DV Lottery Frozen in 2026: Official Suspension Update (March 18) + Will DV‑2027 Be Cancelled?

The DV visa issuance suspension is still active as of March 18, 2026

The latest official statement posted by the U.S. Department of State on December 23, 2025 says it has paused all visa issuances to DV immigrant visa applicants. The same guidance says DV applicants may still submit applications and attend interviews, and consular posts may keep scheduling appointments, but no DV immigrant visas will be issued during the pause. 

Important details from the official guidance (still the latest public DV issuance guidance):

• No DV visas will be issued while the pause is in effect (even if you interview). 
• No exceptions were stated in the guidance. 
• The Department said existing DV appointments generally will not be rescheduled or cancelled (interviews may continue, but issuance is blocked). 
• The Department said it did not revoke DV (or other) visas as part of this guidance. 

Why the pause happened

In the December 23, 2025 notice, the Department explained the pause was triggered by national security/public safety concerns and was connected to high‑profile violent incidents referenced in that guidance—specifically noting concerns arising from a shooting at Brown University and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, which the Department said was suspected to have been committed by someone admitted through the DV program. The Department said the pause is to allow a review of DV screening/vetting protocols. 

What “still active” means in practice

As of today, the State Department’s U.S. Visas News index still lists December 23, 2025 as the most recent DV issuance update, with no newer announcement posted that lifts or replaces it. 

What the suspension means for applicants

For DV selectees outside the United States

If you are processing through a U.S. embassy/consulate, the current official position is straightforward: you may be interviewed, but you should not expect a visa to be issued until the pause is lifted. 

This matters because DV cases have hard fiscal‑year deadlines. Official State Department DV instructions and State Department publications repeatedly stress that eligibility typically ends with the fiscal year. For DV‑2026, that deadline is September 30, 2026. 

For DV selectees inside the United States

If you are in the United States and filing adjustment of status, reputable immigration law firms report that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has instructed adjudicators to place certain DV adjustment cases (and related work/travel benefit filings) on hold while additional reviews occur, with interviews or re‑interviews possible. 

Note: At the time of writing, USCIS primary-source pages and PDFs were not accessible to this research environment (the USCIS site returned access errors), so the adjustment-of-status details above rely on reputable secondary reporting and legal analysis rather than direct USCIS text. 

A separate set of restrictions may also affect some applicants

Even if the DV‑specific pause changes, there are additional, separate nationality-based restrictions described in State Department notices and a presidential proclamation that took effect January 1, 2026 and restricts visa issuance/entry for certain nationals, with limited exceptions. 

Separately, the State Department also announced a pause effective January 21, 2026 for immigrant visa issuance to nationals of a long list of countries described in an official notice (with limited exceptions such as certain dual nationals). 

Will DV Lottery 2027 be cancelled?

What people usually mean by “cancelled”

Most searches and social posts use “cancelled” in one of three ways:

1. The DV‑2027 entry period never opens (so no one can apply).
2. The lottery opens but selection/results are delayed (or changed).
3. The program is ended or defunded (a true cancellation).

Only the first two can happen without Congress changing the underlying law. The third would be a major legal/political change—and no official U.S. government announcement has declared the DV program ended as of today. 

What official sources actually say about DV‑2027

There is no official announcement that DV‑2027 has been cancelled. Instead, the State Department has said:

• DV‑2027’s registration (entry) period start date will be announced “as soon as practicable.” 
• The DV‑2027 visa application period (for people selected) remains October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. 

Separately, an official State Department Visa Bulletin previously stated that DV‑2027 registration dates would be “widely publicized” in the coming months and directed interested people to monitor the Diversity Visa page. As of today, those DV‑2027 entry dates still have not been formally published via that channel. 

Why DV‑2027 looks delayed (but not “dead”)

Two major government actions point to “delayed + redesigned,” not “cancelled”:

A DV-specific rule change finalized March 11, 2026 (effective April 10, 2026).
The State Department published a final rule in the Federal Register that:

• takes effect April 10, 2026; 
• is planned to be implemented with DV‑2027; 
• requires DV entrants to provide valid, unexpired passport information and upload a passport scan to the electronic entry form (with limited exemptions); 
• confirms the Department anticipates a deferral of the opening of the DV‑2027 entry period to reduce the impact of the passport requirement in places where passports can take time to obtain. 

A DV registration fee that is already on the books.
A separate final rule (effective September 16, 2025) created a $1 DV lottery registration fee to be collected at the time of registration. 

Together, these rules show the government is actively restructuring DV entry requirements and operations (passport scan + fee + form updates) in a way that presumes a future entry period will occur—rather than announcing a cancellation. 

The honest answer for March 18, 2026

• Not cancelled (officially). No U.S. government source has announced DV‑2027 is cancelled. 
• Delayed (officially). The State Department has acknowledged DV‑2027 timing changes and has not announced the entry period start date yet. 
• Uncertain timing (officially). There is still no start date, and the overarching DV visa issuance pause remains in place today. 

What to do now checklist

This checklist is designed to be practical whether you are (a) already selected for DV‑2026, or (b) planning to enter DV‑2027 when it opens.

If you are a DV‑2026 selectee (consular processing)

• Confirm your case facts using only official DV channels; the State Department has long warned that it does not notify winners by email/mail and encourages people not to rely on third parties for status checks. 
• If you haven’t yet, complete required online steps promptly (including the immigrant visa application step described by the State Department for DV selectees) so you are “ready” if issuances resume. 
• Assemble your civil documents now (birth, marriage/divorce, police certs where required, education/work proof), because interviews may continue even while issuance is paused. 
• Track the DV‑2026 fiscal‑year deadline: September 30, 2026. If issuance does not resume in time, selectees risk losing eligibility due to the fiscal-year limit. 
• Treat anyone promising a “guaranteed DV visa” during the pause as a scam. The State Department repeatedly warns about fraud and that selection does not guarantee a visa. 

If you are a DV selectee inside the United States (adjustment of status)

• Maintain lawful status and document compliance carefully; DV benefits are time-limited and delays can create real risk. 
• Expect slower processing and possible additional review; multiple reputable legal sources report holds and deeper screening for DV adjustment cases. 
• If you filed or plan to file work/travel authorization tied to adjustment, assume timelines may be affected by the same review posture described by legal analysts. 

If you want to apply for DV‑2027 (next entry period)

• Do not pay agents claiming DV‑2027 is open without an official announcement; DV entry periods are time-limited and are announced by the State Department. 
• Get a valid, unexpired passport now if you can—because the State Department has finalized rules to require passport information and a passport scan for DV entry, planned for DV‑2027, effective April 10, 2026. 
• Plan for a $1 registration fee at entry (plus later fees if selected) because the DV registration fee rule is already effective and the Department has reiterated fee collection at registration in its rulemaking. 
• Watch for the DV‑2027 entry period announcement. The State Department’s latest DV‑2027 timing message still says it will announce the start date “as soon as practicable.” 

Timeline of key events since December 2025

Key points to understand from the timeline: the DV issuance pause is consular-issuance focused and remains the defining bottleneck today, while DV‑2027 is simultaneously being retooled via rulemaking (passport scan + form updates + fee integration), but its entry dates remain unannounced. 

Assumptions and what is still unknown

What is confirmed by official sources

• DV visa issuance is paused per State Department guidance and no exceptions are stated in that guidance. 
• There is no publicly posted State Department restart date for DV issuance as of March 18, 2026. 
• DV‑2027’s visa application period remains October 1, 2026–September 30, 2027 per the State Department’s DV‑2027 entry‑period notice. 
• The passport-scan DV rule is effective April 10, 2026 and is intended to begin with DV‑2027. 

What is uncertain

• When DV visa issuance will resume: No official date is provided; this post assumes issuance remains paused until the U.S. government publishes new guidance replacing the December 23, 2025 notice. 
• When DV‑2027 registration will open: The government has not announced start/end dates; this post assumes DV‑2027 will open after required form updates are implemented, but the exact timing is unknown. 
• Exact USCIS adjustment-of-status policy details: USCIS primary-source documents could not be directly accessed here; this post relies on major immigration law firms’ reporting for U.S.-based DV adjustment impacts.