Green Card Lottery Reopening Put on Hold: What 2027 Applicants Should Know

A federal appeals court has temporarily stopped a court order that would have forced the State Department to reopen the Diversity Visa lottery for fiscal year 2027. The ruling came on Thursday, October 29, 2026. This is an update to our recent story about that order, and the situation is still changing. The Diversity Visa program, often called the green card lottery, makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year. People from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States can apply. For fiscal year 2027, the State Department never opened its usual registration period. Because of that, the lottery has been effectively on hold, even though the new fiscal year began on October 1, 2026. The case started in August, when Red Eagle Law, a California immigration law firm, sued the State Department. On October 14, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta granted a preliminary injunction in the firm's favor. Her order required the department to open registration by Sunday, November 1, and to keep the registration period open for at least 30 days, as federal rules require. The government appealed. On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the government's emergency request. The panel paused the lower court order while the appeal moves forward. According to press reports, the panel found that the law firm likely did not have the legal standing to bring the case. The judges said the firm's possible loss of future clients was not enough to give it the right to sue. Because the case was brought by a law firm and not by an individual lottery applicant, the judges questioned whether the firm could challenge the decision at all. A pause like this is called a stay. It does not end the case. It means the order is on hold while the appeal is decided. The timing of the appeal is not yet known, and other people or groups could file new lawsuits that might change the timeline again. What this means for you: For now, there is no open registration period for the 2027 lottery, and no new date has been confirmed. Please do not trust anyone who promises you a guaranteed spot, a fast entry, or a fee-based shortcut. The official Diversity Visa website run by the State Department is the only authorized place to submit an entry when registration opens. Be careful with look-alike websites and with messages asking for passport numbers or other personal details. Some background may help. The department had already paused parts of diversity visa processing after a December 2025 incident involving a past lottery recipient. Lottery entries are chosen at random. Winners still have to go through a separate case process, which can include interviews, medical exams and background checks, before any green card is issued. Winning a lottery spot is not the same as receiving a green card. If you already have a selection from a past lottery year, or if you are unsure how this news affects your plans or deadlines, talk to a licensed immigration attorney. An attorney can review your personal facts and tell you what steps make sense for your case. Keep checking official government sources rather than social media posts or rumor sites, because the rules and dates can change quickly. This article is general information, not legal advice. Sources: Green Card Update: Judge Freezes Reopening of Diversity Visa Lottery - Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/green-card-update-judge-freezes-reopening-of-diversity-visa-lottery-12639675 Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Can Remain Paused as US Appeals - Bloomberg Law: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/diversity-immigrant-visa-lottery-can-remain-paused-as-us-appeals Appeals Court Halts Order to Open 2027 Diversity Visa Lottery - NEPYORK: https://nepyork.com/2026/10/30/appeals-court-halts-order-to-open-2027-diversity-visa-lottery/ Judge Orders State Department to Open 2027 Diversity Visa Lottery Registration by Midnight Thursday - NEPYORK: https://nepyork.com/2026/10/14/judge-orders-state-department-to-open-2027-diversity-visa-lottery-registration-by-midnight-thursday/ Photo: Roman Bozhko on Unsplash