Immigration News This Week: What Families Need to Know

Federal court orders 2027 Diversity Visa registration to open

A federal judge has ordered the State Department to open registration for the 2027 Diversity Visa program, which offers up to 55,000 green cards a year to people from countries with lower rates of U.S. immigration. The Oct. 14 ruling requires the State Department to announce the dates and keep registration open for at least 30 days. As of this writing, official dates have not been announced. Eligibility depends on your country of birth, and entering does not guarantee selection. Check the official lottery website for updates, and be careful with anyone who promises you a win. As of mid-October, the court has ordered the rollout to begin by November 1, so official dates are expected imminently. 

DHS finalizes rule ending automatic work
permit extensions

DHS has finalized a rule ending automatic extensions for most work permit renewals. Published Oct. 14, it confirms the policy that has applied to renewals filed on or after Oct. 30, 2025: a pending renewal no longer keeps your permit valid after it expires. Before, eligible applicants could keep working for up to 540 days past their expiration date. Extensions already granted before Oct. 30, 2025 are not affected. USCIS recommends filing up to 180 days before your permit expires, so check the date on your card and the rules for your category.

Medicaid changes affect some lawfully
present families

Changes to Medicaid eligibility that took effect Oct. 1 limit who qualifies for federally funded coverage. Green card holders (generally after the existing five-year waiting period), Cuban and Haitian entrants (a specific immigration status), and people from certain Pacific island nations remain eligible, while refugees and asylees without a green card, among other groups, may lose coverage. Emergency Medicaid remains available, and some states continue covering lawfully residing children and pregnant people. Rules vary by state, so check with your state Medicaid office about your options.

Supreme Court to hear immigration cases
this term

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear cases on whether certain people can be held without a bond hearing and on removals to countries not named in a person's removal order. Arguments in the removals case are set for Dec. 9, the detention case is expected to be argued early next year, and decisions are expected by the end of the term next summer.