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DV Lottery 2026 Deadline: What Green Card Lottery Winners Must Do Before September 30

Last updated: Sep 28, 2026

DV-2026 Green Card lottery winners have until September 30, 2026 to be issued their immigrant visa, or to have adjustment of status approved if they are already in the US. That includes spouses and children on the same entry, and there is no extension or carryover to the next year, according to the official DV-2026 instructions.

Processing only restarted in September after a nine-month pause, so many of the roughly 129,516 selectees are still waiting for interviews, competing for up to 55,000 visas.

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Why DV-2026 Winners Are Running Out of Time

December 2025: the State Department and USCIS paused Diversity Visa processing for a security review.
January 2026: immigrant visas were also suspended for nationals of 75 countries. A federal court in New York struck that policy down on August 21, 2026.
August 25 and 28, 2026: federal courts in Washington, D.C. and California ruled the Diversity Visa pauses unlawful. USCIS was ordered to resume adjustment of status cases held under the pause.
September 10, 2026: the State Department told embassies to resume Diversity Visa issuance and to review cases refused only because of the pause, contacting applicants in writing and scheduling new interviews where needed, Greenberg Traurig reports.

The restart has been slow. Immigration attorney Jennifer Bade told The Week that some families found interviews cancelled without explanation or a new date. A court filing on September 23 said about 84 Diversity Visas had been approved for issuance and about 752 refused since September 8, NEPYORK reports.

What to Do Before September 30

Check your case: use Entrant Status Check at dvprogram.state.gov, which stays available through at least September 30, 2026.
Confirm your interview: contact the embassy or consulate handling your case, and ask for a new date in writing if your interview was cancelled.
Write to the Kentucky Consular Center: it only takes questions by email, at [email protected]. Put your case number in the subject line and include the principal applicant’s full name and date of birth exactly as entered in your lottery entry, according to the State Department.
Get your medical exam done: it must be completed before the interview with an embassy-approved panel physician, whom you book yourself.
Have the fee ready: the Diversity Visa fee is $330 per person, and it is not refunded if your visa is refused.
Keep records: save every email, appointment notice and refusal letter, with dates.

Documents to Bring to Your DV Interview

Each applicant, including family members, must bring these to the interview:

Passport: valid for at least six months beyond the date the visa is issued.
Birth certificate: the original or a certified copy showing your date and place of birth and both parents’ names.
Marriage certificate: the original, plus proof that any earlier marriage ended, such as a divorce decree or death certificate.
Police certificates: for everyone aged 16 and over, from every country you have lived in for at least a year, and from your country of nationality and current residence if you lived there for six months or more.
Court and prison records: certified copies, if you have ever been convicted of a crime.
Education or work proof: a high school diploma, or evidence of two years’ qualifying work experience in the past five years.
Proof of support: evidence that you will not rely on public benefits in the US, such as proof of your own assets.

Documents not in English need a certified translation. If you cannot present all the required documents, your application can be refused, so check the full list on your embassy’s page.

Visa issued?

You can travel until the expiration date printed on your visa. Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee online before you fly.

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What Happens After September 30

Unused DV-2026 visas expire at midnight on September 30. The State Department cannot issue them and USCIS cannot approve adjustments after that date, and visas can also run out earlier if all 55,000 are issued. Winners who miss the deadline would have to enter a future lottery.

One exception is being argued in court. Plaintiffs in the Washington, D.C. case have asked the judge to reserve visa numbers beyond September 30 for the people who sued, but only for them, and no ruling had been made by September 28.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the DV-2026 deadline be extended?

No. The DV-2026 instructions say that under no circumstances can Diversity Visas be issued or adjustments approved after September 30, 2026. The only request to go beyond that date is the pending court motion, which covers named plaintiffs only.

My DV case was refused during the pause. Can it be reopened?

Yes, if it was refused only because of the pause. Embassies were told on September 10 to review those cases, contact applicants in writing, ask for any missing documents or an updated medical exam, and schedule a new interview where needed. Contact your embassy directly rather than waiting.

I am already in the US. Does the September 30 deadline apply to me?

Yes. USCIS must approve your adjustment of status by September 30, 2026. A California court ordered USCIS on August 28 to resume these cases without applying the hold, but it did not move the deadline.

Who has to meet the education or work requirement?

The person who entered the lottery. They need at least a high school education, meaning 12 years of formal schooling, or two years of work experience in the past five years in a job that requires at least two years of training or experience.

Do my spouse and children also need visas by September 30?

Yes. All selectees, including family members on the entry, must be issued visas by September 30, 2026, or before the annual visas run out, whichever comes first.

My DV visa has been issued. Do I have to travel before September 30?

No. The deadline is for issuing visas. Once issued, an immigrant visa lets you travel to the US until the expiration date printed on it. Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee online after the visa is issued and before you travel, because USCIS will not send your Green Card until it is paid, according to USCIS.

I got an email saying I won the Green Card lottery. Is it real?

Treat it as a scam. The State Department does not send letters or emails telling entrants they were selected. The only way to find out is Entrant Status Check at dvprogram.state.gov. Scammers posing as the US government ask DV applicants for payment, so never pay anyone who contacts you about a win.

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