A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of State (State Department) to reopen delayed DV-2027 lottery registration on set dates, as Texas Rep. Keith Self introduced a bill his office says would end the program.
Under the modified schedule in Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Rubio, the department must announce registration details by midnight Eastern Time (ET) on Oct. 29, open a 30-day registration period by midnight ET on Nov. 1, and notify selectees by midnight ET on Dec. 3. U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta issued the injunction after the department did not open DV-2027 registration.
Ohta’s written opinion faulted the department for not giving a reason for its action. It said people who otherwise met the program’s requirements would lose their chance to enter that year’s lottery if registration did not open. The government appealed and asked the district court to suspend the injunction, but Ohta denied the request on Oct. 21.
Self introduced H.R. 10896 on Oct. 22. The House referred the bill to the Judiciary Committee that day, and Congress.gov showed no later action as of Oct. 24. Self’s office described the measure as a repeal, but its release did not detail the bill’s provisions or give a timeline for further action. Self criticized the court’s role, saying, “We cannot allow activist judges to dictate our immigration policy.”
Congress established the Diversity Visa Program under the Immigration Act of 1990. It offers a route to permanent U.S. residency for people from countries with historically low immigration levels. The program makes up to 55,000 visas available each year. A random draw identifies potential applicants, who must still meet eligibility rules and pass screening before receiving a visa.
The registration order and the visa-issuance pause address different parts of the process. An Aug. 31 State Department notice said a pause announced in December 2025 had ended as of Aug. 28, then announced a new pause on all diversity-visa issuances, effective immediately. The guidance allows applications and interviews to continue while directing that no diversity visas be issued. The order and notice do not specify how the pause applies to people selected through DV-2027.
The next court-ordered deadline is the announcement of registration details by midnight ET on Oct. 29.
