The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked an order requiring the United States government to reopen the 2027 green card lottery. Kenyans and other foreigners are now uncertain about when registration will begin.
In a ruling on Thursday the court granted a request by the US government to suspend the earlier order. That order had required the Department of State to reopen applications from November 1.
The lottery offers up to 55,000 visas every year to applicants from countries with historically low immigration rates to the United States. Registration for the 2027 programme has yet to open.
The dispute began in August when an immigration law firm sued the State Department over its failure to open registration. The firm argued that the administration of President Donald Trump had unlawfully suspended the programme.
On October 14 a US District Judge ordered the department to reopen the lottery and set deadlines for announcing registration dates. The government challenged the decision and asked the appellate court to suspend it until the case is heard.
The three judges ruled that the law firm had failed to show how its financial interests were linked to the purpose of the law. They said the programme was created to help immigration from countries with low migration rates and not to earn revenue for law firms.
The ruling is a setback for thousands of hopefuls including many Kenyans. Applicants are picked randomly but winning does not guarantee a visa since candidates must still meet immigration requirements.