US Court Orders Trump Administration to Reopen 2027 Visa Lottery Registration

A US court has ordered the Trump administration to reopen registration for the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery and to set a new deadline for entrants, reversing the government's closure of the programme's entry window.

The ruling, reported by El Cronista, directs federal officials to accept new registrations for the 2027 visa lottery, commonly known as the green card lottery. The judge also instructed the government to publish a fresh cutoff date so that prospective applicants know exactly when they must submit their entries.

What does the ruling change?

The order restores what the administration had shut down: the ability of eligible people worldwide to submit an electronic entry for the 2027 Diversity Visa programme. Until the court intervened, registration had been closed, leaving would-be applicants with no path to enter the draw.

Under the decision:

• The government must reopen the registration system for the 2027 lottery.
• Officials must announce a new deadline for submitting entries.
• Applicants who could not register during the closed period get a second window to participate.

Who is affected?

The Diversity Visa programme issues up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Entrants must meet education or work-experience requirements and submit a valid entry during the official registration period — a window that typically runs in the autumn of the preceding year.

The court order matters most for people who planned to enter the 2027 draw but found the system closed. It also affects families and sponsors waiting on the outcome of the lottery cycle.

What should applicants do now?

Applicants should watch for the State Department to publish the new registration dates on the official Diversity Visa website. Only entries submitted through the official electronic system during the announced window count; the programme charges no fee to enter.

Because the new deadline has not yet been announced, prospective entrants should monitor official State Department channels rather than third-party sites. The court's order binds the government to reopen the system, but the exact dates will appear only when officials publish them.

Passport File will track the announcement of the new deadline and update readers as soon as the government confirms the registration window.