Court tells US to process Green Card applications for up to 55k people

The court ordered the US State Department to reopen registration for the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery, also called the Green Card lottery. The order matters because the Trump administration had not opened this year's registration period on time and argued that reopening it was too late.

District Judge Jinsook Ohta required an announcement naming the opening and closing dates, the electronic entry website, and participation requirements. The department must also publish the information through normal channels, including the Federal Register. Registration must remain open for 30 days.

The department must accept electronic entries from people who meet eligibility and documentation rules. It must also notify those selected and process their applications under its usual procedures. The order followed a lawsuit filed against Secretary of State Marco Rubio by Red Eagle Law in August.

The Diversity Visa lottery is a US immigration program that allows eligible people from countries around the world to enter a random selection process for diversity visas. The article identifies it as the Green Card lottery because selected applicants may pursue permanent residence through the program. Its central idea is to provide a route into the US through a lottery rather than ordinary visa queues.

For the 2027 program, applicants would submit electronic entries during a registration period lasting 30 days. The State Department must publish the entry website and participation requirements. Entries are accepted only when applicants meet the program's eligibility and documentation requirements.

The court order requires officials to notify people who are selected and process their applications under usual procedures. The article does not explain the lottery's detailed eligibility rules or selection formula. Those details must therefore come from the State Department's official announcement when registration reopens.

The court order could open the application opportunity to up to 55,000 people from countries around the world. This figure describes the scale reported for the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery. It makes the ruling significant for many potential applicants who were unable to register when the administration failed to open the period on time.

The registration period must last 30 days. During that window, applicants who meet the eligibility and documentation requirements can submit electronic entries through the website identified by the State Department. The department must announce both the opening and closing dates.

The 30-day requirement creates a clear, equal window for entries rather than a short or improvised reopening. After registration, the State Department must notify selected individuals and process their applications under normal procedures. The article does not state when the new period will begin or when selections will be announced.

The main government agency responsible is the US Department of State. District Judge Jinsook Ohta directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reopen registration for the 2027 Diversity Visa lottery and set the required public notice and processing steps.

The department must announce the registration dates, electronic submission website, and participation requirements. It must share those details through customary public channels, including the Federal Register. It must accept qualifying electronic entries during the 30-day window, then notify people selected in the lottery.

The article also names US Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, which handles a separate policy concerning permanent-residency applications. The court order specifically assigns the lottery's reopening and selected-applicant processing to the State Department. The article does not say that USCIS will run this lottery, though it describes USCIS as the agency that announced the later Green Card application policy.

Selection does not end the process. Under Judge Jinsook Ohta's order, the State Department must notify people chosen in the Diversity Visa lottery and process their applications through its usual procedures. This gives selected applicants a path to have their cases considered.

For example, a person who submits an electronic entry during the 30-day registration period and meets the stated eligibility and documentation requirements can have that entry accepted. If that person is selected, the department must provide notification and handle the application under normal processing rules.

The order does not promise that every selected person will receive a Green Card. It requires notification and processing, while the usual procedures determine how applications proceed. The article also does not list every eligibility, documentation, or final approval condition. Applicants will need to follow the requirements in the State Department's reopening announcement.

The practical difference is where the permanent-residency application is handled. Someone outside the United States generally applies through consular processing at a US embassy or consulate abroad. Someone already in the country may seek adjustment of status through US immigration authorities, although the article focuses on a new policy changing that route for temporary residents.

USCIS announced that a foreigner who is in the US temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances. Officers must consider relevant factors and information case by case when deciding whether extraordinary relief is warranted.

This policy makes applying from inside the US less available for the people covered by it. The Department of Homeland Security said the change would free agency resources for other cases. The article does not describe every difference between consular processing and adjustment of status, so those details are not established here.

A temporary visa and a Green Card serve different purposes. A temporary visa permits a person to enter or remain in the United States for a limited reason and period. A Green Card represents permanent resident status, which is a longer-term immigration position. The article discusses Green Cards but does not define this contrast directly.

For example, a temporary visitor, student, or worker normally remains tied to the conditions of that temporary status. A permanent resident generally may live and work in the United States without renewing a temporary stay each time it ends. A Green Card holder must still follow immigration law and maintain the required status.

Permanent residency is not the same as citizenship. It generally allows long-term residence and employment, but it does not itself make someone a US citizen. These points use established immigration knowledge because the article does not explain what Green Cards permit or how they differ from temporary visas.