Status as of October 14, 2026. A federal judge has ordered the State Department to begin the delayed DV-2027 green card lottery. The initial ruling required registration to open by October 18, but the plaintiff's lawyer says the judge has since approved a joint request to extend the start and selection deadlines by two weeks. A revised written order and an official registration announcement have not yet been independently verified.

A federal court in San Diego has ordered the U.S. government to move ahead with the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery, nearly a year after the State Department postponed registration without announcing a new date. For millions of people who had been waiting to enter, the decision means the government has been directed to conduct a lottery rather than leave the program on hold.

U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta granted a preliminary injunction on October 14 in Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio, No. 3:26-cv-04738-JO-VET. Her two-page order required Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in his official capacity, to open electronic registration, accept eligible entries and proceed with selecting applicants for fiscal year 2027.

What the court ordered, and why October 18 is not a confirmed start date

The original October 14 order set a tight schedule: announce the registration requirements, open electronic registration by midnight Eastern Time on October 18, keep the registration period open for 30 days and notify selected entrants by November 19. The order also required the State Department to process qualifying visa applications under applicable law until the DV-2027 allocation is exhausted or September 30, 2027, whichever comes first.

Hours later, however, the timetable changed. Curtis Morrison, an attorney for plaintiff Red Eagle Law, announced that both sides had jointly asked Judge Ohta to add two weeks to the deadlines for opening registration and announcing selectees. Morrison subsequently reported that the judge granted the request.

That later development matters more to anyone planning to apply than the October 18 date circulating on social media. The amended written order was not available for independent confirmation at the time of this report, and the State Department had not issued an official opening announcement. The reported extension should not be treated as a government registration notice or a guarantee that the application site will open on a particular day.

Why DV-2027 ended up in court

Registration for DV-2027 would normally have taken place in fall 2025. Instead, on November 5, 2025, the State Department said it was implementing changes to the lottery entry process and would announce both the registration dates and the date for checking results as soon as practicable. That announcement left the visa-application year unchanged: October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.

With registration still unopened months later, California-based immigration firm Red Eagle Law sued Secretary Rubio. The government argued that the time for running the lottery had passed. The firm challenged the prolonged inaction and sought an order requiring the program to proceed. The October 14 preliminary injunction favors the plaintiff at this stage of the litigation, but it is not a final judgment and may be subject to further proceedings.

Factum Immigration previously examined the delay in its DV-2027 and DV-2028 registration dates report. An expanded DV-2027 program guide explains eligibility, the selection process and changes to the entry requirements.

What prospective applicants should know

The ruling does not mean that people can submit applications today. The entry portal at dvprogram.state.gov can accept DV-2027 entries only when the Department of State officially opens the registration period.

The coming entry process is also different from previous lotteries. New regulations establish a $1 electronic registration fee and require passport details and an uploaded passport-page image, with limited regulatory exceptions. Applicants will need to consult the actual DV-2027 instructions when released, rather than rely on forms or payment links circulated by third parties.

Selection is not the same as winning a green card. People chosen through the lottery must still meet legal eligibility requirements, complete the immigrant visa or adjustment-of-status process and obtain visas while numbers are available. The court's order does not, by itself, grant immigration status to anyone, extend the September 30, 2027 statutory deadline or resolve other litigation over Diversity Visa issuance.

The uncertainty also creates an opportunity for scams. Nobody can sell an early entry or guarantee selection. Our guide to green card lottery scams explains how to recognize false registration offers.

What happens next

The next developments to watch are the amended court order, any further challenge to the injunction, and an official State Department notice giving the registration dates and instructions. Until the dates are published by the government, the safest description of DV-2027 is simple: the court has ordered the lottery to proceed, but registration has not been confirmed open.

Frequently asked questions

Does someone need to join the lawsuit to enter DV-2027?

No. The order instructs the State Department to conduct a general registration period. Applicants will be subject to the program's eligibility requirements, not membership in the lawsuit.

Does the court order also set DV-2028 registration dates?

No. The October 14 injunction addresses the delayed DV-2027 program, not the separate DV-2028 entry schedule.

Official sources

Disclaimer: Factum Immigration provides general information, not legal advice. For guidance on an individual case, consult a licensed immigration attorney.