You Won the Green Card Lottery but No Visa Is Being Issued

The State Department has paused diversity visa issuance. Applications and interviews may continue, but consular posts cannot issue new DVs under the current guidance.

The State Department has paused diversity visa issuance. Applications and interviews may continue, but consular posts cannot issue new DVs under the current guidance.

The DV-2028 entry period has still not been announced, but the eligibility rules sit in the regulation already. We cover low-admission birth, high school equivalency, the O*NET work experience route, and claiming a spouse's or parent's country.

Short answer: DV-2026 selectees lose the right to receive a visa after September 30, 2026. That date is not an administrative target. It is written into the statute. This year the process was also disrupted by a pause on DV…