The US Diversity Visa (DV) Program — commonly called the “green card lottery” — randomly selects up to 55,000 people a year for US permanent residence from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the US. It’s genuinely free to enter beyond a small new registration fee, but it’s also one of the most scam-targeted programs in US immigration, and as of the start of DV-2027 registration, it’s operating under an active State Department pause on visa issuance. Here’s what’s actually true right now.
Important: the December 2025 issuance pause
On 23 December 2025, the State Department paused all Diversity Visa issuances “effective immediately,” following the shooting of a National Guard member in Washington, DC linked to an individual who had entered the US on a DV-derived visa. Per the State Department’s official guidance:
- DV applicants may still submit applications and attend interviews, and appointments continue to be scheduled.
- No Diversity Visas are being issued while the department reviews DV screening and vetting protocols.
- Existing DV appointments are generally not being cancelled or rescheduled outright.
- No diversity or other visas have been revoked as a result of this guidance.
There’s no published end date for the pause. If you’re relying on a DV outcome for near-term travel or relocation plans, treat it as indefinitely delayed until the State Department announces otherwise, and check travel.state.gov’s visa news page for updates before making decisions.
DV-2027 registration: what’s changed
Per the State Department’s DV-2027 entry period notice:
- Registration timing has been delayed from the program’s traditional early-October opening. As of the department’s most recent notice, no registration open date or Entry Status Check (ESC) results date had been announced.
- A new $1 non-refundable electronic registration fee now applies at the time of entry — the first time DV registration has ever carried a mandatory fee.
- The visa application period for selected DV-2027 entrants remains 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, even though registration itself has been pushed back.
- Entries must be submitted only at the official government site, dvprogram.state.gov — no other site can register you, and paid “registration assistance” services are not required.
Who’s eligible
You qualify by country of birth, not citizenship or current residence, plus an education or work-experience test:
- You must have either a high school education (or equivalent — roughly a completed 12-year course of elementary and secondary education), or two years of qualifying work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.
- Your country of birth must not be on the list of countries excluded for sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the US in the preceding five years. For DV-2027 this exclusion list includes Bangladesh, Brazil, mainland China and Hong Kong, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
If you were born in an excluded country, you may still qualify through your spouse’s country of birth (if eligible) or, in narrower cases, your parents’ country of birth if neither parent was a resident of your own country of birth at the time of your birth.
What happens if you’re selected
Selection is not a visa — it’s an invitation to apply for one, subject to the same visa application process, fees, and interview as other immigrant visa categories, and (currently) subject to the issuance pause above. Selected entrants must file the DS-260 immigrant visa application, pay the standard immigrant visa application fee, gather civil documents (birth certificate, police certificates, marriage certificate if applicable), complete a medical exam with an authorised panel physician, and attend an interview at a US embassy or consulate — all within the fiscal-year visa application window, since unused numbers don’t roll over.
Avoiding scams
The DV program is a magnet for fraud because it’s free-ish, high-demand, and unfamiliar to most first-time entrants:
- Only dvprogram.state.gov is official — anything charging a large “processing fee” to enter, or claiming to guarantee selection, is not legitimate.
- The State Department never emails winners directly; you must check your own status via the Entry Status Check tool using your confirmation number.
- Selection notification letters, certificates, or “visa lottery agency” branding sent by email or post are not how results are delivered — treat any such communication as a scam.
FAQ
Is the DV lottery still open for 2027 right now? As of this guide’s writing, registration had not yet opened and no start date had been announced — confirm current status on travel.state.gov before planning around it.
Does the $1 fee guarantee anything? No — it’s simply the cost of submitting an entry; selection is still random and does not depend on paying more.
Can I still get selected and processed during the issuance pause? You can be selected, interviewed, and have your case processed, but visas are not currently being issued to successful applicants while the security review is underway.
What if my country of birth is excluded? Check whether your spouse’s or parents’ country of birth qualifies you under the alternative chargeability rules described above.
This is general preparation information, not legal advice — the DV program’s status is actively changing, so verify current eligibility, dates, and issuance status directly on travel.state.gov before you register or make any plans around it. For help getting your documents and timeline organised for whichever US visa route fits you, join the VisaMet waitlist.