U.S. Embassy Discusses Green Card Lottery, Warns of Scams

The U.S. Embassy on Monday hosted a round table on the Diversity Visa, also known as the "Green Card Lottery," and warned of the various scams involved.

"Millions of people apply for the green card lottery and 50,000 applicants from around the world will win this year,” Consular Section Chief Adrienne Harchik said.

"The lottery application is free, but there are many businesses that offer services to assist people with their applications," she added.

“While these companies might sometimes be genuine, many times they are just trying to scam the individual," she warned.

Harchik continued that “the only day you will be asked for money will be when you come to your first interview after you won,” revealing that this year’s fee is $884, which includes all necessary applications.

Lebanon is allowed to participate in the Diversity Visa and applications must be submitted between October 4 and November 5.

"Do not wait for the last minute to submit your application since the computerized system might face problems and your application might exceed the deadline date and time," Harchik said.

"All applicants must have completed high school or its equivalent, or have two years of work experience," she added.

The consular chief also warned applicants to be on the lookout for scam artists and fake green card lottery websites.

Harchik explained that the application can only be submitted online on www.dvlottery.state.gov.

"Usually when you apply for a normal immigrant visa, you need to have family in the United States, and this process might take years," she said.

"All applicants should check if they have won starting May 1 until June 30, 2012. They will not receive any email or phone call," she explained.

Those who win will be directed to a page with further instructions on how to complete the immigration process.

The U.S. state Department warned potential immigrants about an uptick in the fake letters and fraudulent emails sent to people who have applied for the Diversity Immigrant Program.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), oftentimes the scam involves an unscrupulous individual asking for a fee to either enter the visa lottery or increase the chance of winning it.

However, the FTC says that there is no entry fee to enter the lottery and winners are selected at random.