Is DV lottery 2027 open after the green card lottery 2027 court order?

Is DV lottery 2027 open now?

No. The State Department did not open DV-2027 registration on its usual schedule, which is what the lawsuit challenged, and as of October 15, 2026, no Federal Register notice gives the entry dates. The rule that governs the lottery says the department publishes the website address and exact entry dates there before entries begin. The court has required the department to move ahead, but you cannot enter simply because a judge has ordered a window to open.

The difference matters if you have seen an October 15 deadline online. The judge’s first order required an announcement that day, not an immediate opening. Her later order moved the announcement to October 29 and the opening deadline to November 1. Neither order supplies the final closing date that applicants should use.

This is a material change from the earlier green card lottery lawsuit, when the court had denied an emergency request and had yet to decide whether to require registration. Waiting entrants now have an order directing the State Department to act.

When must DV-2027 open?

By November 1, 2026, under the modified injunction. The State Department must announce the opening and closing dates by October 29. Its announcement must also identify the electronic entry website and participation requirements, and it must spread that information through its customary channels, including the Federal Register.

The later order changes three deadlines in the original injunction. The 30-day registration period and visa-processing terms remain in force. The orders use “midnight EST” for the announcement, opening and notification deadlines. The official notice still needs to give applicants the exact entry window.

What the judge ordered, and what remains undecided

Judge Ohta granted a preliminary injunction requiring Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the State Department to announce and run the fiscal 2027 lottery, accept qualifying electronic entries and notify selectees. This is an order made while the lawsuit continues, not a final judgment resolving the entire case. The court kept jurisdiction to enforce or modify it.

Red Eagle Law, a Southern California immigration law firm, filed its complaint on August 19. Judge Ohta denied temporary emergency relief on September 3 and granted the preliminary injunction on October 14. As Courthouse News reported, the firm argued that the delay effectively canceled a program Congress had authorized.

The government argued that it was too late to run the 2027 lottery because registration should have finished in the preceding fiscal year, according to coverage of the September hearing. That argument explains the stakes: accepting it would have left waiting entrants without a DV-2027 registration period. The judge instead ordered the program to proceed, giving her reasons orally; the short written order sets out what the department must do.

The subsequent extension was granted on a joint request from the parties. It changes the timetable rather than canceling the injunction. The case also fits the broader question in the 2026 rulings on government power: when can a court require officials to carry out the law?

How to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery 2027

Entry must be electronic. The lottery rule requires each entry to be submitted online through a website the State Department designates, and the department must name that website and the exact entry dates before the period starts. The judge’s order also requires the announcement to identify the website for electronic entries. Only entries received during that period are numbered for the drawing.

Only one entry may be submitted by or for each person in a registration period. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1154, duplicate entries are void. Someone submitting another entry for you can therefore create a problem even if you did not personally complete it.

Keep the confirmation number you receive when you submit. USAGov says you need it to check the status of your entry online, so keeping control of it is part of keeping control of your application. A service taking your details before the official window opens has not, by doing that alone, entered you in the government lottery.

What changed for passports and fees

Most entrants need valid, unexpired passport information and a scan of the passport’s biographic and signature page, and the registration fee is $1. Older guidance about entering without a passport or entering for free can send you wrong on both points.

The passport final rule, published March 11 and effective April 10, 2026, applies beginning with DV-2027. It requires the passport information and scan unless the entrant qualifies for a limited exemption. The rule includes exemptions for stateless people and certain other narrowly defined circumstances; difficulty getting or paying for a passport is not itself a blanket exemption.

The fee final rule, published September 16, 2025, establishes the $1 electronic registration fee separately from the $330 Diversity Visa application fee for people who later apply for a visa after selection. The entry payment is not the full cost of immigrating, and it does not buy better odds or a visa.

The official entry instructions still need to explain how the new window will work. The court ordered compliance with applicable eligibility and documentation requirements; it did not waive the passport rule or make last year’s form the right form for 2027.

Who can qualify for DV-2027?

Eligibility turns on the program’s country rules and an education or qualifying-work requirement, not just having a passport. USAGov explains that the State Department publishes the eligible countries each year and that the list can change, and USAGov’s page still links to the DV-2026 instructions. Treat an older or commercial country list as provisional until the DV-2027 announcement.

The statute’s education and work test requires at least a high-school education or its equivalent, or at least two years of experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience. Any two years of employment will not necessarily qualify.

Country eligibility generally concerns where you were born, rather than where you currently live. If your birthplace, family circumstances or work history makes the answer unclear, an immigration lawyer can assess which rules apply to you. The injunction creates the opportunity to enter; it does not establish any particular person’s eligibility.

What happens if you are selected?

Selection lets you move to the visa-application stage; it does not grant a green card. The modified order requires selectees to be notified by December 3, 2026. The original order then requires timely processing and awards under the State Department’s usual procedures and standards, subject to applicable law.

Check your result with your own confirmation number, which USAGov says you need to see the status of your entry. A message demanding money because you supposedly won is not a substitute.

The processing obligation runs until the available fiscal 2027 allocation is exhausted or September 30, 2027, whichever happens first. The order does not promise that 55,000 visas will actually be issued, remove other applicable immigration restrictions or guarantee that every selected person can finish in time. The March rule distinguishes applying for a visa at a U.S. consulate from applying for a green card from inside the United States. The second process, called adjustment of status, is available only if you are otherwise eligible.

How the DV-2027 lawsuit reached this point

1. August 19, 2026

   Red Eagle Law files its lawsuit against Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

2. September 3, 2026

   Judge Ohta denies the temporary restraining order request without prejudice, allowing a later request for relief.

3. September 24, 2026

   The court hears the preliminary-injunction request and sets an October 14 ruling hearing.

4. October 14, 2026

   The court orders the lottery to proceed, then grants the parties’ joint request to extend three deadlines.

What to check now

The most useful preparation is accurate information for the right program year. The current passport and photo rules and the State Department’s DV-2027 announcement matter more than an unofficial promise to submit early. These are facts to verify, not a determination that you qualify.

1. The DV-2027 announcement: the official website and exact opening and closing times, and whether a further court order changes them.
2. Passport details and scan: a valid, unexpired passport, or the basis and supporting evidence for a permitted exemption.
3. Family details: which spouse and children must be included under the current instructions, including relevant exceptions.
4. Photographs: current compliant images; the regulation requires photos taken no more than six months before submission.
5. Country and qualifications: the DV-2027 country rules and your education or qualifying-work history.
6. Fees and confirmation: the official $1 registration-payment process and access to your own confirmation number after submission.

When to ask a lawyer

Individual eligibility problems need an individual answer, especially if you are relying on a passport exemption or considering applying for a green card from inside the United States. You can request legal help with those questions. Juricue is not a law firm, does not give legal advice, and contacting Juricue does not create an attorney-client relationship.