The Diversity Visa (DV) program, commonly called the Green Card Lottery, is a U.S. immigration program administered by the Department of State. It provides immigrant visas to qualified applicants from countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States. The program can make up to 55,000 immigrant visas available each year, although the number available in a particular fiscal year can be lower because of statutory deductions.
The latest update is especially important for people waiting for the next lottery. The Department of State has not yet announced the registration dates for DV-2027, while DV-2026 applicants are approaching the September 30, 2026 end of the fiscal year. At the same time, new registration requirements, including a $1 electronic entry fee and a passport-scan requirement, are scheduled to apply to the DV-2027 entry process.
Is the Diversity Visa Lottery Open Right Now?
For people who want to enter the next Diversity Visa lottery, the most important current fact is that DV-2027 registration has not opened and no official opening date has been announced.
The Department of State announced in November 2025 that it was changing the DV entry process and would announce the DV-2027 registration start date and the date when selection results would become available through Entrant Status Check. The department said the visa application period for people selected for DV-2027 would remain October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
That means applicants should not rely on websites, social-media posts or private agents claiming that DV-2027 registration is already open. The official registration period should be confirmed through the Department of State before an entry is submitted.
DV-2027 Registration Date: What Applicants Need to Know
A specific DV-2027 registration date remains pending in the latest official Department of State information.
In a normal year, Diversity Visa registration is generally held during the fall of the preceding fiscal year. However, the Department of State delayed the DV-2027 entry period while implementing changes to the registration process.
The department has not announced a replacement opening date. Therefore, applicants should avoid treating an expected October or November schedule from earlier lottery years as an official 2026 registration date.
The next official announcement is expected to explain when the online entry period will begin, when it will close and when applicants can use Entrant Status Check to learn whether they were selected.
New $1 Diversity Visa Registration Fee
One of the major changes for the upcoming Diversity Visa cycle is a $1 electronic registration fee.
The Department of State finalized rules establishing the fee for people entering the DV program. The fee is separate from the visa application fee that selected applicants pay later in the immigration process.
The $1 fee is associated with the electronic registration itself and is not a payment for a guaranteed selection. Paying the fee does not increase an applicant’s chance of being selected.
Applicants should wait for the official DV-2027 registration system to open before attempting to pay the registration fee. A person should not send money to an unofficial website or individual who claims to have early access to the lottery.
Passport Scan Requirement for DV-2027
The Department of State has also finalized a new passport-related requirement for the Diversity Visa entry process.
Beginning with the DV-2027 program, entrants generally must provide information from a valid, unexpired passport and upload a scan of the passport’s biographic and signature page with the electronic entry. The final rule contains limited exemptions to the passport requirement.
The change is intended to strengthen identity verification and reduce fraud during the entry process. Applicants who expect to participate in DV-2027 should make sure they understand the official passport requirements before submitting an entry.
Because the DV-2027 registration system has not yet opened, applicants should wait for the official instructions to confirm the exact technical specifications and any applicable exemptions at the time of registration.
What Is the Current Status of DV-2026?
DV-2026 is in its final stage. The Department of State selected approximately 129,516 prospective applicants, including selectees and their spouses and children, from more than 20.8 million qualified entries received during the DV-2026 registration period.
The larger number of prospective applicants does not mean that 129,516 Diversity Visas are available. The Department selects more people than the annual visa allocation because some selectees will not complete the process or will not qualify.
For DV-2026, the effective annual visa limit is approximately 52,101 after statutory deductions. The Department’s September 2026 Visa Bulletin lists regional rank-number cutoffs for the final month of the fiscal year.
The fiscal-year deadline is critical. A DV-2026 selectee must obtain the immigrant visa or complete adjustment of status by September 30, 2026. Diversity Visa benefits do not automatically carry over into the next fiscal year.
DV-2026 and the Recent Court Litigation
The Diversity Visa program has also been affected by federal litigation over government policies that paused or restricted processing.
On August 28, 2026, a federal court in California issued an order in Medani v. Trump that granted preliminary relief and certified subclasses involving DV-2026 selectees and their eligible family members. The court vacated policies that had paused certain Diversity Visa processing and directed the government to take reasonable steps, to the extent practicable and in good faith, to resume ordinary adjudication during the remainder of the fiscal year.
The Department of State subsequently stated that the December 2025 pause on Diversity Visa issuance was no longer in effect as of August 28, 2026.
The court proceedings have continued because the time available for DV-2026 processing is limited. The September 30 fiscal-year deadline remains a central issue for applicants whose cases were delayed.
For DV-2026 selectees, this means that a court-ordered resumption of processing does not create a new fiscal year. Applicants still need their cases completed within the statutory DV-2026 period.
DV-2026 Visa Bulletin Cutoffs
The September 2026 Visa Bulletin provides the final-month Diversity Visa rank-number cutoffs for qualified DV-2026 applicants.
The listed cutoffs are:
- Africa: 101,250, with separate limits of 85,000 for Algeria and 50,000 for Egypt
- Asia: 40,000, with a separate limit of 13,500 for Nepal
- Europe: 47,500
- North America — Bahamas: Current
- Oceania: 3,000
- South America and the Caribbean: 4,750
A cutoff number does not mean that every applicant below that number will automatically receive a visa. Applicants must still meet all eligibility and admissibility requirements, complete the required process and obtain a visa number while numbers remain available.
The Department of State also warns that Diversity Visa availability cannot be assumed through the very end of the fiscal year because the annual numbers can be exhausted before September 30.
Who Can Qualify for a Diversity Visa?
Eligibility for the Diversity Visa depends on several requirements.
First, the applicant generally must be chargeable to a country that qualifies for the applicable DV program. The eligible-country list can change from one program year to another because it is based on immigration levels.
Second, the principal applicant generally must meet the program’s education or work-experience requirement. The Department of State requires either:
- A high school education or its equivalent; or
- Two years of qualifying work experience within the previous five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.
Meeting the basic requirements does not guarantee selection or visa issuance.
Country eligibility is generally based on the applicant’s country of birth rather than simply the country where the applicant currently lives. Under specific circumstances, alternate chargeability through a spouse or parent may be available.
How Does the Diversity Visa Selection Process Work?
The Department of State conducts a random selection from qualified entries after the registration period closes.
Selection is not the same as receiving a Green Card. A selected applicant must still establish eligibility, submit the required immigration forms and supporting documentation, complete the required interview or adjustment-of-status process, and satisfy all applicable immigration requirements.
For applicants processing through a U.S. embassy or consulate, the immigrant visa process generally includes submitting Form DS-260, providing supporting documents and completing an interview when scheduled.
Applicants already lawfully present in the United States may, if otherwise eligible, pursue adjustment of status through USCIS instead of obtaining a Diversity Visa through a consular post.
How to Check Diversity Visa Results
Diversity Visa selection results are checked through the official Entrant Status Check system.
The Department of State does not send an official selection letter or email telling applicants that they have won. Applicants should use their confirmation information to check their status through the official system.
The government also warns about Diversity Visa scams. Fraudsters may use emails, letters, websites or social-media messages that appear to be associated with the U.S. government.
Applicants should be particularly cautious about anyone demanding payment to reveal a supposed lottery result or promising a guaranteed Green Card.
What Should Future DV-2027 Applicants Prepare?
While waiting for the official DV-2027 registration announcement, prospective applicants can prepare without submitting an entry.
They should review the official eligibility requirements, check whether their country of birth is likely to be eligible once the official DV-2027 country list is published, and make sure they understand the education or qualifying work-experience requirement.
Applicants should also prepare a compliant digital photograph and, because of the new rules, pay close attention to passport requirements. If a valid passport is required for the entry, applicants should avoid waiting until the final hours of the registration period to obtain or scan the document.
Most importantly, applicants should use only official U.S. government information when the registration period opens.
What Happens After Someone Is Selected?
Selection allows an applicant to continue with the Diversity Visa process, but it does not guarantee a visa.
A selected applicant must complete the required immigrant visa application and meet all eligibility and admissibility requirements. The applicant may also need to provide civil documents, undergo a medical examination and attend an interview.
Visa numbers are limited. The Department of State assigns numbers by geographic region and applies a country limitation so that no single country can receive more than 7% of the available Diversity Visas in a fiscal year.
Because the number of selected applicants is higher than the number of available visas, applicants should complete each required step as soon as they are eligible rather than assuming selection alone guarantees permanent residence.
Diversity Visa Latest Update: What Matters Most Now
The most important current developments are straightforward. DV-2027 registration has not yet opened, and the Department of State has not announced the registration start date. The DV-2027 visa application period for selected applicants remains scheduled for October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
For future entrants, the process will include major changes: a $1 electronic registration fee and a passport information and passport-scan requirement, subject to the limited exemptions in the final rule.
For people already selected for DV-2026, the situation is much more time-sensitive. Court action has required the government to resume processing affected cases, but the DV-2026 fiscal year still ends on September 30, 2026. Applicants who do not obtain a visa or complete adjustment of status by that deadline generally lose the benefit of their DV-2026 selection.
The safest way to follow the program is to monitor the Department of State’s official Diversity Visa information and Entrant Status Check system rather than relying on unofficial registration dates or messages from private agents.
Stay tuned for the next official Diversity Visa update, and share your questions or latest experience in the comments so others can follow the program with you.