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The Federal Trade Commission advises people who have participated in the U.S. State Department’s Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery program that, according to the State Department, 2012 lottery results posted in May at www.dvlottery.state.gov are invalid due to a computer programming problem. Anyone who applied to the lottery between October 5, 2010, and November 3, 2010, should visit www.dvlottery.state.gov for more information.

The lottery is one way for citizens of other countries to obtain green cards, which provide the right to live in the United States permanently. The FTC cautions that some fraudulent businesses and lawyers misrepresent their “immigration services” to potential green card applicants and charge exorbitant fees. Other important information for applicants:

• Entering the DV Lottery program is free.
• The only website to use to enter the DV Lottery is www.dvlottery.state.gov.
• Only one entry per person is allowed. If you submit more than one, all your entries will be disqualified.
• Selection is random. There is no way to increase your chance of selection.
• The State Department does not notify selected applicants by paper mail or e-mail; you must check your application status online at www.dvlottery.state.gov.

For more information, see the FTC’s consumer alert, Diversity Visa Lottery: Read the Rules, Avoid the Rip-Offs.

(Diversity Visa Program)