US Federal Court orders resumption of Diversity Visa lottery

A US federal court has ordered the Department of State to resume registration for the Diversity Visa (DV)-2027 program, which had been previously suspended. The court mandate requires the Department of State to announce a registration schedule and accept applications within a specified timeframe.

However, the Trump administration has filed an appeal against this ruling and is seeking a stay to suspend the court's order. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has appealed the decision, and the government is requesting the court to consider the stay application by October 21, 2026. If the stay is not granted, the government plans to move to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals by October 22.

The DV program, established by the 1990 Immigration Act, provides permanent residency opportunities to citizens of countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. While the program allocates approximately 55,000 visas annually, the final number of beneficiaries is higher when including spouses and children of selected applicants. The legal proceedings may impact whether the registration process begins as scheduled on November 1.