The green card lottery (Diversity Visa Program) did not formally die on September 4, 2026, or any other date. The Trump administration suspended all visa processing in December 2025, but a federal court ordered processing to resume in August 2026, and Congress has not yet passed legislation to eliminate the program permanently—only Congress can do that.
What actually changed on and near September 4 is that roughly 53,900 Diversity Visa selectees from the 2026 cohort now face a hard deadline of September 30, 2026, the end of the U.S. fiscal year. Any visa numbers unused by then expire and cannot be carried forward, effectively ending eligibility for that entire group whether or not they have completed their applications.
Table of Contents
- How the Suspension Started in December 2025
- The August 28 Court Order and Partial Restart
- The September 30 Fiscal-Year Deadline and Its Impact
- What Congress Has Proposed but Not Passed
- What Selectees Should Do Now
- Frequently Asked Questions
How the Suspension Started in December 2025
On December 18, 2025, the Trump administration suspended all Diversity visa processing indefinitely following the Brown University and MIT shootings, where the attackers were reportedly visa program beneficiaries. The suspension halted new visa applications, interview scheduling, and the administrative review process that approves or denies eligible candidates.
No timeline was announced for when processing might resume, and the freeze applied to all active applicants regardless of when they were originally selected in the lottery. This suspension did not require an act of Congress—it was an administrative order issued through the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS. However, it also did not formally repeal or eliminate the program, which exists under 8 U.S.C. § 1255 and can only be permanently ended by legislative action.
The August 28 Court Order and Partial Restart
On August 28, 2026, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila of the Northern District of California (Medani v. Trump, case No. 26-cv-6332) temporarily vacated the suspension. The court ordered USCIS to resume processing Diversity Visa adjustment applications "to the extent practicable" through the fiscal year.
This was not a full reinstatement but a partial one: processing resumed for applicants already in the adjustment queue, though the order did not address new visa number allocations or resolve all aspects of the program's status. The litigation is ongoing, and this court order is temporary. It does not guarantee that processing will continue beyond September 30 or that any permanent legal resolution is near.
The September 30 Fiscal-Year Deadline and Its Impact
Approximately 53,900 DV-2026 selectees—people who won the diversity lottery drawing in 2025 and were notified of selection in 2026—face an immovable deadline. Under State Department visa bulletin rules, any visa number allocated to the 2026 cohort that is not issued by September 30, 2026 (the end of U.S. fiscal year 2026) expires permanently. Unused numbers do not roll into the next fiscal year or the next diversity visa cohort.
This means that selectees whose cases are still in administrative review, pending their consular interview, waiting for their medical examination, or simply queued behind thousands of others have only weeks to complete an entire multi-step process. For many, this deadline is unreachable regardless of when court processing resumed.
What Congress Has Proposed but Not Passed
Several members of Congress have introduced legislation to permanently repeal the Diversity Visa Program. The ASSIMILATION Act (S.4546, 119th Congress) is one such proposal, but as of this writing it has not passed either chamber. Until legislation becomes law, the program remains statutorily authorized and can only be temporarily suspended through executive action, as it was in December 2025.
The distinction matters: a temporary freeze can be vacated by court order (as it was in August 2026) and could be reversed by a different administration. A congressional repeal would be permanent unless Congress passes a new law to restore it.
What Selectees Should Do Now
If you were selected in the Diversity Visa lottery (DV-2026) and have not yet received your visa: The outcome of both the ongoing litigation and congressional action remains uncertain. The safest assumption is to treat the September 30 deadline as absolute unless a court or Congress formally extends visa number availability for the 2026 cohort.
- Check your case status immediately at USCIS's online portal using your receipt notice number. Processing has resumed but backlogs are severe.
- Do not wait for written communication. Backlogs mean some applicants may not be contacted until after the September 30 deadline passes.
- If you are abroad and your case is with a U.S. consulate, contact that embassy or consulate directly to confirm your interview date and ensure you have completed all required medical examinations and documentation.
- If processing stops again after September 30, selectees from the 2026 cohort will be ineligible; you cannot reapply as a 2026 selectee and must wait for the next lottery drawing (if Congress does not repeal the program).
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can the green card lottery be permanently eliminated by the president alone?
No. Only Congress can permanently repeal the program through legislation. The president can suspend visa processing through executive action, as happened in December 2025, but a suspension can be vacated by a court and reversed by a future administration. A congressional repeal would be permanent unless Congress passes new law to restore it.
If my DV-2026 case is still pending after September 30, can I reapply or get an extension?
No. Visa numbers unused by September 30, 2026 expire permanently and cannot be carried forward. You cannot reapply as a 2026 selectee; you would have to enter the next annual diversity visa lottery drawing, which is a completely separate and uncertain process. There is no extension mechanism.
Does the court order guarantee processing will continue?
No. The August 28, 2026 order is temporary and does not resolve the underlying litigation. Processing could stop again if circumstances change or if a higher court reverses the order. It is advisable to assume the September 30 deadline is absolute. —