.
Education or work experience requirement
You must have either:
- A high school diploma (or foreign equivalent: a 12-year course of formal education), or
- Two years of qualifying work experience within the last five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience, as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET database
Failure to meet these requirements results in denial at the interview stage, even if selected in the lottery.
New for DV-2027: passport requirement
Under the April 10, 2026 final rule, every DV-2027 entrant must possess a valid, unexpired passport and upload a scan of its biographic and signature pages as part of the electronic entry. Limited exemptions exist for stateless individuals and nationals of Communist-controlled countries who cannot obtain a passport.
How to Apply for DV-2027: Step-by-Step Process
When a registration window opens, here is the process under the current rules:
Photo and Entry Requirements: Common Mistakes That Cause Rejection
The DV lottery has historically seen high rejection rates due to entry errors. With the addition of the passport scan requirement, accuracy is even more important. Here are the most common mistakes:
- Wrong or outdated photo: Photos must be taken within the last six months. Old photos, filtered photos, or photos that alter facial features lead to disqualification
- Wearing glasses: Glasses are not allowed in DV lottery photos under any circumstances
- Omitting family members: Failing to list an eligible spouse or child under 21 is one of the most common causes of denial at the interview stage, even if that family member does not plan to immigrate
- Multiple entries: Submitting more than one entry per person results in disqualification of all entries for that individual. If both spouses qualify, each may submit a separate entry listing the other and all children
- Name mismatches: Your name must match your passport exactly, in English alphabet characters
- Illegible passport scan: The new passport bio page upload must be clear and complete; blurry or cropped scans will be rejected
DV Lottery Timeline: Key Dates
After Selection: What Happens If You Are Chosen
If you are selected in a future lottery, the steps below apply once the program is operating. In past cycles results appeared in early May, about five months before the visa year began; no results date has been set for DV-2027.
- Receive a case number through the Entrant Status Check at dvprogram.state.gov
- Complete Form DS-260 (Online Immigrant Visa Application) for yourself and each family member in your case
- Upload supporting documents including birth certificates, police certificates, court records, military records, and educational credentials
- Schedule a medical exam with an authorized panel physician in your country
- Attend a consular interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate when your case number becomes current under the monthly Visa Bulletin
- Pay the $330 DV application fee before or at the interview (this is separate from the $1 registration fee)
- Receive your immigrant visa if approved, placed in your passport
- Enter the United States before your visa expires and pay the $235 USCIS immigrant fee
There are typically more selectees than available visas because not everyone completes processing or meets requirements. Acting quickly after selection (filing DS-260 promptly, responding to document requests, and tracking the Visa Bulletin) is critical. If your case number does not become current or your interview does not occur by the end of the fiscal year, the opportunity expires permanently.
Fraud Warnings and Safety Precautions
The DV lottery has always attracted scammers, and the current uncertainty has made the situation worse. The State Department warns applicants to take these precautions:
- Only use official government websites ending in .gov: specifically dvprogram.state.gov for registration and travel.state.gov for program information
- Never pay third-party agents who promise increased odds, guaranteed selection, or faster processing; none of these are possible
- Ignore emails or messages claiming you were selected: the State Department does not notify selectees by email, phone, or letter. The Entrant Status Check is the only official notification method
- Be suspicious of any DV-2027 registration offers right now: registration has not opened and no dates are set, and when it does, entries are accepted only at dvprogram.state.gov
- Report scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or the State Department’s fraud reporting system
What You Should Do Right Now (November 2026)
Whether you hope to enter the next lottery or are a DV-2026 selectee, these are the concrete steps to take now. No DV registration is open, and the only place that will ever take entries is dvprogram.state.gov. Any site accepting DV-2027 entries now is a scam.
If you plan to enter DV-2027 or DV-2028
- Get a valid passport immediately. The new rule requires a passport bio page scan. Passport processing takes weeks or months in many countries, so do not wait
- Prepare your photo. Have a compliant, recent photo ready so you can submit quickly if a window opens
- Ensure your payment method works. You need a debit or credit card that can process a $1 international transaction through the U.S. Treasury system. Contact your bank to verify
- Monitor only official sources. Bookmark travel.state.gov and watch for any registration announcement; none has been made and no deadline is currently in force
- Save your confirmation number. If registration opens, you will need it to check results in the Entrant Status Check, and no results date has been set
- Do not rely solely on the DV lottery. Given the unprecedented suspension, explore alternative immigration pathways if available to you
- Budget extra time for the application. The new passport upload requirement means the process will take longer, so plan for at least 90 minutes
If you were a DV-2026 selectee
- The September 30, 2026 deadline has passed. DV-2026 visas can no longer be issued and DV-2026 adjustment cases can no longer be approved.
- If your visa was issued in time, enter the United States before it expires and pay the USCIS immigrant fee so your green card can be produced.
- If your case was not finished, ask an immigration attorney whether any court order covers you; a DV selection ordinarily cannot carry into a new fiscal year.
- You can enter DV-2027 if you are still eligible. A past selection gives no advantage, and the new passport and $1 fee rules apply.
DV Lottery by the Numbers
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DV-2027 registration open?
No. As of October 31, 2026, DV-2027 registration has not opened and no entry dates are set. A federal court had ordered the State Department to open it by November 1, but a Ninth Circuit panel paused that order on October 29, so the deadlines are suspended. Entries will be accepted only at dvprogram.state.gov; any other website claiming DV-2027 is open is not the official lottery.
Is the DV lottery canceled permanently?
The State Department has not said the lottery is canceled. The program is established by federal law (INA Section 203(c)), and ending it would require legislation. Courts ended the December 2025 issuance pause for DV-2026 on August 28, 2026, and a separate October 14, 2026 court order that required DV-2027 registration to open by November 1 was paused by a Ninth Circuit stay on October 29. A bill to end the program, H.R. 10896, was introduced on October 22 but is not law. No DV-2028 dates have been announced.
What is the new $1 fee for the DV lottery?
A consular fee rule published on September 16, 2025 added a non-refundable $1 electronic registration fee, paid when you submit an entry. It is the first entry charge in the program’s history. The fee is paid online with a debit or credit card, no waivers are available, and it is separate from the $330 DV application fee selected applicants pay later.
Why do I need a passport to enter the DV-2027 lottery?
A final rule effective April 10, 2026 requires all DV-2027 entrants to upload a scan of their passport’s biographic and signature pages. This requirement was reinstated after more than 2.5 million duplicate entries were caught in DV-2025, over three times the number detected when the passport requirement was previously in place. The passport scan makes mass fraudulent entries significantly harder to submit.
What happened to DV-2026 selectees?
DV-2026 results were released on May 3, 2025. A December 2025 pause froze diversity visa issuance and USCIS adjustment for most of the year until a court order in Medani v. Trump ended the pause on August 28, 2026. The statutory deadline did not move, and the DV-2026 year closed on September 30, 2026; selections not completed by then expired.
Can I submit more than one DV-2027 entry?
No. Only one entry per person is allowed. If you submit multiple entries, all of your entries will be disqualified. However, if both you and your spouse are from eligible countries, each of you may submit a separate entry, but each entry must list the other spouse and all qualifying children.
How will I know if I am selected for DV-2027?
The only official way to check DV lottery results is through the Entrant Status Check at dvprogram.state.gov. You need your unique confirmation number to access it. The State Department does not notify selectees by email, phone, text, or letter. Any message claiming you were selected through other channels is a scam.
Which lawsuits affect the DV lottery?
Ivanov v. Trump, Medani v. Trump and Rhode Island litigation won processing relief for DV-2026 selectees, and CLINIC v. Rubio vacated the 75-country visa pause. Red Eagle Law L.C. v. Rubio, filed August 19, 2026 in San Diego, won a preliminary injunction on October 14, 2026 requiring DV-2027 registration to open by November 1, after emergency relief was denied on September 3. A Ninth Circuit panel stayed that injunction pending appeal on October 29, 2026.
Should I hire an immigration lawyer for the DV lottery?
You do not need a lawyer to enter the DV lottery; the registration process is straightforward and free (aside from the new $1 fee). However, if you are selected, an immigration attorney can help with DS-260 preparation, document assembly, and interview preparation. If you are a DV-2026 selectee affected by the freeze, an attorney can advise on legal options including potential participation in ongoing lawsuits.
What countries are eligible for DV-2027?
No official eligible-country list has been published yet for DV-2027 or DV-2028. The October 14 court order would have required the rules to be announced by October 29, but the Ninth Circuit stayed it. Countries that sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years are excluded. The most recent published list is the DV-2026 list, on which the ineligible countries included Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela and Vietnam.
When will DV-2028 registration open?
The State Department has not announced DV-2028 dates. Past lotteries opened in early October and ran about five weeks, but DV-2027 broke that pattern and has no entry dates either, so no DV-2028 date is reliable until official instructions appear on travel.state.gov.
The dvprogram.state.gov site only shows the Entrant Status Check right now. The registration form appears only during an official entry window, and none is open for DV-2027. The court order from Oct 14 set a Nov 1 opening, but the Ninth Circuit stayed it on Oct 29 pending appeal, so there is nothing to submit yet. Getting the passport scans and the 600×600 photo ready is a good use of the wait.
pls see my cv
Is anyone else having issues with applying? The dvprogram.state.gov link only brings me to check the status but not to the application
You can get a prepaid visa card
when does the dv program visa 2027 start ?
I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND IT WHY ISN’T FREE
Where is the link to apply
i need somebody sending me the link to apply for usa lottery 2027
Nice
HI , THANKS
MY BIGGEST PROBLEM IS HOW To PAY THE 1 D0LLAR
kredi kartı ile aliiiiiiii
you can get a prepaid visa card
I am happy that the United States of America continues to give me the chance to win the lottery despite several years now that I have been participating, but unfortunately I haven’t been lucky. The United States of America receives many immigrants each year through the lottery, and maybe one day they will stop this program. Thank you, USA.
i am Faizullah faiz