Judge Orders Trump to Reopen Green Card Lottery by November

On October 14, 2026, US District Judge Jinsook Ohta ordered the Trump administration to reopen registration for the 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery by November 1, 2026. This ruling follows delays in the annual application process for the program, which allocates up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually.

The US Department of State is required to announce the registration schedule by October 29 and begin accepting applications no later than November 1. The decision stems from a lawsuit filed by California-based immigration firm Red Eagle Law, L.C., which argued that the administration's failure to open registration on time prevented eligible applicants from participating.

Judge Ohta found the government's inaction likely arbitrary and capricious, raising concerns about compliance with administrative procedures. This ruling comes nearly ten months after the Trump administration suspended the Diversity Visa program in December 2025, following violent incidents at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Additionally, data from USCIS indicated that 35,767 employment authorization applications related to Green Card adjustments were denied between April and June 2026, with a rejection rate of approximately 44%.