U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery: DV-2027 Status, Rules and Scams

For millions of people, the green card lottery is the only route to America that doesn't need a job offer or a relative. Right now it is also more uncertain than it has been in years: a delayed entry period, new passport rules and a pause on issuing visas that only ended in late August 2026.

This guide explains where things stand, who qualifies, what it costs and how to avoid the mistakes and scams that cost entrants their chance. Check the State Department's official Diversity Visa pages before acting, because the situation is moving fast.

Where the DV lottery stands in September 2026

DV-2026: the deadline is days away

The State Department paused diversity visa issuance in December 2025 to review its screening and vetting of DV applicants. On 28 August 2026, following a federal court order in Medani et al. v. Trump et al., it said that pause is no longer in effect.

The law does not extend the deadline. DV-2026 selectees who don't receive a visa or green card by 30 September 2026 get no further benefit from their selection. If this is you, check your case with the embassy or consulate handling it right away.

DV-2027: delayed, with new rules

In November 2025, the State Department announced changes to DV-2027 entry and deferred the entry period. It said it would announce dates "as soon as practicable". It also said the visa application period for anyone selected would still be 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.

A final rule published on 11 March 2026 then added a passport requirement, effective 10 April 2026, starting with DV-2027. The rule says the deferral was meant partly to give people time to get passports.

DV-2028: nothing announced

There is no official information about DV-2028. Any website or agent offering to "register" you for DV-2028 is not acting for the U.S. government.

How the Diversity Visa program works

The Diversity Visa (DV) program is run by the U.S. Department of State. It offers up to 55,000 immigrant visas a year to people born in countries with historically low immigration to the United States.

It works in stages:

1. Online entry during a set registration period, on the official E-DV website.
2. Random computer selection from eligible entries.
3. Entrant Status Check, where you find out if you were selected.
4. Visa application, including the online DS-260 form, documents, a medical exam and an interview, or a green card application with USCIS if you're already in the U.S. and eligible.

More people are selected than there are visas, because many selectees don't qualify or don't complete the process. Selection gives you the chance to apply. It is not a green card.

Who qualifies

You must meet two requirements.

1. Country of birth

Eligibility depends on where you were born, not your citizenship or where you live. Each year's instructions list which countries are not eligible, usually because they sent many immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years.

If your birth country isn't eligible, you may still be able to use your spouse's country of birth, or in limited cases a parent's. This is called chargeability, and the rules are set out in the official instructions.

2. Education or work experience

You need one of these:

• A high school education or its equivalent. This means successfully completing a formal 12-year course of elementary and secondary education comparable to U.S. high school. Equivalency certificates such as the GED and correspondence programs don't count.
• Two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. The State Department uses the Department of Labor's O*NET OnLine database to decide which occupations qualify.

You don't need to prove this at entry, but you must prove it at your interview. Claiming education you don't have is a common reason for refusal.

The new passport rule and $1 fee

Two changes apply from DV-2027 onward.

The $1 registration fee. A State Department rule effective 16 September 2025 added a $1 fee, paid when you submit your entry. The Federal Register notice says no waivers are available.

The passport requirement. You must enter valid, unexpired passport information and upload a scan of the passport's biographic and signature page. The rule gives limited exemptions for:

• stateless people
• nationals of a Communist-controlled country who can't get a passport from that government
• people who are, or expect to be, the beneficiary of an individual waiver approved by the Secretaries of Homeland Security and State

If you claim an exemption, you must provide evidence. The State Department says it found 2.5 million fraudulent or duplicate entries in DV-2025, often submitted by third parties without the entrants' knowledge, which is why it tightened the rules.

How to enter, step by step

When the State Department announces an entry period, follow these steps.

1. Read that year's official instructions on travel.state.gov in full, including the list of ineligible countries.
2. Check your education or work experience against the rules above.
3. Prepare your passport scan and a recent digital photo that meets the instructions' specifications, for yourself, your spouse and each child.
4. Go only to dvprogram.state.gov, typing the address yourself rather than clicking links in messages.
5. Complete the entry form yourself, or be present if someone helps you.
6. List your spouse and all unmarried children under 21, even if they won't move with you. Check the instructions for the few exceptions.
7. Pay the $1 fee on the official site.
8. Save your confirmation number somewhere safe. You need it to check results.

Submit only one entry per person. Duplicates disqualify all of that person's entries.

If you're selected: what happens next

Selection is the start, not the finish. Move quickly, because every visa must be issued by the end of that fiscal year, 30 September.

1. Confirm on Entrant Status Check and read the instructions shown there.
2. Submit the DS-260 immigrant visa application for yourself and each family member coming with you.
3. Gather civil documents: birth certificates, marriage or divorce records, police certificates, passports and proof of education or work experience, with certified translations.
4. Watch Entrant Status Check for your interview appointment.
5. Complete the medical exam with an embassy-approved panel physician.
6. Pay the $330 DV application fee per person, as instructed for your embassy, and attend the interview.
7. Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee so your green card can be produced, then travel to the U.S. before your visa expires.

If you're already in the U.S. in valid status, you may be able to adjust status with USCIS instead. Timing rules are strict, so get legal advice.

What it costs

The $1 and $330 fees come from the State Department's fee rule, and the USCIS Immigrant Fee comes from Form G-1055, edition dated 9 September 2026.

Plan beyond the fees. Many new arrivals need savings to cover rent deposits, health insurance, a Social Security number application, a U.S. bank account and living costs while job hunting. A consular officer may also ask whether you're likely to rely on public benefits, so evidence of savings, a job offer or a supporter in the U.S. can help.

Mistakes that cost people their chance

• Using a photo that doesn't meet the rules or reusing an old photo.
• Submitting more than one entry for the same person.
• Leaving out a spouse or eligible child from the entry form, then trying to add them at the interview.
• Losing the confirmation number or letting an agent keep it.
• Waiting too long after selection to submit the DS-260 and documents.
• Claiming education or work experience you can't prove.

For other ways to move permanently if you're not selected, see all the ways to get a U.S. green card or explore U.S. work visa sponsorship.

Scams to avoid

Other red flags:

• Websites that aren't dvprogram.state.gov charging to "submit" your entry
• Agents who keep your confirmation number and later demand money for it
• Offers to enter DV-2027 or DV-2028 now, before any official entry period is announced
• Requests for payment through money transfer services, gift cards or cryptocurrency

The State Department has also warned that some entries are submitted by third parties without entrants' knowledge. Only you, or someone you're sitting with, should submit your entry.

Your checklist

1. Check whether your country of birth is likely to be eligible in the next instructions.
2. Confirm your education or work experience qualifies, using O*NET for work experience.
3. Get or renew your passport, and those of your spouse and children.
4. Bookmark travel.state.gov and dvprogram.state.gov, and check them for DV-2027 dates.
5. When entries open, submit one entry yourself, pay only the official $1 fee and save your confirmation number.
6. If you're a DV-2026 selectee, contact your embassy or consulate now, before 30 September 2026.
7. Start saving for DV fees, medicals, travel and your first months in the U.S.