Q: I plan to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery this year. I heard that the application is very complicated and that there are services available on-line to help people with the paperwork. Can you recommend these services?

A: No, there is no need for you to pay for any on-line service to file your application. While some of these services may not be scams, they do charge you a fee for filing your application through them. This is unnecessary. Applying for the lottery is free and needs to be done directly with the US State Department.

The current application period runs from noon EDT on October 2, 2009, to noon EST on November 30, 2009. The State Department’s detailed instructions for the electronic filing process are available at www.dvlottery.state.gov. As we do every year, IIC will help applicants with all aspects of the lottery, including digital photo requirements. Call us at (617) 542-7654 for assistance with your application.

Some diversity visa lottery websites may be outright scams, either promising to increase your odds of winning or just taking your money and providing no service in return. A Google search for “visa lottery” results in some 169,000 hits, some perhaps legitimate and others fraudulent. It can be difficult to tell which is which. For example, one site that comes up on the Google search displays images of the American eagle and flag, the Statue of Liberty, the US Capitol, and President Obama. Only in the fine print at the bottom of the page is there a disclaimer that the organization is not a US government agency - which should be clear in any event because the website’s address does not end in “.gov.” Fraudulent or not? It is difficult to say. The website offers assistance in filing the visa application (for a fee, of course - the amount of which is not disclosed until the applicant provides personal financial information), which may be lawful though a waste of money. But the site also strongly implies without an overt statement that using the service increases the odds of winning - which is impossible. So the prudent course is to avoid all websites that sell lottery visa application services.

There is another issue: Some websites may not just take your money; they also may steal your identity and use your banking information and credit card number, etc. to steal from you. This is one more reason to stay away from commercial on-line visa services. The only website you need to consult is the official one at www.dvlottery.state.gov

For a free, confidential consultation about any aspect of immigration law, visit one of our legal clinics advertised weekly in the Emigrant.


Disclaimer: These articles are published to inform, not to advise. Areas of law are rapidly changing. US Citizenship and Immigration Services and US Department of State regularly amend regulations and alter processing and filing procedures. For legal advice seek the assistance of an IIC immigration specialist or an immigration attorney.

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