Jurists of the consultancy company “Juststudiumanima” warn those who intend to apply for a diversity immigrant visa through the Green Card lottery to be maximally prudent and to consult specialists in the field before signing something, to thoroughly examine the regulations, contracts and instructions. The applicants are also urged to register independently on the program’s website www.dvlotterz.state.gov without using the services of intermediaries.

In a news conference at IPN, Igor Blanari, jurist at the company, sad that he and his colleagues want to inform especially the young people, who want to apply to the immigration programs, how to do it correctly and to avoid possible risks and unjustified costs. For example, the young people must know that no fee is charged for being registered for the Green Card lottery. Only if they are selected, they will have to pay the usual visa fees.

A number of applicants to the program have complained to “Juststudiumanima” about the fact that they were obliged to pay fees after using the services of intermediary companies. Initially, they signed forms either in the street or online and, as a result, were obliged through the signed documents to sign contracts with those companies when they were selected by the lottery. Moreover, the persons who gave up going to the U.S. were obliged by the same intermediary companies to pay US$1,399 in compensation to them.

Igor Blanari noted that before taking part in the lottery, the applicants should consult the family and experts from this field. Furthermore, the rules and procedures regarding the registration for the Diversity Visa Program must be studied scrupulously.

Mandated by the U.S. Congress, the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The first lottery was held in 1994 and since then has taken place annually.