US green card lottery applicants face prolonged delays despite court rulings

Despite judicial intervention to end two separate visa processing pauses, thousands of green card lottery applicants continue to face significant delays as US consulates have yet to fully restore interview schedules and visa issuance operations.

A US attorney recently brought attention to the ongoing bottleneck, noting that court rulings lifting the processing suspensions have not translated into immediate relief for stuck applicants. The consulates remain unable or unwilling to resume normal operations at full capacity, leaving many visa hopefuls in a state of uncertainty.

The delays stem from consecutive pauses in visa processing that affected the diversity visa lottery programme, which provides pathways for immigrants from countries with historically low representation in US immigration flows. While legal challenges successfully challenged the justification for these halts, the administrative machinery required to process applications remains sluggish.

Indian applicants represent a significant portion of those affected by the delays, as tens of thousands participate in the annual green card lottery draw. The extended waiting period has left families in limbo and disrupted plans for relocation and employment.

Consulate officials have not provided clear timelines for when interview schedules will return to normal levels, leaving applicants and immigration advocates uncertain about when processing will accelerate. The situation underscores broader challenges within the US visa processing system.