In Ruling, Judge Throws Lifeline to Diversity Visa Lottery

Judge Amit Mehta, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, speaks during the Justice Department's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Observance Program, at the Justice Department in Washington on May 31, 2017. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

SAN DIEGO—A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to resume issuing diversity visas for immigrants from underrepresented countries, partially reversing a pandemic-related freeze on a wide range of immigrant and temporary visas.

The United States issues up to 55,000 visas a year to people from countries with low representation in the United States, many in Africa. They are chosen from millions of applicants by lottery.