DV 2027 Lottery Registration Delayed, State Department Silent on Reason

The registration period for the U.S. Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery for the DV-2027 cycle has been delayed past its expected opening date in early October, prompting concerns and confusion among millions of prospective applicants worldwide.

While the annual lottery, often referred to as the Green Card Lottery, typically opens for registration at the beginning of the U.S. fiscal year, that is not the case this year.

This publication reached out to the U.S. Department of State (DOS) twice seeking a reason for the delayed opening of the DV-2027 registration. However, the State Department declined to provide a direct answer and refused to disclose the reason for the delay.

When we asked, “Can the Department of State confirm or deny if the development and deployment of the system for collecting the new $1 electronic registration fee has influenced the official start date of the DV-2027 registration period?”

A spokesperson told NepYork, “The Diversity Visa (DV) program is established by statute, and the Department of State will continue to implement the program as required by law.” They added, “This year, there will be changes to the DV entry process.”

We had asked, “What are the exact or tentative start and end dates for the DV-2027 registration period?”

The Department of State has not yet released the official or tentative start and end dates for the DV-2027 registration period. “We will announce registration dates and other details when available,” the spokesperson said. The Department is expected to publish detailed information soon on its website, travel.state.gov, and in the Federal Register.

An entry period delay is not unprecedented. A technical problem occurred in 2017, which led to a postponement due to unspecified “technical reasons.” All entries submitted between October 3 and 10 were lost due to a technical glitch, and a new full entry period began on Wednesday, October 18, 2017.

Immigration attorneys speculate the current delay may be linked to a major change in the program—the introduction of a new $1 electronic registration fee for all entrants, which takes effect with the DV-2027 cycle. “Implementing the new payment processing system across the globe could be the new ‘technical reason’ for the prolonged wait,” said Keshab Seadie, an immigration attorney based in New York.

One of the confirmed changes is the implementation of a new $1 electronic registration fee. The spokesperson for the Department of State did not confirm that this new fee is the cause of the delay, nor did they confirm or deny that a government shutdown influenced the start date.

A final rule establishing the $1 registration fee for the DV Lottery was published in the Federal Register on September 16, 2025, and took effect the same day, with the public notified a day prior. This new fee must be collected electronically at the time of filing the DV application.

The Department explained the purpose of the fee: “The new fee for registration will more fairly allocate the costs of managing the random selection process to those who register. It will also help reduce speculative registrations by individuals seeking to exploit questionable potential entrants.”

Previously, the cost of operating the lottery was bundled into the $330 Diversity Visa application fee, which was only paid by those successfully selected for a visa. This new rule aims to “more fairly burden the individuals seeking access to the DV application process, instead of placing the costs of the lottery registration on all registrants.”

The Department estimates this fee will generate approximately $25 million in revenue. While the cost of the lottery operation has been removed from the DV application fee, the total $330 fee paid by successful applicants will not be immediately reduced. The government stated it plans to review and adjust the DV application fee in future model updates.

Millions of people from eligible countries rely on the DV Lottery for a chance to receive one of 55,000 available immigrant visas to the United States. Applicants are advised to monitor the official State Department website, travel.state.gov, for the announcement of the official registration dates.

In a separate action, the Trump administration has proposed a rule to mandate a passport for all DV Lottery applicants. However, due to the time required for finalization, this passport rule will not be implemented this year. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on August 5, 2025, with a public comment period that closed on September 19, 2025.

The administration is currently working to re-establish the passport requirement while ensuring legal compliance, following a previous, unfinalized plan by the Biden administration to implement a similar rule.