Washington, August 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A US federal judge has temporarily blocked three Trump administration policies that halted Diversity Visa processing and immigrant-visa approvals for nationals of 75 countries, directing immigration authorities to resume normal processing of affected applications.
US District Judge Edward J. Davila of the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction on Friday in Medani et al. v. Trump et al., a class-action lawsuit filed by Fiscal Year 2026 Diversity Visa selectees and their families.
The ruling temporarily sets aside a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) hold on Diversity Visa adjustment-of-status applications, a State Department suspension of Diversity Visa issuances and a separate pause on immigrant-visa approvals for nationals of 75 countries.
The State Department was directed, to the extent practicable and in good faith, to reconsider during the remainder of the Diversity Visa fiscal year applications that were refused solely under the two challenged State Department policies. It must also resume ordinary adjudication of pending Diversity Visa applications.
USCIS has separately been ordered to resume processing pending adjustment-of-status applications without applying the Diversity Visa hold.
Davila certified three subclasses covering Fiscal Year 2026 Diversity Visa selectees and their derivative beneficiaries affected by the policies. The plaintiffs include 84 families in the US whose adjustment applications were subject to the USCIS hold and 577 families overseas affected by the State Department suspension. Of the families undergoing consular processing, 444 were also affected by the 75-country pause because of their nationality.
The judge said the combined effect of the policies was that no remaining Fiscal Year 2026 Diversity Visa selectee could effectively obtain a visa.
The court found that the applicants were likely to succeed in arguing that the policies were arbitrary and capricious under federal administrative law. It also said the agencies had not adequately considered alternatives that could address government concerns while allowing the congressionally established programme to continue.
The ruling does not require the government to approve any individual application. Immigration authorities retain the power to determine eligibility and admissibility under existing law.
The Diversity Visa programme makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available annually to nationals of countries with historically low immigration rates to the US. Selection provides an opportunity to apply but does not guarantee permanent residence.
Fiscal Year 2026 selectees generally remain eligible only until September 30. The judge directed the parties to submit a joint status report by September 18 detailing the progress of adjudications and proposing a schedule for further proceedings.
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