A federal court has ordered the U.S. State Department to open DV-2027 Green Card lottery registration no later than October 18, 2026, but the exact dates and participation rules still have to be officially announced by the State Department itself.
In short
- Judge Jinsook Ohta set the State Department four deadlines: announce DV-2027 registration dates by October 15, and open registration no later than October 18, 2026.
- Registration must last at least 30 days, and selectees must be notified by November 19, 2026.
- The final oral ruling in the DV-2027 case is scheduled for October 14, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
- DV-2026 selectees have a separate processing window of October 14–23, 2026 — it does not guarantee a visa or interview to everyone.
- A bill to fully eliminate the Green Card lottery has been introduced in the Senate, but it is still only at the committee review stage.
What the court decided in the DV-2027 case
The law firm Red Eagle Law, L.C. filed a lawsuit in federal court for the Southern District of California against Secretary of State Rubio, seeking to compel the State Department to open DV-2027 registration. The case was docketed as 3:26-cv-04738 and is being heard by Judge Jinsook Ohta.
The lawsuit arose because DV-2027 registration never began: for the first time in more than three decades, a fiscal year started without the lottery winners being announced. The official site, dvprogram.state.gov, displayed a notice that applications were not currently being accepted, even though the State Department had previously set the visa issuance period for October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
for the first time in more than three decades, a fiscal year started without the lottery winners being announced
On September 3, 2026, Judge Ohta denied an emergency temporary restraining order — without prejudice, meaning the plaintiff could refile. A hearing followed on September 24: government attorneys argued that the law ties registration to the fiscal year preceding the year of visa issuance, so the filing window had already closed, and that the court lacked authority to impose its own schedule on the agency. Red Eagle Law pushed back, arguing that the delay was caused by the government itself, and that citing time already lost as a result would mean shifting the consequences of the agency’s own delay onto applicants. The plaintiff asked the court to order a registration window of at least 30 days.
The judge acknowledged that timing was indeed a problem but noted that meeting the numerical quota was still possible, and by the end of the hearing she appeared more skeptical of the government’s position than she had been at the start of the proceedings. She scheduled a final oral ruling for October 14, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
Judge Ohta acknowledged the problem with the DV-2027 registration delay and leaned against the government’s position, but scheduled a final oral ruling for October 14, 2026.
The court’s four deadlines: dates to remember
Judge Jinsook Ohta set four specific deadlines for the U.S. State Department.
| Requirement | Deadline | What the State Department must do |
|---|---|---|
| Announce registration dates | by October 15, 2026 | Name the start and end dates for DV-2027 registration, the application website, and participation rules |
| Open registration | no later than October 18, 2026 | Begin accepting DV-2027 Green Card lottery applications |
| Registration length | 30 days | The application period must last at least 30 days |
| Notify selectees | by November 19, 2026 | Inform selected entrants of their eligibility to apply for a Diversity Visa |
| Process applications and issue visas | by September 30, 2027 | Process applications and issue Diversity Visas within the statutory limit, as required by U.S. law |
The 30-day registration requirement matches exactly what Red Eagle Law requested in its motion: the firm asked for a window of at least 30 days, and that is the length the court ordered.
The court’s four deadlines for the State Department in the DV-2027 case
Judge Jinsook Ohta set the timeframes within which the State Department must announce and run DV-2027 registration.
- Announce registration datesby October 15, 2026
- Open registrationno later than October 18, 2026
- Registration length30 days
- Notify selecteesby November 19, 2026
- Process applications and issue visasby September 30, 2027
Why the court’s ruling doesn’t mean registration is open yet
The court granting the motion does not mean DV-2027 registration is already open. Before applicants can submit entries, the U.S. State Department must meet the court-ordered deadlines — starting with publishing an official announcement of the registration dates.
The ruling is also not final: it can be appealed or modified by a higher court. That means even the dates named by the court are not a guarantee but a benchmark that depends on how the case proceeds from here.
even the dates named by the court are not a guarantee but a benchmark that depends on how the case proceeds from here
Track the actual launch of registration through official sources only: dates are published exclusively on travel.state.gov, dvprogram.state.gov, and in the Federal Register. No other notice — on social media, in mailing lists, or on third-party websites — carries official status.
A granted motion is not the same as open registration. Until the State Department publishes an official announcement with dates, there is nowhere to submit an entry yet.
Only notices on travel.state.gov, dvprogram.state.gov, and in the Federal Register carry official status — nothing else should be treated as a source.
The Medani v. Trump case: what’s happening with DV-2026, and how it differs from DV-2027
The Medani v. Trump case is being heard in federal court for the Northern District of California by Judge Edward Davila and concerns DV-2026 selectees, not DV-2027 registration — these are two separate lawsuits with different plaintiffs and different subject matter.
The background involves a pause in Diversity Visa issuance. On August 28, 2026, the court temporarily vacated USCIS’s hold policy, known as PM-602-0193, and ordered normal case processing to resume. The State Department subsequently acknowledged that the pause on Diversity Visa issuance was no longer in effect. But implementation stalled: on September 30, 2026, the court issued a further order requiring the State Department to review denials caused by the pause and resume case processing within ten days of the fiscal year’s end. Compliance with that order was temporarily delayed, and only on October 7, 2026, did the State Department report to the court that it had implemented a technical fix to issue the visas.
The result was Judge Davila’s ruling establishing an additional processing window for DV-2026 selectees: it begins October 14, 2026, at 00:01 and ends October 23, 2026, at 23:59, local time at the embassy or consulate handling the specific case. This is a limited, court-ordered window, not a general extension of the Diversity Visa program: it does not guarantee a visa to every DV-2026 selectee, does not mean every unused visa is reserved, and does not guarantee an interview to everyone selected.
For DV-2027, this case matters only as context: it shows that courts have already forced the State Department to act on a specific schedule in related Diversity Visa cases. But the deadlines Judge Jinsook Ohta set in the DV-2027 registration case are separate, and compliance with one ruling does not automatically mean compliance with the other.
Additional application processing window for DV-2026 selectees
The window Judge Davila set aside for DV-2026 cases does not extend to DV-2027.
- Window opensOctober 14, 2026, 00:01local time at the embassy or consulate
- Window closesOctober 23, 2026, 23:59local time at the embassy or consulate
DV-2027 vs. DV-2026: two separate lawsuits
| Criterion | DV-2027 (registration case) | DV-2026 (Medani case) |
|---|---|---|
| Court and judge | Southern District of California, Judge Jinsook Ohta | Northern District of California, Judge Edward Davila |
| Subject of dispute | Opening lottery registration | Processing applications of already-selected winners |
| Key date | Oral ruling on October 14, 2026 | Processing window October 14–23, 2026 |
| What it gives the applicant | A chance to enter the lottery | A chance to complete review of an already-filed DS-260 |
Compliance with the ruling in one case does not automatically mean compliance in the other.
What the October 14–23 processing window means for DV-2026 applicants
The court ruled that DS-260 immigrant visa applications filed within the October 14–23 window count as timely filed. This is an important clarification: some DV-2026 selectees submitted their DS-260 but never received a second notification letter (2NL) scheduling an interview. The court’s clarification gives these applicants a chance to re-enter the process during this specific period.
But a chance is not a guarantee. Filing the DS-260 does not guarantee an interview, and a scheduled interview does not guarantee visa approval. Applicants must still meet the program’s eligibility requirements, be admissible, hold valid documents, and have a current medical exam. Likewise, the court’s ruling does not mean every lottery winner has already received a visa, that all unused DV-2026 visas are reserved, or that every selectee will be scheduled for an interview.
The court ordered the State Department to transmit the text of the new order to embassies and consulates along with implementation instructions. This explains why the 10 calendar days in the window are not the same as 10 business days: weekends and local holidays can fall within the period, and individual posts will need time to implement the instructions themselves. Some applicants will also need new medical exams or updated documents, and not everyone will be able to prepare them in just a few days.
the 10 calendar days in the window are not the same as 10 business days
For that reason, this window should be treated as an urgent opportunity rather than a relaxed one: if a post makes contact, applicants need to act immediately and follow the instructions they receive exactly.
The October 14–23 period for DV-2026 is an urgent opportunity, not spare time: if a post makes contact, act immediately and follow the instructions exactly.
Will DV-2027 happen at all: the bill to eliminate the lottery
On September 23, 2026, Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama introduced the Americans First Immigration Act in the U.S. Senate. The section of the bill dealing with the Green Card lottery calls for its complete elimination: if the program were repealed, it would no longer be possible to apply through the random selection process at all. Beyond the lottery, the bill proposes restructuring employment-based immigration around a points-based system tied to qualifications and changing family-based categories.
This does not mean current DV participants would automatically be moved into a new system. As of the last check, the bill is still at the stage of introduction and referral to committee — it has not become law. For the repeal to take effect, the bill would need to pass both chambers of Congress and complete the full legislative process, and it’s impossible to predict the timeline or likelihood of that happening based solely on the fact that it was introduced.
The bill should be kept separate from the DV-2027 delay: as of October 6, 2026, there is no confirmed registration schedule for the program, but that delay cannot be attributed to a bill introduced in September — it began earlier.
Typical DV registration timing, and why DV-2027 is already running late
DV lottery registration normally opens from early October through mid-November. The program number corresponds to the fiscal year of visa issuance, not the year the entry is submitted: DV-2026 registration took place in the fall of 2024, roughly two years before that fiscal year began. That cycle, DV-2026, already experienced delays tied to government processes.
DV-2027 is running further behind the usual schedule. On November 5, 2025, the U.S. State Department announced it was changing the DV-2027 registration process and promised to announce dates later. Registration never opened: this is the first time in more than three decades that a fiscal year began without the Diversity Visa lottery winners being announced. At the same time, the State Department left the visa application period for selected DV-2027 entrants unchanged — October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. The visa year is already underway, and the usual registration schedule still hasn’t appeared on official pages.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to apply for the DV lottery, and is there really a fee to register?
Submitting a DV lottery entry is free. Anyone or any organization that demands payment for registration or guarantees a win is committing fraud. If someone offers to file an entry for a fee or promises approval, that’s a sign of a scam, not an official service.
What happens if the State Department misses the court-ordered DV-2027 deadlines?
The record doesn’t describe that scenario directly, but the court has already shown a willingness to intervene: it set four specific deadlines for the State Department and scheduled a final oral ruling. If the agency misses those deadlines, it’s reasonable to expect further motions from the plaintiff, much as happened in the DV-2026 case.
Can the court’s ruling on opening DV-2027 registration be appealed?
Yes. The ruling is not final and can be appealed or modified by a higher court. That means the dates named by the court are a benchmark, not an absolute guarantee: how the case proceeds could still change them.
Do the court deadlines in the DV-2027 case also apply to DV-2026 applicants?
No. The deadlines set by Judge Jinsook Ohta apply only to DV-2027 registration. DV-2026 selectees are covered by the separate Medani v. Trump case, presided over by Judge Edward Davila, which involves a different subject matter and its own timeline.
Could the Green Card lottery really be eliminated soon?
A bill calling for the full elimination of the lottery was introduced in the Senate on September 23, 2026, but as of the last check it is only at the introduction and committee-referral stage — it has not become law. For the repeal to take effect, the bill would need to pass both chambers of Congress and the full legislative process, and it’s impossible to predict the timeline or odds of passage based solely on its introduction.
Does the lottery-repeal bill mean there’s no point applying for DV-2027?
No, that would be a premature conclusion. The bill hasn’t been passed and doesn’t determine the fate of the current registration cycle: it has only been introduced in the Senate and is at an early stage of review. The delay in opening DV-2027 registration began earlier and is unrelated to this bill.
Should DV-2026 applicants check their status themselves during the October 14–23 window?
Yes, this should be done consistently through the official DV entrant status check system, rather than relying on screenshots shared in messaging apps or rumors on social media. Applicants should also check their email regularly, including the spam folder, and keep their phone on and reachable so they don’t miss contact from the embassy.
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