11/13/2026
DV Lottery 2027 Court Case Update (as of November 12, 2026).
The most significant recent development is that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit temporarily blocked a lower court order that would have forced the State Department to reopen DV-2027 registration.
What happened?
In August 2026, Red Eagle Law sued the U.S. Department of State after the government failed to open the DV-2027 registration period.
On October 14, 2026, a federal district judge ordered the State Department to reopen DV-2027 and begin accepting entries.
The government appealed.
On October 29, 2026, the Ninth Circuit granted the government's emergency request and stayed (paused) that order pending appeal. As a result, DV-2027 registration did not open on November 1, 2026.
Why did the appeals court block the order?
Importantly, the appeals court did not endorse the State Department's failure to open the lottery. Instead, the court questioned whether the plaintiff, a law firm, was the proper party to bring the lawsuit. The judges found that the firm's business interest in representing DV applicants was likely outside the interests protected by the Diversity Visa statute.
Is DV-2027 cancelled?
There has been no official announcement cancelling DV-2027. However:
Registration has never opened.
No entries have been accepted.
No winners have been selected.
No new registration date has been announced.
What happens next?
Several possibilities remain:
The appeal continues in the Ninth Circuit court. The court could later reverse or uphold the lower court's order.
New lawsuits have already been filed by individual prospective DV entrants, seeking to force the government to open both DV-2027 and DV-2028 registration. These cases attempt to address the standing issues identified by the Ninth Circuit court.
The State Department could independently announce a registration period, although it has not done so.
Bottom line:
For now, DV-2027 is frozen, not officially cancelled. The government's appeal is pending, registration remains closed, and immigration advocates continue pursuing additional litigation to reopen the program.
