US court orders Trump administration to reopen Green Card lottery by November 1

A United States federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to reopen registration for the 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery by November 1, 2026, following delays in the annual application process.

The ruling provides a revised timeline for eligible foreign nationals seeking permanent residency in the United States through the programme, which makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available annually.

According to a report by Business Standard on Friday, October 16, the order was issued by US District Judge Jinsook Ohta on October 14 in the case of Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio.

The court directed the US Department of State to announce the registration schedule by October 29 and commence applications no later than November 1.

The decision follows legal action challenging the administration’s failure to open registration within the usual application period.

What the court is saying

Judge Ohta found that the government’s failure to commence registration was likely arbitrary and capricious, raising concerns about its compliance with established administrative procedures.

The court subsequently approved a revised timetable following a joint request from the parties involved in the litigation.

• Under the revised arrangement, the State Department is required to accept electronic applications from eligible candidates and process successful applicants according to existing programme requirements.
• Registration is expected to remain open for approximately 30 days, although the government must officially confirm the application dates.
• Selected applicants will undergo the required documentation, eligibility verification and immigration screening procedures.
• Visa processing will continue until the available DV-2027 visas are exhausted or September 30, 2027, whichever comes first.

The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by California-based immigration firm Red Eagle Law, which argued that the registration delay prevented eligible applicants from participating in the programme.

What you should know

The court ruling comes nearly ten months after the Trump administration suspended the Diversity Visa programme in December 2025, following deadly shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

• At the time, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had been directed to pause the programme after authorities linked the suspect to a Green Card obtained through the Diversity Visa lottery in 2017.
• The suspension formed part of broader immigration restrictions introduced by the Trump administration.
• In August 2026, the US government also introduced stricter financial scrutiny for certain Green Card applicants, with immigration officers required to assess factors including income, assets, health and potential reliance on public benefits.

More recently, USCIS data showed that 35,767 employment authorisation applications associated with Green Card adjustment-of-status cases were denied between April and June 2026, representing a rejection rate of approximately 44%.