“We cannot allow activist judges to dictate our immigration policy.” The line comes from Texas Republican Congressman Keith Self, said as he introduced a bill to end the visa lottery. He said it one day after a judge denied the government what it asked for: pausing the order that forces that same lottery open.
That is where things stand with DV-2027, the draw that hands out up to 55,000 permanent residencies a year to people from countries with low immigration to the United States. A draw that, in this cycle, never opened.
A fiscal year that began with no winners
In November 2025, the State Department announced it was changing the DV-2027 entry process and would publish an opening date “as soon as practicable.” That date never came. Fiscal year 2027 began on October 1, 2026, without a single selectee. For the first time in more than three decades, the lottery started with no drawing.
The firm Red Eagle Law sued. And on October 14, federal Judge Jinsook Ohta of the Southern District of California ruled in its favor with a preliminary injunction: the State Department must carry out DV-2027. Her opinion, according to coverage of the case, faulted the government for giving no reason for leaving the program in limbo, and warned that without registration, people who met the requirements would lose their chance for that year.
Then, at both sides’ request, the schedule was adjusted. It now reads: the Department must announce the registration details — dates, entry website, and requirements — by midnight Eastern Time on October 29; open registration by midnight on November 1, and keep it open for 30 days; and notify selectees by midnight on December 3.
The government appealed on October 19 and asked to suspend the order while the appeal is decided. The judge said no on October 21. That does not close the case — an appeals court could still change the schedule — but today the order stands.
The bill that would erase the program
On October 22, Self introduced H.R. 10896. The official title says it all: “To terminate the diversity immigrant visa program.” That same day, the House referred it to the Judiciary Committee. As of October 24, no further action was recorded.
One caution, because this is where the most confusion lies: an introduced bill is not a law. For the program to disappear this way, it would have to pass committee, pass the House and the Senate, and be signed by the president. None of that has happened. Self’s office describes the measure as a repeal, and the congressman defends it by pointing to fraud and weak identity checks. But today, legally, the program still exists and the court order still stands.
What this does NOT mean
First: registration is not open. As of checks on October 19, the official entry portal said entries were not being accepted, and the State Department has not published the DV-2027 instructions. Any site telling you today that it “already opened,” charging you to “reserve” a spot, or promising to improve your odds is lying to you. The only entry site is dvprogram.state.gov, and official announcements appear on travel.state.gov.
Second: being drawn does not mean holding a green card. The draw picks at random, but then you must meet the requirements — being born in an eligible country and having the education level or work experience the program requires — pass screening, and have a visa number available. The window for processing DV-2027 visas runs from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. Whatever is not issued by that date is lost.
And there is a loose end worth saying out loud. According to EconoTimes, a State Department guidance dated August 31 ended the December 2025 pause — which had halted issuances — and, at the same time, announced a new pause on diversity visa issuances: applications and interviews may continue, but no visas are issued. Neither the court order nor that guidance clarifies how the pause would apply to DV-2027 selectees. For now, it is an open question.
What to do this week, in order
Wait for October 29. That day — or earlier — the official instructions must be published. Read them there, not in social media screenshots.
Have your valid passport and your education or work documents ready. Immigration firms’ guides recommend preparing these now, because the window will be only 30 days and neither the photo nor the details should be improvised.
Do not pay anyone to enter for you. The government will not email you to say you won: the only way to know is to check the status system yourself with your confirmation number.
And if you are selected on December 3, guard that number like gold. Without it, there is no way to verify anything afterward.
For context: U.S. citizenship approvals fell 76% in a year, with 742,000 applications waiting in line, so every legal path that opens — or closes — carries more weight than usual. And if voting in November is your thing, check the early voting update.
Official sources
- Official Diversity Visa Program entry site: dvprogram.state.gov
- Official State Department announcements: travel.state.gov
- EconoTimes, October 24, 2026 (court order dates, appeal, stay denied October 21, and H.R. 10896): Court Sets DV-2027 Registration Dates as Lawmaker Seeks Lottery Repeal
- Summary of the Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio court schedule: DV Lottery 2026 Update: Passport Requirement and DV-2027
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