A federal judge has mandated the Trump administration to initiate the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery. This decision follows the administration’s failure to commence the registration period for the green card program on time.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta issued a preliminary injunction. This obligates the State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to set up a registration period for the 2027 fiscal year program. The judgment allows potential applicants to participate in the green card lottery. The State Department must process all entries until either the 55,000 visas are issued or the fiscal year concludes.
Judge Ohta instructed that the DV-2027 registration period announcement and opening be completed by midnight Eastern time on Thursday. This directive was given to Curtis Morrison, an attorney representing Red Eagle Law L.C., which initiated the lawsuit. The registration period is required to be open for a minimum of 30 days.
The Trump administration, known for opposing the Diversity Visa program, did not start the DV-2027 registration before the previous fiscal year ended. In court, the government asserted that a delayed registration period would clash with existing regulations concerning the program’s schedule.
Red Eagle Law contested Rubio and the State Department’s inaction, basing their lawsuit on the Administrative Procedure Act. Under President Donald Trump’s second term, the administration has focused on restricting several legal immigration pathways, including visa and humanitarian programs, as part of a broader enforcement strategy.
Established by Congress in 1990, the Diversity Visa program grants green cards to eligible individuals from countries with historically low immigration rates to the U.S. Lottery winners must fulfill immigration criteria to obtain a visa.
Further developments in this story will be updated as information becomes available.