The green card lottery (Diversity Visa): the DV-2027 court order and how to enter

What the green card lottery is

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, usually called the DV lottery or green card lottery, is run by the U.S. Department of State. Congress created it to bring immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The law makes up to 55,000 diversity visas available each fiscal year. Entrants are chosen at random by computer from eligible entries. Being selected does not guarantee a visa. It only gives you the chance to apply, and more people are selected than there are visas.

DV-2027: why registration was delayed and the court order

Registration for each DV program normally opens in early October, about two years before the fiscal year the visas are for. On November 5, 2025, the State Department announced that it was changing the DV entry process. It said it would announce the DV-2027 registration dates and the date results would be posted "as soon as practicable." It also said the visa period for DV-2027 selectees would still run from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. U.S. embassies then warned the public that DV-2027 registration was not open and that claims to the contrary were false.

Two rules changed the entry process in the meantime:

• A $1 registration fee. A State Department rule published September 16, 2025 (90 FR 44524) created a $1 fee to register for the lottery, to be paid electronically when you enter.
• A passport requirement. A final rule published March 11, 2026 and effective April 10, 2026 (91 FR 11891) requires each entrant to give valid, unexpired passport information and upload a scan of the passport's biographic and signature page. Limited exemptions apply, for example for stateless people. The rule's analysis expected the requirement to apply starting with DV-2027.

The State Department also paused diversity visa issuance in December 2025, and USCIS placed DV-based green card applications on hold. A federal court later set those pauses aside for DV-2026 selectees. The DV-2026 program year ended September 30, 2026. The State Department did not open DV-2027 registration in the usual fall 2025 window, and fiscal year 2027 began on October 1, 2026 with no DV-2027 selectees.

A law firm then sued the Secretary of State in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California (Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio, No. 26-cv-4738). On October 14, 2026, the court granted a preliminary injunction ordering the State Department to announce and run a 30-day DV-2027 registration period, notify selectees, and process their cases until the fiscal year 2027 visas run out or September 30, 2027, whichever comes first. The court later approved amended deadlines: an announcement by October 29, 2026, registration opening November 1, 2026, and notice to selectees by December 3, 2026. The government filed a notice of appeal on October 19, 2026 and asked for the order to be paused. On October 29, 2026, the Ninth Circuit granted a stay pending appeal. The panel said the law firm is likely outside the group the DV statute protects, and it added that it did not endorse the Department's failure to open registration. The appeal continues, and the firm has said it plans further litigation. Official dates will appear on travel.state.gov, so check there rather than relying on social media.

DV-2028: what we know

As of November 2, 2026, we had found no State Department announcement of a DV-2028 registration period. When registration opens, the Department normally publishes instructions on travel.state.gov and in the Federal Register. Those instructions list eligible countries, the entry dates and the photo rules. Until then, any "DV-2028 registration" website or agent is unofficial. Check travel.state.gov and dvprogram.state.gov for announcements.

Who can enter the green card lottery?

There are two basic requirements. Check the instructions for the specific program year before you enter, because the rules can change.

1. Country of eligibility. You must be a native of an eligible country. Countries that sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years are excluded. For DV-2026, natives of these countries were not eligible: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland and Hong Kong born), Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela and Vietnam. Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan were eligible. You may sometimes claim the country of birth of your spouse, or of a parent in limited cases ("chargeability").
2. Education or work experience. You need either a high school education or its equivalent (a completed 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education), or two years of work experience within the last five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. Qualifying occupations have a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher in the Department of Labor's O*NET database. GED-type certificates and correspondence programs generally do not count.

How to enter the DV lottery: steps and photo rules

Recent registration periods

Registration has opened at noon U.S. Eastern Time and closed at noon Eastern Time on the last day. Late and paper entries were never accepted.

What selectees do

Scams to watch for

Alternatives to the green card lottery

If you were planning on the lottery, look at other paths: family sponsorship, employment-based green cards, or temporary work and study visas. Our immigration options overview is a good place to start, and an attorney can review which ones fit your background.

This page gives general information, not legal advice. Program rules change each year, so always follow the official instructions for the program year you are entering.