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Diversity Visa Scams
 

There's no charge to enter the DV program.

You can enter on your own at http://travel.state.gov. You'll need to answer a few questions and provide passport-style digital photographs. Once you've submitted your entry, you'll get an acknowledgment from the State Department, as well as a unique confirmation number.

Hiring a business or an attorney to enter the DV program for you is your decision, but the person you pay must follow the same procedure as you would. Your chance of being selected is the same, whether you submit the entry yourself or you pay someone to do it for you.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the United States' consumer protection agency, some businesses and attorneys misrepresent their Diversity Visa services. They may claim to have:

  • an affiliation with the U.S. government
  • special expertise or a special entry form that is required for the DV program
  • a high success rate for DV entries
  • an ability to increase an entrant's chances of being selected, and that
  • a way for people from ineligible countries to still be "qualified" to enter.

What's more, some businesses and attorneys jeopardize an applicant's opportunity to participate in the lottery by filing several entries. They also may charge substantial fees to complete the application process.

Protecting Yourself from Fraud

The FTC says that knowing how the State Department's Diversity Visa program works is the best way to protect against these scams. Things to know:

  • Submit only one entry. If you - or someone working on your behalf - submits more than one entry for you, all of your entries will be disqualified. Spouses who are eligible for the DV program can apply separately; the spouse who is not selected can apply for a Diversity Visa based on the selected spouse's entry. That's the only legitimate way to increase your chance of entering the United States through the DV program.
  • Selection of entries is random. The DV selection process takes place through a computer-generated random drawing. There is no way to increase an applicant's chance of selection.
  • The State Department doesn't notify selected applicants by mail or by email. Beginning with the DV-2012 program, entrants are responsible for checking the status of their applications through the Entrant Status Check at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov.
  • There is no charge to enter the DV program random drawing. Do not send fees with your application either online or through a wire transfer. If you are selected, you will pay the appropriate visa application and program fees in person at the U.S. embassy on the day of your visa interview.
  • The only website to use to enter the DV program random drawing is http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. Visa and passport application forms are free online at http://www.travel.state.gov. Don't use websites that promise government travel or residency documents online or by mail because applications for U.S. visas, U.S. passports, green cards, and other travel and residency documents are processed in person before an officer of the U.S. government.
  • Keep a close hold on your personal documents. Unless you have an established relationship with a business, don't mail birth certificates, passports, drivers' licenses, marriage certificates, Social Security cards, or any other documents with your personal identifying information to any person or business that is promising to complete your application for travel or residency documents. These businesses may use your information to commit identity theft.
  • Some websites imitate U.S. government sites: some may use domain names that sound like government agencies; others may use emblems (eagles, flags, or other American images like the Statue of Liberty or the U.S. Capitol) that look like they represent U.S. government agencies, or official seals, logos, and links to government sites; and others list a Washington, D.C., mailing addresses. Scam sites may charge for government forms.

Don't pay!

Government forms and instructions for completing them are free from the U.S. government agency that issues them.