Update, October 1, 2026: On September 30, the court ordered the State Department to keep processing fiscal year 2026 Diversity VisaAn annual program under INA 203(c) that makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available through a random drawing run by the Department of State, for people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Entrants generally need at least a high school education or equivalent, or two years of qualifying work experience. Being selected does not guarantee a visa.See it in the glossary cases for 10 days past the deadline. Read our report.
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Update, September 29, 2026: The deadline is tomorrow. Under the State Department’s DV-2026 instructions, visas cannot be issued and adjustments cannot be approved after September 30, 2026, and there is no carryover to the next year. Processing has resumed since the August 28 order, but the order does not extend the deadline.
A federal court has ordered renewed processing of covered Diversity Visa applications, but the fiscal-year deadline remains a separate obstacle. For DV-2026 applicants, a favorable procedural ruling is not the same thing as an approved visa.
What the court ordered
In its August 28 court order, the Northern District of California granted preliminary relief in Medani v. Trump. Judge Edward J. Davila temporarily vacated three challenged hold policies for certified subclasses of FY-2026 Diversity Visa selectees and derivative beneficiaries.
The order directs the State Department, to the extent practicable and in good faith, to reconsider applications refused solely under the challenged visa pauses and resume ordinary adjudication of pending applications. It similarly directs USCIS to resume ordinary adjudication of covered pending adjustment applications without applying the USCIS pause.
The parties must submit a joint status report by September 18. This is preliminary relief while litigation continues, not a final judgment granting every applicant permanent residence. This article describes the court’s directives, not confirmation that every affected case has restarted.
The deadline remains September 30
The State Department’s September bulletin states that DV-2026 eligibility ends September 30, 2026. It says visas cannot be issued to DV-2026 applicants after that date. Accompanying or following-to-join spouses and children face the same end date for derivative DV status.
The bulletin also warns that numbers could run out before September 30. The calendar deadline does not guarantee that numbers will remain available until the final day.
Case numbers still matter
For September, the bulletin lists regional cutoffs of 101,250 for Africa, 40,000 for Asia, 47,500 for Europe, 3,000 for Oceania, and 4,750 for South America and the Caribbean. The Bahamas is current. Separate cutoffs apply to Algeria, Egypt, and Nepal. Where a cutoff appears, the applicant’s regional lottery rank number must be below it.
How the ruling and bulletin address different issues
The ruling addresses challenged processing barriers; the bulletin addresses visa-number availability and the fiscal-year limit. Neither grants an individual application. The order’s covered classes, later agency implementation notices and remaining application requirements determine its procedural effect.