Fraudulent Green Card Lottery
Services
If you or someone you know is trying to obtain a green card, the
right to live permanently in the United States, be on the alert
for unscrupulous businesses and attorneys who claim that, for a
fee, they can increase your chances of winning the U. S. State
Department’s annual green card lottery.
Each year the State Department conducts a green card lottery,
through its diversity visa program, to distribute applications
for 50,000 immigrant visas. Winners of the lottery have a chance
to apply for an immigrant visa which can be used to enter the U.S.
Winners are selected randomly and there is no fee to
enter the lottery.
If the winner files a successful application, he or she can enter
the U.S. and exchange the immigrant visa for a green card, issued
by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). If the winner
is in the U.S. already, he or she can get a green card from INS without
leaving the country.
Some businesses and attorneys use misrepresentations and unfair
practices to promote services to consumers who hope to win a chance
to apply for a green card through the lottery program. Among the
deceptions scam artists use are statements that:
 |
they
are affiliated with the U.S. Government; |
|
special
expertise or a special application form is required to enter
the lottery; |
|
their
company has never had a lottery entry rejected; and |
|
their
company can increase an applicant’s chances of "winning" the
lottery. |
In addition, some fraudulent companies
jeopardize an applicant’s opportunity to participate in
the lottery by filing multiple entries; and try to force lottery-winning
applicants to pay substantial fees to complete the visa and green
card application process. A delay in processing a winner’s
application can kill their chances for a green card because the
State Department selects more winners than there are visas available.
The State Department awards visas to winners on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Protecting Yourself
The best way to protect yourself from green card lottery scam
artists is to understand how the State Department’s lottery
works.
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Entering
the green card lottery is straightforward and costs nothing.
You can enter on your own by following the instructions available
from the State Department or your local consumer affairs
office. There is no entry form. Hiring an attorney or company
to enter the lottery for you is your decision. |
|
Do
not submit more than one entry. If you do, you will be disqualified
automatically. |
|
No
special techniques or loopholes are available to increase
your chances of winning the green card lottery. Selection
of entries in the lottery is random. |
For More Information
For information about the State Department’s green card
lottery, contact the U.S. Department of State Hotline at 900-884-8840.
The cost of the call is $5.10. You also may access the State Department’s
web site.
Reported to offer "International
Passports" for $2000.
Immigration
scam by "Notario Publico" offers - article
Green
Card Lottery Info - FTC
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