No, you did not miss anything. The current administration has put a hold on the Diversity Visa lottery for the last two years. According to law, the U.S. State Department is to run the program each year to encourage individuals from countries with historically low numbers of immigrants to the United States to apply for green cards.
Following murders in December 2025 that allegedly were committed by an individual who received a green card through the Diversity Lottery the administration indefinitely paused the program. There since has been no announcement with instructions for submitting entries, which typically occurs during a 30-day period in October and November. Litigation challenged the legality of refusing to follow a statutory mandate. In October 2026 a federal judge ordered the Secretary of State to provide instructions immediately and make selections for the 2027 fiscal year (October 2026 to September 2027) by December 2026, and simultaneously to issue instructions for the 2028 fiscal year (October 2027 to September 2028), for which lottery entries would be submitted in October and November 2026. The administration appealed. Meanwhile the secretary of state could face a contempt charge for refusing to follow the order.