West Africa, this is the news so many families have been praying for. The DV-2027 Diversity Visa Lottery, the famous Green Card Lottery, is coming back. Registration has NOT opened yet, but a United States federal judge has ordered the State Department to run the program, and the countdown has officially begun.
What happened?
The State Department delayed DV-2027 registration and announced changes to the entry process, leaving millions of hopeful applicants in limbo. Immigration advocates sued, and on October 14, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta ruled in their favour in the case Red Eagle Law v. Rubio. A follow-up order set firm deadlines: the State Department must announce the registration dates by October 29, 2026, registration must open by November 1, 2026, and the entry window will run for 30 days. Selectees are to be notified by December 3, 2026.
What is new this year?
Two changes matter. First, there is now a $1 electronic registration fee (set by a final rule in September 2025). Second, most entrants must provide valid, unexpired passport information and upload a scan of their passport when entering (final rule, March 2026). That passport rule is exactly why you cannot afford to wait until November to prepare.
How to get ready now
- Passport: Check your passport today. If it has expired, or will expire soon, apply for a renewal immediately. Passport processing takes time, and without a valid passport most entries will be rejected.
- Photos: Get DV-compliant photos taken: recent, correct size, plain light background, no glasses, no head covering except for religious reasons.
- Documents and details: Gather your birth certificate details, and your education and work information, so you can enter your data accurately the moment the window opens. Mistakes and duplicate entries lead to disqualification.
- Stay scam-proof: The ONLY official entry site is https://dvprogram.state.gov. It currently says entries are not being accepted. Anyone claiming registration is already open, or charging you to “enter” you, is running a scam. Never pay anyone to submit your entry.
African countries are generally eligible for the Diversity Visa program, and for many Liberians, Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans this lottery is one of the few direct routes to permanent residence in the United States. Thirty days will pass quickly. Be ready before day one.
Need help preparing?
Isaac Explains guides clients across West Africa and beyond through immigration pathways and scholarship applications, document checks, entry preparation, deadlines and next steps after selection. Follow Isaac Explains for daily scholarship and immigration updates, and book a consultation on our Book Consultation page at https://www.isaacexplains.com. We will announce the official DV-2027 dates the moment the State Department publishes them.
