Judge Weighs Reopening of 2027 Green Card Lottery

A federal judge in California is considering whether the Trump administration can be required to open the 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, despite the government arguing that the legal deadline for running the program has passed. The case hinges on whether the DV lottery should be revived or if fiscal year 2027 will pass without any new registrations.

U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta is expected to announce her decision by October 14. The Diversity Visa Program, also known as the green card lottery, provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. The program was established through the Immigration Act of 1990 and allows for a 30-day registration period before visas are issued.

The State Department announced in November 2025 that it would change the DV entry process and provide a registration start date as soon as practicable, but registration did not commence before September 30, 2025. Red Eagle Law, a California immigration law firm, filed a lawsuit on August 19, arguing that the State Department has a mandatory obligation to administer the program and establish a registration period.

They contend that the government's inaction violates the Administrative Procedure Act and exceeds the secretary's lawful authority. The government disputes the court's ability to provide relief now that fiscal year 2027 has begun, arguing that a registration period ending in 2027 would correspond to visas for 2028 rather than DV-2027. The judge is weighing the arguments and is expected to rule on the matter soon.