Green Cards

Did You Miss the DV-2027 Green Card Lottery? No. It Never Opened. Here's What Has Changed

Every October, millions of people enter the U.S. green card lottery. In 2025 the registration period never opened, and as of late September 2026 there are still no DV-2027 instructions, even though DV-2027's visa year begins October 1. Meanwhile, two new rules will change how you enter: a passport scan and a $1 fee. Here's where things stand and how to avoid lottery scams.

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Published Last updated 4 min read

Not legal advice. This article is general information only. It is not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Do not rely on it to decide what to do in your own case. Immigration rules change, so confirm current requirements at uscis.gov and talk to a licensed immigration attorney or DOJ-accredited representative.

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In this article
  1. What happened to DV-2027
  2. Two new rules that will apply when registration opens
  3. DV-2026 selectees: September 30 is final
  4. How to spot a fake DV lottery site
  5. What to do while you wait
  6. Official sources

If you searched "DV lottery 2027 registration" this month and found sites saying the entry period is open, or that you missed it, here's the short answer: the State Department has not opened DV-2027 registration. It was supposed to run in October and November 2025. It didn't, and as of September 27, 2026, the Department still hasn't announced dates.

That's an odd position for a program whose DV-2027 visa year starts on October 1, 2026. This article explains what's official, what has changed in the rules, and what to ignore. Facts are current as of September 27, 2026.

What happened to DV-2027

On November 5, 2025, the State Department posted a short notice: it was "implementing certain changes to the Diversity Visa (DV) entry process" and would announce the DV-2027 registration start date "as soon as practicable." The same notice said the visa application period for anyone selected for DV-2027 "will remain October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027."

No start date has been announced since. The official Diversity Visa Instructions page still shows DV-2026 as the most recent program, with registration that ran from October 2 to November 7, 2024. There are no DV-2027 instructions.

So, in plain terms:

  • You haven't missed DV-2027. Nobody has been able to enter it.
  • There are no DV-2027 selectees yet, because no drawing has happened.
  • DV-2028 dates haven't been announced either. Sites claiming DV-2028 "opens in October" are guessing from past patterns.

Two new rules that will apply when registration opens

A valid passport and a scan of it

A State Department final rule published March 11, 2026 and effective April 10 requires every DV entrant to provide valid, unexpired passport information and upload a scan of the passport's biographic and signature page on the electronic entry form, unless they qualify for an exemption. The rule says the Department is implementing it "with the 2027 Diversity Visa" program, which means it will apply to the first registration period that opens.

The stated reason is fraud: the Department says passport data makes it harder for third parties to submit entries in someone's name without their knowledge, and harder to fabricate identities. The practical effect is that anyone planning to enter should have a valid passport before registration opens. In many countries that takes weeks or months.

A $1 registration fee

A separate final rule, effective September 16, 2025, adds a $1 fee to register for the lottery, collected electronically when you submit your entry. The $330 Diversity Visa application fee that selectees pay later stays the same.

One discrepancy to note: the State Department's "Submit an Entry" page still says "There is no cost to register for the DV Program." That page appears not to have been updated for the fee rule. When official instructions for the next program year are published, they should settle it. Either way, the fee is $1, paid on the official site. No legitimate registration costs more.

DV-2026 selectees: September 30 is final

If you were selected for DV-2026, your eligibility ends on September 30, 2026. The Diversity Visa Instructions page says all DV-2026 applicants "must be found eligible for, and obtain, their visa or adjust status by the end of fiscal year 2026." Unused numbers don't carry over.

This year's DV-2026 applicants also lived through a nine-month freeze. After the December 2025 shooting at Brown University, whose suspect had entered through the DV program, the State Department paused DV visa issuance and USCIS put DV adjustment cases on hold. Both were undone by the same federal case, Medani v. Trump, in the Northern District of California. On August 28, 2026 the court temporarily vacated the USCIS hold memo, and the State Department's page now says the December 2025 issuance pause "is no longer in effect."

As with other State Department pages this year, the one-line update sits above the original pause announcement, which still reads "Effective immediately, the Department of State has paused all visa issuances to diversity immigrant visa applicants." That older text is no longer the current policy.

How to spot a fake DV lottery site

Search results for the lottery are full of look-alike sites. Many have "DV," "lottery" or "2028" in the domain and copy the government's design. Some charge "processing fees" of $50 to several hundred dollars; others collect passport scans, which the new rule makes more valuable to fraudsters.

  • The only place to enter is dvprogram.state.gov. It ends in .gov. Anything ending in .com, .us, .org or .online is not the government.
  • Selection results are only on the official Entrant Status Check. The State Department does not email or text people to say they've won.
  • Never pay anyone to "increase your chances." Selection is random. Submitting more than one entry for the same person disqualifies all of them.
  • Enter yourself if you can. If someone helps you, be present, and make sure you keep your own confirmation number. Some "agents" keep the number and then demand money if the entry is selected.

What to do while you wait

  1. Get or renew your passport now, so it's valid when registration opens.
  2. Check travel.state.gov's Diversity Visa pages, not social media, for the official announcement. Registration periods have historically lasted about a month.
  3. Read the instructions when they're published. Eligible countries change from year to year, and so can photo rules.

Official sources

Not legal advice. This article is general information only. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Immigration rules and USCIS processes change, so check uscis.gov for current requirements, and speak with a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative about your own case before you act. StatusPal is independent and is not affiliated with USCIS or the U.S. government.

Green Cards

Immigrant Visa Interview Canceled? The Consular Public Charge Pause, Bonds and What Changed in August

If your family member's immigrant visa interview abroad was canceled this summer, you're not alone. Three separate things happened in August: a court lifted the 75-country issuance pause, embassies reportedly paused interviews to retrain officers on public charge, and the State Department began asking some applicants to post public charge bonds. Here is how each one works and what you can do.