Haitian Citizens Can Enter US Green Card Lottery Again; Deadline 19 November

A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery, commonly known as the green card lottery, for fiscal year 2027. The programme was suspended in December 2025, and the court has now set a tight window for registration to resume.

Key facts

• U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta issued a preliminary injunction requiring the State Department to reopen the programme by 18 October.
• Registration must remain available through 19 November.
• The lottery provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually to applicants from countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States.
• The programme was suspended in December 2025.
• A rule issued in March requires diversity visa applicants to hold passports.

What did the court order?

Judge Ohta's preliminary injunction, issued on Wednesday, requires the State Department to reopen the Diversity Immigrant Visa programme for fiscal year 2027 by 18 October and to keep registration available through 19 November. The ruling reverses the suspension put in place last December.

California-based immigration law firm Red Eagle Law LC brought the challenge in federal court, seeking to restore the programme. Ohta had earlier denied the firm's request for a temporary restraining order before granting the preliminary injunction.

Why was the lottery suspended?

The suspension followed two shootings in December 2025 that authorities linked to Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown University student. Four people were killed across the incidents in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and the suspect was subsequently found dead by suicide.

Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the suspension, saying Valente had obtained permanent residency through the diversity visa programme. She directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the lottery.

Who is the lottery for?

The programme offers up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year to applicants from countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States, including many African nations. Successful applicants can obtain permanent residency after completing the required screening and application process.

What other rules apply?

The administration introduced additional restrictions after the suspension. In March, it issued a rule requiring diversity visa applicants to hold passports.

Separately, in September a federal judge in Northern California found that the State Department had resumed processing fiscal 2026 diversity visa applications at what the court called "an unprecedented glacial pace."

The administration has also expanded the factors immigration officers may weigh when deciding whether green card applicants are likely to become dependent on public assistance. That rule, effective 18 September, permits consideration of a wider range of benefits, including Medicaid and food assistance. Immigration advocates have warned it could discourage eligible families from seeking assistance, while the administration argues the policy promotes self-sufficiency.

What this means for travellers

Applicants from eligible countries face a short registration window: the programme must reopen by 18 October and registration must stay available through 19 November. Anyone considering entering should check whether their country qualifies and note the March rule requiring applicants to hold a passport.

The source does not state whether the administration will appeal the injunction. Fiscal 2026 diversity visa applications continue to be processed following the September court finding on the pace of handling.