DV-2027 Green Card Lottery Registration Remains on Hold Amid Legal Battle

The registration window for the DV-2027 Green Card Lottery remains closed as of late October 2026. This delay persists despite a federal judge's order directing the State Department to restart the registration process.

The legal dispute stems from a lawsuit filed by Red Eagle Law against Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta granted a preliminary injunction, ruling that the government's suspension of the program was arbitrary and capricious.

In response to the ruling, the government filed an appeal and requested a stay to pause the injunction while the legal challenge proceeds. Although filing an appeal does not automatically halt the court order, the separate request for a stay leaves the application schedule uncertain.

When registration eventually opens, applicants are required to submit an electronic entry form along with a valid passport, a square digital photograph, and a non-waivable one-dollar fee. Authorities have also cautioned prospective applicants to be wary of fraudulent services promising to improve selection odds.