Every October, Marisol did the same thing: she opened the visa lottery page, filled out the form calmly, and saved her confirmation number like a lottery ticket. This year she opened the page and found nothing: no form, no dates, no notice. It was not a problem with her computer: registration for the 2027 visa lottery simply never opened. Until this week.
What the judge ordered
On October 14, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta of the Southern District of California issued an order requiring the State Department to run the fiscal year 2027 Diversity Visa lottery. The lawsuit was filed on August 19 by the California immigration law firm Red Eagle Law, after the Department let the entire year pass without announcing registration dates.
The court-set schedule, adjusted that same day at both parties’ request, is:
- By October 29: the Department must publicly announce the registration period, the official website, and the eligibility requirements.
- By November 1: it must open electronic registration.
- The window will last 30 days.
- Selectees will be notified by December 3.
At stake are up to 55,000 immigrant visas for fiscal year 2027, which runs from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Why registration never opened
On November 5, 2025, the State Department posted a notice saying it was "implementing certain changes to the Diversity Visa entry process" and would announce the start date "as soon as practicable." That date never came: by the end of September 2026 there were still no announced dates and no Federal Register notice.
In court, the government argued it was already too late to run the lottery. The judge disagreed and ordered it open anyway, finding the Department’s inaction was likely unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act.
What’s new this year: $1 and passport in hand
Anyone entering the 2027 lottery will face two rules that did not exist in prior years:
- A $1 registration fee. A September 2025 rule added this charge, paid through an official government payment portal at the time of registration. Entry used to be free.
- A valid passport is now required. A March 2026 final rule requires entries to include the details of a valid, unexpired passport plus a scan of its biographic and signature page. Exemptions are very narrow.
Who can enter
The basic requirements have not changed:
- Be born in an eligible country. Countries that sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years are excluded. The list changes every year and the 2027 list has not been published yet: the 2026 lottery excluded natives of 19 countries, including Mexico, India, and Nigeria.
- Education or work experience: a high school diploma or its equivalent, or two years of experience in the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training.
- One entry per person. Submitting two disqualifies you automatically.
What to do today, in order
- Don’t pay anyone yet. Registration is NOT open today. Anyone charging you to "enter now" or promising to boost your odds is scamming you: the U.S. Embassy in Algeria already warned in 2025 about fraudulent 2027 lottery offers, and the Department found 2.5 million fraudulent entries in the previous lottery.
- Check your passport today. It must be valid and unexpired when you enter. If it is expired or you don’t have one, get one now: no passport, no entry.
- Get a recent passport-style photo ready: white background, no glasses, taken within the last few months. A bad photo is one of the most common reasons for disqualification.
- Mark October 29 on your calendar: that is when the official announcement with the website and final requirements is due.
- Enter only on the State Department’s official website. The government never notifies winners by email, letter, or phone call: the only way to know if you were selected is the Entrant Status Check with your confirmation number.
- Save your confirmation number somewhere safe: without it you cannot check your result.
Being selected is not the green card
Worth saying plainly: having your number drawn does not automatically give you residence. Selectees must file Form DS-260, pass a medical exam, attend an interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate, and meet all immigration requirements before September 30, 2027. Visas not used by that date are lost: they do not roll over to the next year.
Follow all updates in the news section. And if you want to see how USCIS is deciding green cards this year, read Green Card for Cubans: USCIS Approved Only 23.7%.
Official sources
- Court order modifying the preliminary injunction, Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio, No. 3:26-cv-04738, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, October 14, 2026: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.casd.867598/gov.uscourts.casd.867598.23.0.pdf
- U.S. Department of State, "Changes to Entry Period for 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) Program" notice (November 5, 2025): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/changes-to-2027-dv-program-entry-period.html
Photo by Federico Abis on Pexels.
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