A federal judge in Washington has ordered the State Department to reopen the Diversity Visa lottery, requiring registration to be announced and accessible by midnight on Thursday, October 15.
The preliminary injunction, issued October 14, blocks the administration's effective suspension of the program after the department failed to announce a registration period. The lottery makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available each year.
The case was brought by a California immigration law firm against the Secretary of State. The judge ruled from the bench that the department's inaction was likely unlawful under administrative law.
The ruling continues a pattern of court intervention in the program, including a 2020 order that required the lottery to resume after it was frozen during the pandemic.
