The diversity visa program's pause has actually ended, but there is a hard deadline: September 30, 2026, by which all DV-2026 selectees must complete their visa processing. The Department of State paused diversity visa issuance on December 23, 2025, citing a security review, and left approximately 125,000–130,000 people selected in the lottery without a restart date for nine months.
A federal court halted the suspension on August 28, 2026, and the State Department announced it would resume processing on September 10, 2026. The diversity visa program allocates up to 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to people from countries with historically low immigration to the United States. The nine-month pause compressed what is normally a year-long process into a single month, forcing selectees into a severe timeline crunch.
Table of Contents
- How the Pause Was Lifted
- The September 30, 2026 Deadline Is Immovable
- Why This Timeline Is Unusually Tight
- What Selectees Must Do Immediately
- What Happens if You Miss September 30
- Frequently Asked Questions
How the Pause Was Lifted
The state department suspended diversity visa issuance on December 23, 2025, without announcing a restart date, after deciding it needed to review screening procedures following a security incident. Selectees heard nothing for months, unsure whether the pause would end before the fiscal year closed on September 30.
On August 28, 2026, a federal judge in Northern California granted a temporary court order in Medani, et al., v. Trump, et al., vacating the suspension. The court ruled that the blanket pause violated due process by suspending visa adjudication without individual case review, and ordered USCIS to immediately resume processing all pending diversity visa applications. The State Department announced compliance on September 10, 2026, instructing all U.S. embassies and consulates to restart diversity visa issuance.
The September 30, 2026 Deadline Is Immovable
The critical timeline is not when processing resumes—it is September 30, 2026, the statutory end of fiscal year 2026. All DV-2026 visa processing and issuance must be completed by that date. This is a hard deadline set by law and cannot be extended, delayed, or waived under any circumstance.
Approximately 125,000–130,000 people selected in the 2026 lottery must complete their medical exams, security clearances, consular interviews, and final visa approval before midnight on September 30. Anyone who does not finish by that date loses their diversity visa eligibility permanently, even if they were selected and all other conditions were met.
Why This Timeline Is Unusually Tight
In a normal diversity visa year, selectees receive their notification in May, have until September 30 to schedule and complete their interviews, and typically finish in summer or early fall. The 2026 class instead learned about the court order on August 28 and had 33 days remaining.
People who had interviews scheduled during the pause saw those appointments cancelled. Others had not yet been contacted by their consulate by mid-September. Medical exams and background checks that normally take weeks had to be compressed into days. Embassies processing high case volumes reported they could not guarantee interview appointments for all selectees before the deadline, meaning some people would miss the cutoff despite being selected and eligible.
What Selectees Must Do Immediately
If you are a DV-2026 selectee, your immediate steps are: Time pressure is acute. Many consulates have already received requests for expedited processing from selectees who are still waiting for appointment notices. Contact your consulate first thing Monday morning if today is a weekend, and every day matters.
- Contact your assigned embassy or consulate today; do not wait to be contacted. Find the correct consulate on the State Department Diversity Visa Instructions page.
- Confirm whether your interview is scheduled and what documents you must bring.
- Schedule a medical exam (Form I-693) immediately if you have not had one; approved physicians are listed on the embassy website.
- Gather all required documents: birth certificate, passport, police clearance, proof of financial support, and any marriage or divorce certificates.
- Be prepared to interview within one to two weeks, not the typical one to two months.
What Happens if You Miss September 30
If your visa is not approved and issued by September 30, 2026, your eligibility expires permanently. You cannot reapply to the diversity visa program, extend the deadline, or appeal the cutoff. You may be eligible for other immigration pathways—employment-based green cards, family sponsorship through a relative who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or humanitarian visas if you meet the criteria—but the diversity visa route is closed to you.
Future diversity visa lotteries are separate selections; being selected in 2026 gives you no advantage in 2027 or beyond. The 2027 lottery results are typically released in May 2027, and processing for that class begins in October 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the diversity visa pause officially over?
Yes. A federal court halted the suspension on August 28, 2026, and the State Department announced compliance on September 10, 2026, instructing all embassies and consulates to resume processing immediately.
Can the September 30 deadline be extended?
No. The September 30, 2026 deadline is statutory and immovable—it marks the end of fiscal year 2026. Selectees who do not receive their visa by midnight on that date lose eligibility permanently.
Why did the State Department pause diversity visas in the first place?
The Department of State suspended diversity visa issuance on December 23, 2025, citing a need to review screening and vetting procedures following a security incident involving a diversity visa recipient.
What should I do if I am a DV-2026 selectee and haven't been contacted yet?
Contact your assigned U.S. embassy or consulate immediately; do not wait for them to contact you. Confirm your interview date, gather all required documents, and schedule your medical exam. Time is critical—you have less than a month to complete the entire process.