A U.S. federal court has handed thousands of African Diversity Visa applicants a major reprieve after blocking policies that had disrupted Green Card processing.
On August 28, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in California temporarily stopped several restrictions affecting Diversity Visa applicants, including a December 2025 hold on some Green Card applications and an earlier State Department suspension of Diversity Visa issuance.
The State Department confirmed that the December suspension was no longer in force following the ruling, reopening a legal path for affected applicants to continue with their cases.
Applicants can continue submitting documents and attending scheduled interviews as the DV-2026 programme moves towards its September 30 deadline.
Africa stands to benefit
