U.S. State Department Confirms Diversity Visa Issuance Pause Under Updated Guidance

The practical significance here is that operational DV pages may still exist while actual visa issuance remains paused. In other words, the presence of annual instructions or DV-2026 process pages does not by itself mean consular issuance is running normally.

At the same time, a final rule dated March 11, 2026 tightened integrity and anti-fraud provisions, including passport information and scan logic in the entry form subject to the rule’s exceptions.

Pathways Affected by This Update

Official Sources