Dv 2027 lottery delayed: U.S. state department to announce new registration dates

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has said that the registration dates for the Diversity Visa, DV 2027 program will be announced in the coming months. The program, which usually starts in early October, has been delayed this year without explanation.

In its latest Visa Bulletin, the department repeated that the dates will be “widely publicized in the coming months.” It also advised interested applicants to check the official Diversity Visa webpage for updates. However, it is unclear whether this means an announcement will come soon or if it is just a routine statement.

Earlier this week, the department also released corrected results for the DV-2026 Green Card Lottery. A technical error had mistakenly shown some entrants from Cuba and Great Britain as selected. Officials later confirmed that Cuban nationals are not eligible for the DV program because the country already exceeds the U.S. immigration limit for the past five years.

According to the update, around 129,516 people, including selectees and their families, were chosen for the DV-2026 program. They were randomly selected from more than 20.8 million qualified entries submitted between October 2 and November 7, 2024. Diversity visas are distributed among six global regions, with no more than seven percent going to any one country.

Applicants must show proof of a high school education or at least two years of work experience in a job that requires training or experience. Those selected are advised to follow the instructions in their notification letters carefully and apply for their visas as soon as possible.

Why is DV 2027 delayed?

When asked about the delay in opening DV-2027 registration, the Department of State did not give a specific reason. A spokesperson said that the program would continue as required by law but added that “this year, there will be changes to the DV entry process.”

Immigration experts believe the delay may be related to a new $1 electronic registration fee that begins with the DV-2027 program. The fee was officially announced on September 16, 2025, and took effect immediately. It must be paid online when submitting the application.

The department explained that this new fee will help cover the cost of running the lottery and prevent fake or speculative applications. It expects to collect about $25 million from the new fee. The original $330 visa application fee for selected applicants will remain the same for now.

This is not the first time the DV program has been delayed. In 2017, a technical issue caused the department to restart the DV-2019 registration period after some entries were lost.

Separately, the Trump administration has proposed a rule that would require all DV Lottery applicants to have a valid passport at the time of entry. The rule will not take effect this year because it is still under review.

The official start and end dates for the DV-2027 registration period have not been released yet. The Department of State said it will post updates on travel.state.gov and in the Federal Register once they are finalized. Millions of applicants worldwide are waiting for the official announcement.