DV-2027 Lottery: Appeals Court Pauses the Order to Open Registration

What is the status of the DV lottery right now?

Last checked: October 30, 2026. Here is what we could confirm from official sources as of that date:

Registration used to open every October, but the State Department never opened DV-2027, and a law firm sued to force it. Ignore any "expected date" that does not appear on the State Department's own site.

The October 14 court order and the October 29, 2026 stay: what it means for you

In Red Eagle Law v. Rubio (S.D. Cal., No. 3:26-cv-04738), Judge Jinsook Ohta granted a preliminary injunction on October 14, 2026 requiring the State Department to open DV-2027 registration. The first order set very tight deadlines; a later order extended them to give the agency time to comply.

These deadlines came from the order as summarized by the law firm Fragomen. On October 19 the government appealed and asked for a stay. On October 29, 2026, the day the State Department was due to announce the details, the Ninth Circuit granted a stay pending appeal. As reported, the panel found that the plaintiff law firm had not shown it was likely to succeed on the merits. The appeal itself continues, and no decision date has been set. So:

• No registration is open, and it will not open on November 1. Any page or message saying otherwise is misleading.
• The schedule above is not binding while the stay is in place.
• Still get ready: a valid passport (the new rules require its details), a recent photo that meets the official specs, and an email address you check. See "What to prepare" below.
• Time is running short: even if the stay is lifted later, every DV-2027 visa must be issued by September 30, 2027 under the law.
• We update this page as soon as there is a new ruling or a State Department announcement. You can ask for an alert using the box on this page.

What has changed in the rules?

The State Department has published two final rules in the Federal Register that will apply to future entries:

• A $1 electronic registration fee, effective September 16, 2025. Entry is no longer completely free, but the fee is one dollar, paid to the government on the official site, never to a middleman.
• A valid passport, effective April 10, 2026. Entrants must provide valid, unexpired passport details and upload a scan of the biographic and signature page, unless they qualify for an exemption.

On December 19, 2025, USCIS also put DV-based adjustment of status applications on hold for review under memo PM-602-0193, alongside a pause on DV visa issuance at consulates. USCIS later posted that on August 28, 2026, a federal court in California temporarily vacated that memo in Medani v. Trump and ordered it to resume processing the plaintiffs' cases. Court orders can change; check USCIS alerts for updates.

If you were selected for DV-2026

DV-2026 ended on September 30, 2026. Diversity visas are tied to the fiscal year: if your visa was not issued, or your adjustment not approved, by the end of that day, your selection expired. Court orders do not move that date, and a selection does not carry over to the next program. If your case was still pending on that date, speak to a licensed immigration attorney about your situation.

• In the US with a pending adjustment: check your case in your USCIS online account, keep copies of every notice, and talk to a licensed attorney right away if it is still pending.
• Abroad after your interview: follow embassy messages and your case on the official visa status site. Don't pay anyone who promises to "speed up" issuance.
• From a country under entry restrictions: selection alone is not enough; see the section below.

Are Egypt and other Arab countries eligible?

In the last program with published official instructions (DV-2026), every Arab country was eligible. In the Africa region: Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Mauritania, Somalia, Djibouti and Comoros. In the Asia region: Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

The same instructions say people born in the Gaza Strip are charged to Egypt, those born in the West Bank to Jordan, and those born in the Golan Heights to Syria.

The list of ineligible countries is reviewed every year, so no country's eligibility for DV-2027 or DV-2028 can be confirmed until those instructions come out. Eligibility is based on country of birth, not citizenship, with limited exceptions explained in the instructions.

Selected but restricted: the travel ban catch

This is the point many people miss. The entry restrictions in effect since January 1, 2026 suspend immigrant visas for nationals of Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Libya and Somalia, for people traveling on Palestinian Authority documents, and for nationals of Mauritania under the partial restrictions.

A diversity visa is an immigrant visa. A selectee from one of these countries generally cannot be issued one while the proclamation is in force, unless an exception applies, such as traveling on the passport of a country that is not covered. Details are in our 2026 travel restrictions guide.

How registration normally works

These steps follow the DV-2026 instructions, the latest official ones. Details may change for the next program.

1. Check both requirements. You must be a native of an eligible country, and have either a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience in the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.
2. Use only the official site. dvprogram.state.gov is the only authorized site for entry and for checking results.
3. Fill it out yourself. The State Department encourages you to complete the form without a "visa consultant." If someone helps, be present so the answers are correct.
4. List your spouse and all unmarried children under 21. Include them even if they will not immigrate with you. Leaving someone out can disqualify the whole entry.
5. Submit one entry only. More than one entry for the same person disqualifies all of them.
6. Keep your confirmation number. It is the only way to check your result through Entrant Status Check.

What to prepare now for any future program

You cannot enter today, but you can be ready to enter in minutes when registration opens. Most disqualifications come from simple data errors or bad photos, not bad luck.

1. A valid passport for you, the entrant. The new rule requires the entrant’s valid passport details and a scan of the data and signature page(s). For your spouse and children the form asks only for name, date and place of birth, and a photo.
2. An email address you control. Not an agent's or a cousin's. Follow-up messages after selection go there.
3. Recent photos of each family member. Past instructions required recent, separate photos meeting US visa photo standards. Don't reuse old or edited pictures.
4. Family details exactly as on documents. Arabic names are spelled differently across documents; use the passport spelling everywhere.
5. Proof of education or work experience. Some vocational diplomas may not equal a US high school education, so confirm you qualify before entering, not after being selected.

How to spot a DV lottery scam

The State Department's instructions say plainly that it does not send emails or letters to tell you that you were selected. Results appear only on the official site with your confirmation number.

Nobody can raise your odds; selection is a random computer drawing. Never hand your confirmation number to anyone. Some offices keep it and then charge you to "reveal" your result.

Common mistakes

• Entering through an agent back home. They may use their own email address and effectively control your entry.
• A photo that does not meet the specs. The instructions warn that noncompliant or altered photos can make you ineligible.
• Leaving out a spouse or child. Under the latest instructions you must list a spouse you live apart from unless you are legally separated by court order, plus children who do not live with you and unmarried stepchildren under 21.
• Assuming selection means a visa. More people are selected than there are visas, and the interview, requirements and security rules all come after.

What to do in the meantime

If you are outside the US, the clearest path is often a qualifying relative, or a study or work route. Compare the options in our guide to US visa types.

If you are in the US and want to bring a relative, learn how to read the Visa Bulletin before you file. And keep an eye on the State Department's Diversity Visa page, where any new registration period will be announced. We will update this page when an official announcement is made.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources we reviewed

• Red Eagle Law v. Rubio — order of Oct. 14, 2026 (S.D. Cal.) ↗
• Bloomberg Law — Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Can Remain Paused as US Appeals (Oct. 30, 2026) ↗
• Fragomen — Court Orders State Department to Open FY 2027 DV Lottery Registration ↗
• Federal Register — Diversity Visa Instructions for DV-2026 ↗
• Federal Register — Final rule: $1 Diversity Visa registration fee (effective Sept 16, 2025) ↗
• Federal Register — Final rule: passport requirement for DV entries (effective Apr 10, 2026) ↗
• USCIS — Newsroom Alerts (Court Order on Diversity Immigrant Visa Program Hold Policy, Sept 4, 2026) ↗
• USCIS — Policy Memoranda (PM-602-0192, PM-602-0193, PM-602-0194) ↗
• Federal Register — Proclamation 10998 ↗