The reopening of the American Lottery for 2027 has been blocked again, after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the United States temporarily suspended the implementation of a lower court's decision that had ordered the US administration to open registrations for the diversity visa program. The decision, made on October 29, allows the Trump administration to continue the suspension of the program while an appeal of the previous decision is considered.
However, the Court of Appeals has not issued a final ruling on the future of the program nor has it confirmed the legality of the US State Department's decision not to open registrations. In its reasoning, the court assessed that the plaintiff, immigration law firm Red Eagle Law, did not have a sufficient legal basis to challenge the decision of the US authorities.
The case began after a lawsuit filed by Red Eagle Law, which sought court intervention to force the State Department to open applications for DV-2027. On October 14, federal judge Jinsook Ohta ruled in favor of the law firm, ordering authorities to announce the registration period until October 29 and open the process on November 1.
The Diversity Visa Program, commonly known as the American Lottery, provides for the issuance of up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year to citizens of countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States. For now, registrations for DV-2027 remain closed and there is no new official date for the opening of applications. The case is expected to continue in the Court of Appeals, while it remains unclear when a final decision will be made and whether the program will reopen to applicants.
