Court Orders DV Lottery to Restart, Applications to Begin by November 1
A US court has ordered the Trump administration to restart the Diversity Green Card Lottery, or DV Lottery, programme for 2027. According to a Forbes report, it is big news for citizens of countries from which people usually get very few opportunities to immigrate to the United States.
Under the court's order, the US State Department must announce the registration schedule by October 29. It has also been directed to start accepting applications by November 1.
Judge Jinsook Ohta of the California federal court issued the order on October 14. With applications not starting at the scheduled time, the programme had effectively been stalled; the court's directive is set to break that deadlock.
Under the court's order, the registration process may remain open for 30 days. However, applicants have been asked to wait for the State Department's official announcement for the final schedule, eligibility conditions and application procedure.
Which countries' citizens will be eligible to apply in this round will also be known from that official announcement. So for now, the wise course for those interested is to wait for the government announcement rather than paying money to any intermediary.
The case was filed by a law firm named Red Eagle Law. The firm alleged that by not starting to accept applications at the scheduled time, the US State Department had effectively blocked the programme.
It was further claimed in court that this had caused financial losses not only to applicants but also to the firm that provides legal assistance related to the lottery. It was in response to that case that the court set a deadline and ordered applications to begin.
The DV Lottery is commonly known as the Green Card Lottery. Through this programme, up to 55,000 immigrant visas are given every year to eligible citizens of countries that send relatively few immigrants to the United States.
Those selected can get the opportunity to live permanently in the United States. And unlike many employment-based immigration processes, taking part in this lottery does not usually require a job offer from a US employer or an employer's sponsorship — which is the programme's biggest attraction.
However, being selected in the lottery does not guarantee a green card. Selected applicants must meet the set eligibility requirements, submit the necessary documents and complete immigration and security checks.
Applying normally requires higher secondary education or an equivalent qualification. Alternatively, work experience in a profession meeting the prescribed conditions may also be required.
The programme has a long history. President George H. W. Bush launched it by signing the Immigration Act of 1990. It was introduced mainly to remove the extreme imbalance that the post-1965 immigration system had created for immigrants from certain countries.
The programme's main goal was to restore opportunities for underrepresented and less-represented communities to come to the United States, beyond the immigration benefits based on family or professional skills. The number of visas allocated under this programme also includes the principal applicant's spouse and children.
All eyes are now on October 29. Once the State Department announces the schedule by that date, it will be known exactly when applications can be submitted, which countries are on the eligible list, and whether there are any changes to the application rules.
