DV-2027 Green Card Lottery: Court Orders Registration to Open — Dates and Mistakes

Registration for the DV-2027 green card lottery must open no later than November 1, 2026, and stay open for at least 30 days: that is what the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California decided in Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio. The State Department must publish the rules and instructions by October 29 and notify selectees by December 3, 2026. As of October 16, 2026, there are no official dates on dvprogram.state.gov, and the government may still appeal the decision.

In short:

• The State Department postponed DV-2027 registration in fall 2025 "until further notice," so there were no results in May 2026.
• On October 14, 2026, the court issued a preliminary injunction and, on the same day, on the parties' joint motion, moved the deadlines: rules by October 29, registration opening by November 1 (at least 30 days), and results by December 3, 2026.
• Up to 55,000 diversity visas are at stake. Selectees must obtain them by September 30, 2027.
• Submit your entry only on the official website dvprogram.state.gov, and only after the State Department publishes the instructions.
• The government may file an appeal. As of October 16, 2026, there is no information about one.

What happened to the DV-2027 green card lottery

The Diversity Visa (DV) program awards up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year to nationals of countries with relatively low rates of immigration to the United States. Registration usually takes place in the fall, with results published in May of the following year. With DV-2027, this cycle broke down.

In fall 2025 (a delay notice in October, a notice of procedural changes in November), the State Department postponed DV-2027 registration "until further notice" and promised to announce a date "as soon as practicable." No date was ever announced, registration did not open, and in May 2026 there were no results to check. The DV-2027 visa year began on October 1, 2026, with no selectees.

On August 19, 2026, the law firm Red Eagle Law, L.C. sued Secretary of State Rubio (Case No. 3:26-cv-04738, Judge Jinsook Ohta). On September 3, according to press reports, the court denied an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO), but the case continued on an expedited basis. At a September 24 hearing, the government argued that meeting the deadlines was already "literally impossible."

Why the news reports different dates

On October 14, 2026, the judge granted the motion for a preliminary injunction. The first version of the order set a compressed schedule: announce dates by October 15, open registration by October 18 for 30 days, and announce results by November 19. Hence the "by Thursday midnight" headlines. The same day, the parties jointly asked for more time, and the judge, according to press reports, granted that motion. The current deadlines are below.

Important: we have not verified the full text of the October 14 orders against the primary source. The deadlines are given based on press reports (VisaVerge, Newsweek, Bloomberg Law, Podrobno.uz, American Bazaar) as of October 16, 2026.

DV-2027: when registration opens and when results come out

Note the last row. Normally a selectee has about 17 months from results to the end of the visa year. For DV-2027, there will be less than 10 months. The document package will have to be put together considerably faster.

Is an appeal possible?

Yes. The government has the right to appeal, and the media explicitly describe that outcome as possible. As of October 16, 2026, there is no information about an appeal having been filed. If an appeal is filed and the appellate court stays the order, the deadlines could shift again. So rely only on the announcement at dvprogram.state.gov, not on retellings on social media.

The court ordered the green card lottery to open — does that mean you can apply now?

No. As of October 16, 2026, the official website dvprogram.state.gov states only that entries are not being accepted and contains no information about DV-2027. Any website that is currently "accepting DV-2027 entries" is not official. The State Department's DV-2027 notice on travel.state.gov is still dated November 5, 2025: it says the registration dates will be announced "as soon as practicable."

The correct sequence is as follows. First, the State Department publishes the instructions (under the order, by October 29). They will include the dates, the form's address, the list of countries, and the requirements. Then the electronic form opens. Paper entries are not accepted.

Important: the court's decision preserves the ability to issue up to 55,000 visas, but winning the lottery does not by itself guarantee a visa. More selectees are usually chosen than there are visas, and each candidate still goes through vetting and an interview.

Green card lottery and passports: what the new rules are

Passport information

Since April 10, 2026, a State Department rule (Federal Register, document 2026-04737, published March 11, 2026) has been in effect: entrants must provide valid passport information and upload a scan of the passport data page. The requirement is to apply starting with DV-2027. Exceptions are narrow: stateless persons, nationals of communist countries who cannot obtain a passport, and individual waivers. Previously, many people submitted entries without an international passport and obtained one only after being selected. Procedural details will be in the DV-2027 instructions.

The practical takeaway: if you and the family members you plan to include do not have a valid international passport, start the application process now. The registration window is about 30 days, and waiting for a passport during that period is risky.

$1 registration fee

Since September 16, 2025, a $1 registration fee has been in effect (State Department rule, 90 FR 44524). DV-2027 will be the first lottery in which it is collected at registration — only on the official website. There is no need to pay intermediaries for "entry" or "improving your chances."

Who can enter DV-2027

The State Department will publish detailed requirements in the instructions. The general program conditions are known:

1. Country of chargeability. Only natives of countries included in the program list can enter. The list changes from year to year. Check your country in the official DV-2027 instructions, not in last year's articles.
2. Education or work experience. A certain level of education or qualifying work experience is required. See the instructions for the exact criteria.
3. One entry per person. Spouses may each submit their own entry and include each other.

If you are a national of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Russia

A second layer matters here — restrictions on immigrant visas. From January 21, 2026, a pause on immigrant visa issuance applied to nationals of 75 countries, including Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The pause extended to DV as well. On August 21, 2026, the court in CLINIC v. Rubio (S.D.N.Y.) vacated it, and the State Department announced that the pause is no longer in effect. The government is appealing to the Second Circuit, and according to available information as of October 19, 2026, there is no ruling on a stay there. For more, see our article on the lifting of the 75-country pause.

For nationals of Turkmenistan, Proclamation 10998 (the travel ban) applies separately. Since January 1, 2026, it has blocked all immigrant visas and is not affected by the 75-country decision. For the current list of restrictions, see our article on the travel ban and visa bonds.

How to avoid mistakes when registering: common errors

Below are general rules that have been repeated in the program instructions for years. Check them against the DV-2027 instructions once they are released.

• Noncompliant photo. The photo is the most common reason for disqualification. Use a recent photo that strictly follows the instructions: pose, background, size, no editing or filters. A separate photo is required for each family member on the entry.
• Duplicate entries. Submit one entry per person. Multiple entries from the same person lead to disqualification.
• Spouse or child not listed. If a family member who should be on the entry is left off, this can become grounds for refusal after selection. The omission cannot be corrected retroactively.
• Lost confirmation number. Save it in several places. Without the number, you cannot check your result.
• Fake websites and emails. Submit your entry and check your result only at dvprogram.state.gov. An email or message saying "you won" that demands payment is a sign of fraud.
• Intermediaries "guaranteeing" a win. Selection is random. No paid service improves your chances.
• Inaccurate information. Your name, date and place of birth must match your passport, and your education details must match your actual documents. Discrepancies will surface at the interview.

Example: a Kyrgyz national working in Moscow submits an entry and does not include his wife, assuming she will submit her own. In December he sees that he has been selected. At the interview it turns out that he is married, but his spouse is not listed on the entry. The consular officer will most likely refuse. The example is illustrative, but the situation is typical.

What a DV-2027 selectee should do

If on December 3 (or another announced date) you see that you have been selected, act quickly. There are fewer visas than selectees, and there is little time until September 30, 2027.

If you are outside the United States

1. Complete Form DS-260 — the online immigrant visa application.
2. Gather documents: passport, birth and marriage certificates, education or work experience documents, police certificates.
3. Prepare for the public charge review — the risk that an immigrant will rely on government benefits. A new DHS rule has been in effect since September 18, 2026. A mandatory worksheet is now completed in every immigrant visa case, and the consular officer may require a bond (Form I-945) instead of refusing. See our article on the new public charge rule.
4. Complete the medical exam and interview. Since November 1, 2025, interviews are scheduled in the applicant's country of residence (or, on request, nationality).

If you are already in the United States

A selectee who is lawfully present in the United States may file for adjustment of status (Form I-485) with USCIS. In December 2025, USCIS put such DV cases on hold under memo PM-602-0193. Later, the court in Medani v. Trump (N.D. Cal., Judge Edward Davila, August 28, 2026) temporarily set aside that memo and ordered processing to resume for the plaintiffs and a certified DV-2026 subclass. How USCIS will handle DV-2027 I-485 applications was not confirmed at the time of publication (October 16, 2026). Discuss your choice of pathway with an immigration attorney.

What happened to DV-2026

DV-2026 selectees had a difficult year. In December 2025, DV visa issuance and DV-based adjustment of status were frozen, and then in 2026 the 75-country pause was in effect. After the Medani v. Trump decision (August 28, 2026), processing resumed, but DV-2026 visa eligibility expired on September 30, 2026. According to press reports, in the same case Judge Davila then extended DV-2026 processing until October 10, 2026, for class members (and plaintiffs in a parallel case in the District of Columbia). Exactly who the extension covers depends on the terms of the order.

Those who were on the selectee list and were affected by the holds should review their case with an attorney. You cannot count on an automatic carryover to DV-2027: an entry for the new year must be submitted again.

What to do now

1. Do not submit an entry until the official DV-2027 instructions are published. Check dvprogram.state.gov and travel.state.gov.
2. Obtain or renew international passports for yourself, your spouse, and the children you will include.
3. Prepare photos according to past years' requirements and retake them if the DV-2027 instructions change them.
4. Gather copies of your education or work experience documents.
5. When the instructions come out, check whether your country of birth is on the list and read the education requirements.
6. Submit one entry in the first days of registration, without waiting for the last day.
7. Save your confirmation number and check your result on the official website by December 3, 2026.
8. Follow the news about an appeal: the deadlines may shift.

How M&M can help

• If you are selected, we will prepare the document package for the DS-260 or I-485, translations, and public charge evidence. We work together with licensed partner attorneys.
• If the lottery is not your only option, we will evaluate other pathways: EB-2 NIW, EB-1A, or O-1.
• Start with a free assessment or contact us. You can enter the lottery itself without intermediaries, and we do not charge for that.

Sources

• Official DV program website — dvprogram.state.gov
• Complaint and TRO motion, Red Eagle Law v. Rubio (Courthouse News, PDF)
• U.S. Department of State: immigrant visa processing status for 75 countries
• U.S. Department of State: interviews in the country of residence
• VisaVerge: Judge Ohta orders DV-2027 registration to open (October 15, 2026)
• Podrobno.uz: court orders the State Department to open registration by November 1 (in Russian)
• Newsweek: Judge Weighs Reopening of 2027 Green Card Lottery
• GT Law: DV processing after court decisions (September 10, 2026)
• Times of San Diego: DV deadline extension (October 1, 2026)
• State Department: changes to the DV-2027 entry period (November 5, 2025)
• Bloomberg Law: green card lottery must be reinstated, judge says (October 15, 2026)
• American Bazaar: DV-2027 registration by November 1 (October 16, 2026)
• Federal Register: DV passport rule, document 2026-04737
• AILA: $1 DV registration fee, 90 FR 44524

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. M&M Document Preparation is not a law firm. Information is current as of October 16, 2026.