United States immigration officials are warning New Zealand green card applicants to watch out for offers to apply on their behalf in exchange for significant fees.
Unsolicited emails advising that the recipient has "won" a visa or a lottery "promotion" were likely to be straightforward scams, US consular chief in Auckland Nick Greanias said today.
While some of these companies offer a genuine, if very limited, service for the fees they charge, the on-line lottery application process was both straightforward and free to enter for eligible applicants, he said.
Each year, the green card lottery - officially known as the Diversity Visa (DV) Programme - makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available to eligible people who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.
The US government employs no outside agents or private consultants to operate the programme and anyone who offered to prepare DV casework did so without the authority or consent of the US government, Mr Greanias said.
Applications for the 2011 DV Programme close at the end of November.
