New lawsuit filed to force reopening of 2027 and 2028 Green Card Lottery

The legal battle surrounding the U.S. Green Card lottery is intensifying. Ivan Ivannikov, a Russian national living in Los Angeles, has filed a lawsuit in a California federal court against Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He is seeking a court order to compel the State Department to open registration for the Diversity Visa 2027 and 2028 programs, with each registration period lasting at least 30 days.

This legal action follows the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to stay a previous injunction that had mandated the relaunch of the DV-2027 lottery. The court had argued that the original plaintiffs lacked standing. Unlike the previous case led by a law firm, this new lawsuit is filed by an individual applicant claiming direct harm. The Diversity Visa program, which historically provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas per year for underrepresented countries, currently remains stalled as candidates await further judicial rulings.