A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to resume registration for the fiscal year 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, directing the State Department to announce the application schedule by October 29 and open the registration process by November 1.
The order, issued on October 14 by US District Judge Jinsook Ohta, came after a lawsuit challenged the government’s failure to begin the annual lottery registration on time. The court subsequently approved revised deadlines, giving the department additional time to prepare the process.
Under the revised schedule, registration must remain open for 30 days. The State Department is required to publish the opening and closing dates, the official entry website and the eligibility requirements through its usual public notification channels.
However, the lottery is not yet open. Prospective applicants should wait for official instructions from the State Department before submitting an entry.
The case was brought by California-based immigration law firm Red Eagle Law, which argued that the delay was preventing eligible applicants from participating in the DV-2027 programme. The court granted a preliminary injunction requiring the administration to proceed with the lottery.
Commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, the Diversity Visa programme offers a pathway to permanent residency in the United States for eligible people from countries with historically low levels of immigration to the country. The programme provides for up to 55,000 diversity immigrant visas annually, subject to applicable rules and adjustments.
Unlike many employment-based immigration routes, the programme generally does not require applicants to have a US job offer or employer sponsorship. However, selection in the lottery does not guarantee a visa or permanent residency. Selected applicants must still meet eligibility requirements and complete the necessary documentation, security checks and visa procedures.
Applicants generally need a high school education or its equivalent, or qualifying work experience under the programme’s rules. Eligibility also depends on the applicable country-of-chargeability requirements and other conditions set out in the official instructions.
The court order restores a route for eligible applicants to enter the DV-2027 lottery, but the final application details must come from the US government. Applicants should monitor the State Department’s official website and avoid unofficial websites or intermediaries claiming to offer early access to the registration process.
