DV-2027 Green Card Lottery: Court-Ordered Dates, Current Status and How to Enter

Index

• Key Takeaways
• Where to Start Based on Your Situation
• DV Lottery 2027 Dates: What the Court Ordered
• What's New for DV-2027: $1 Fee and Passport Requirement
• Who Can Enter the DV-2027 Green Card Lottery?
• How to Enter Once Registration Opens
• Do You Need a Lawyer or an Agent to Enter?
• Selected Is Not a Visa: The Compressed DV-2027 Timeline
• Other Green Card Paths If the Lottery Isn't Your Only Plan
• What to Do Before November 1
• Sources

DV lottery 2027 registration is not open yet, but a federal court has ordered the State Department to announce the entry period by October 29, 2026, open it by November 1, 2026, keep it open for 30 days and notify selected entrants by December 3, 2026. The government has appealed, so the schedule can still move. When registration opens, enter only at dvprogram.state.gov.

The Diversity Visa (DV) program, often called the green card lottery, offers up to 55,000 immigrant visas a year to people from countries with low immigration to the United States. This guide to the DV-2027 green card lottery is for people who plan to enter on their own. You do not need a lawyer to enter; if you are selected, our guides to the DS-260 application and the immigrant visa interview cover the next steps.

Key Takeaways

• A court set the calendar. Announcement by October 29, opening by November 1, 30 days of registration and results by December 3, 2026.
• Two new rules apply. DV-2027 is the first lottery with a $1 entry fee and a required passport scan.
• You can enter on your own. One entry per person, only at dvprogram.state.gov. No agent or lawyer is needed to submit it.
• Selection is not a visa. Selectees will have about 10 months, not the usual 17, to finish their cases by September 30, 2027.

Where to Start Based on Your Situation

Most readers only need the entry rules and the official website. Find your situation and go to the part that answers it.

DV Lottery 2027 Dates: What the Court Ordered

The DV lottery 2027 schedule now comes from a court order, not a State Department notice. On October 14, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Department to run the DV-2027 program, starting with registration (Case No. 3:26-cv-04738). The parties then asked for more time, and the court approved later deadlines, as Newsweek reported.

These are deadlines, not the entry window itself. The announcement must give the opening and closing dates, the entry website and the rules, on the Department's website and in the Federal Register.

Why Some Websites Still Show October 18

The first order set an October 18 opening and a November 19 results date. Reports from that week still show them, but the revised schedule replaced both. A page with a mid-November entry deadline was likely written before the change.

The Government's Appeal and What a Stay Would Change

The administration appealed and asked for the order to be paused while the appeal moves forward. An appeal on its own does not stop the order; only a stay does. If the Ninth Circuit grants a stay before November 1, the opening could be delayed again. If a stay came after people had already entered, it is not clear what would happen to those entries.

How We Got Here: November 2025 to October 2026

• September 16, 2025: A final rule created a $1 lottery registration fee.
• November 5, 2025: The State Department said it was changing the entry process and would announce DV-2027 dates "as soon as practicable," keeping the visa period at October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027.
• December 23, 2025: The Department paused all diversity visa issuance to review DV screening and vetting.
• March 11, 2026: A final rule required passport information at entry, effective April 10, 2026.
• August 2026: The DV-2027 lawsuit was filed in San Diego. Separately, a court in a case brought by DV-2026 selectees ordered visa processing to resume.
• September 30, 2026: DV-2026 ended. October 1 began fiscal year 2027 with no DV-2027 entrants.
• October 14, 2026: The court ordered DV-2027 registration to open.

The State Department, not USCIS, runs the lottery. USCIS only handles green cards for selectees already in the United States.

What's New for DV-2027: $1 Fee and Passport Requirement

DV-2027 is the first lottery under both rules. The DV-2027 instructions will show how each works on the entry form.

The $1 Registration Fee

Entry used to be free. The September 2025 rule added a $1 fee to register for the lottery, collected electronically when you submit your entry. Selectees still pay the separate $330 diversity visa application fee later. The $1 is the only government charge to enter.

Passport Scan and Exemptions

Under the March 2026 rule, the entrant must provide information from a valid, unexpired passport and upload a scan of its biographic and signature pages. A small group, such as stateless people, can claim an exemption instead, but must do so at the time of entry. If your passport is expired or close to expiring, renew it now; a renewal may not arrive inside a 30-day window.

Who Can Enter the DV-2027 Green Card Lottery?

Every entrant needs a qualifying country of eligibility and a minimum level of education or work experience. The DV-2027 instructions were not yet published at our last check, so the details below come from the DV-2026 instructions.

Country of Eligibility

Eligibility depends on where you were born, not your citizenship or where you live. If your birth country is not eligible, you may claim your spouse's country of birth, or in limited cases a parent's. For DV-2026, natives of 19 countries could not enter: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela and Vietnam. The list is recalculated every year, so check the DV-2027 list before you enter.

Education or Work Experience

You need either a high school education, meaning a completed 12-year formal course of study, or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training. Qualifying jobs are rated 7.0 or higher on the Specific Vocational Preparation scale in the Department of Labor's O*NET database. A GED does not count, and you must prove either one at the interview.

Including Your Spouse and Children

You must list your spouse and every unmarried child under 21, including stepchildren and adopted children, even if they will not move with you. Leaving out an eligible family member, or listing someone who is not, can disqualify the whole family. The exceptions are a spouse or child who is already a U.S. citizen or green card holder.

How to Enter Once Registration Opens

These steps follow the DV-2026 process plus the two new DV-2027 rules. Confirm them against the DV-2027 instructions.

1. Wait for the official announcement on the State Department's visa news page.
2. Go to dvprogram.state.gov during the window. Do not wait for the last days, when demand can slow the site.
3. Complete the entry form (DS-5501) in one session. In DV-2026, the form timed out after 60 minutes and could not be saved.
4. Enter your passport details and upload the passport scan, plus a photo for you, your spouse and each child.
5. Pay the $1 fee when the system asks for it.
6. Save your confirmation number and print the confirmation page.

What to Prepare Now

• A valid passport and a clear JPEG scan of its biographic and signature pages.
• A recent, compliant photo for every person on the entry.
• Full names, birth dates and birthplaces for your spouse and all unmarried children under 21.
• An email address you will be able to use through 2027, and a card to pay the $1 fee.

Photo Mistakes That Disqualify Entries

Under the DV-2026 rules, each photo had to be in color, taken within the last six months, on a plain white or off-white background, without eyeglasses, and uploaded as a square 600 x 600 pixel JPEG of 240 kB or less. Reusing last year's photo or submitting an edited one can make you ineligible. Compare your photos with the State Department's photo examples before you start.

Keep Your Confirmation Number

Results appear only in Entrant Status Check at dvprogram.state.gov, which needs your confirmation number. The State Department does not mail or email selection notices; if you lose the number, use the site's retrieval tool.

Do You Need a Lawyer or an Agent to Enter?

No. The State Department encourages entrants to complete the form themselves, without a visa consultant or agent. The entry takes one online session, and the only charge is the $1 government fee. Gozel Law does not prepare or submit lottery entries, and you should be careful with anyone who offers to do it for a fee.

When Legal Help Actually Matters

Legal help matters after selection, when the entry becomes a visa or green card case with a fixed deadline. Consider it if:

• you are in the United States and want to adjust status rather than travel for an interview;
• you have a prior visa refusal, an overstay, a removal order or a criminal record, because DV applicants get no special waivers;
• your family changed after you entered, or a spouse or child was left off the entry;
• your case is held for administrative processing under 221(g) as September 30, 2027 approaches.

Warning Signs of Scam Sites and Paid Agents

1. The website does not end in .gov, or the entry form is anywhere other than dvprogram.state.gov.
2. Someone charges more than the $1 government fee to "submit" your entry or promises a better chance of winning.
3. An email, letter or message says you were selected. The State Department does not notify winners that way.
4. Someone offers to keep your confirmation number for you.
5. You are asked to send money by wire transfer or a money transfer service.

Selected Is Not a Visa: The Compressed DV-2027 Timeline

Selection only means you may apply for a diversity visa. The State Department selects more people than there are visas, because some selectees will not qualify or will not finish. Up to 55,000 visas are available each year, a number reduced to about 51,850 for DV-2026. Every DV-2027 visa must be issued by September 30, 2027, and nothing carries over.

About 10 Months Instead of 17

DV-2026 results came out on May 3, 2025, which gave selectees about 17 months to the September 30, 2026 deadline. DV-2027 selectees will be notified by December 3, 2026, which leaves about 10 months. Within those months, selectees must file the DS-260 and documents, wait for a current rank number in the monthly Visa Bulletin, and complete a medical exam, an interview and background checks. Gather civil documents and certified translations early.

Visa Issuance Pauses and Court Rulings

On December 23, 2025, the State Department paused all diversity visa issuance; interviews continued, but no visas were issued. On August 28, 2026, a federal court in a case brought by DV-2026 selectees ordered processing to resume, and the Department said the December pause was no longer in effect. Processing still moved slowly: according to Bloomberg Law, the judge found it had restarted at a "glacial pace." The Department has not said how it will handle DV-2027 issuance, so plan for delays and respond to every request quickly.

If You Are Already in the U.S.

A selectee in the United States may apply to USCIS for adjustment of status if eligible under Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. USCIS must finish the case, including family members abroad, by September 30, 2027, and adjustment is discretionary under the 2026 USCIS policy. Compare adjustment of status and consular processing before you choose.

DV-2026 Selectees After September 30

DV-2026 ended on September 30, 2026. A DV-2026 selection that did not lead to a visa or green card by that date cannot be used for DV-2027. If you still meet the requirements, you can enter DV-2027 like anyone else, with a new photo.

Selected for DV-2027 and worried about the deadline?

If you are selected and in the U.S., have a prior refusal or need your family's case finished before September 30, 2027, send us your case details. This review is for selectees, not lottery entries.

Book a Consultation

Other Green Card Paths If the Lottery Isn't Your Only Plan

Entering the lottery does not block other options, and another path may fit you if one of these applies:

• A U.S. citizen or green card holder spouse, parent or adult child: see our family-based immigration services.
• An advanced degree or exceptional ability: the EB-2 National Interest Waiver does not require an employer.
• A U.S. employer willing to sponsor you: see employment-based green cards.
• Citizenship of a treaty country and capital to invest: the E-2 investor visa is a renewable work status, not a green card.

What to Do Before November 1

The DV lottery 2027 is moving on a court-ordered schedule that an appeal could still change. Check the State Department's visa news page for the official dates, renew your passport if needed, prepare compliant photos and family details now, and enter once, only at dvprogram.state.gov. Then check Entrant Status Check by December 3, 2026.

If you are selected, the remaining months will be short. Our immigration lawyers help selectees with adjustment of status, prior refusals and family issues, and people who want a path that does not depend on a lottery.

Sources

Verified as of October 29, 2026. Court deadlines, the appeal and State Department guidance can change quickly. Check the primary sources below before you enter.

1. U.S. Department of State — Changes to Entry Period for 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) Program (November 5, 2025)
2. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California — Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio, No. 3:26-cv-04738, Order Granting the Motion for Preliminary Injunction (October 14, 2026)
3. Federal Register — Schedule of Fees for Consular Services: Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Fee, Doc. 2025-17851 (September 16, 2025)
4. Federal Register — Visas: Enhancing Vetting and Combatting Fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, 91 FR 11891 (March 11, 2026)
5. Federal Register — Diversity Visa Instructions for DV-2026, 89 FR 79997 (October 1, 2024)
6. U.S. Department of State — Diversity Visa Issuance Updated Guidance (December 23, 2025; updated August 2026)
7. U.S. Department of State — DV 2026 Selected Entrants (current page)
8. U.S. Department of State — Diversity Visa: Confirm Your Qualifications (current page)
9. Bloomberg Law — Green Card Lottery Must Be Reinstated, California Judge Says (October 15, 2026)
10. Newsweek — 2027 Green Card Lottery Cancellation Faces Appeal (October 21, 2026)