If previous years are any indication, more Ghanaians than ever before stand to win visas to the United States in the so-called Green Card Lottery — but many misinformed Ghanaians are also likely to be swindled by fraudsters offering too-good-to-be-true arrangements, said Michael Evans, the Consular Section Chief for the United States Embassy, Wednesday.

Speaking at a press briefing, Evans announced that sixty percent more Ghanaians won green cards last year than in the year before that; the embassy expects to award even more visas in this year's lottery, which began on October 2nd and will conclude on December 1st.

The Diversity Visa Lottery, as it is formally known, allows qualified Ghanaians to submit an application, free of charge, for a highly-coveted American work visa.

The lottery, which began in 1990, was designed to increase the number and geographical diversity of American immigrants, and so favors many Sub-Saharan African nations--"Ghanaians are among the top recipients, globally,” said Evans, citing America's close ties with Ghana, and the local popularity of the visa lottery.

Yet, in private interviews with The Statesman, Evans and other anonymously-speaking embassy personnel acknowledged that the program's popularity has encouraged a criminal side industry of "fraudsters, preying on people's aspirations,” in Evans' words.

Because the application process is moderately complex, and requires computer equipment and computer skills that some Ghanaians may not have, many would-be emigrants seek help from outside agencies before filing for the lottery. And while some of these agencies offer credible, perfectly legitimate assistance, quite a few peddle in half-truths, outright lies, and even blatant extortion, said Evans.

In one common scam, Evans said con artists “manipulate the application to include children that are not in the family, or a spouse if the applicant is single.” Sometimes, agencies will force winning applicants to fork over huge sums of money to secure their rightfully earned visa. Still others lure in gullible Ghanaians by promising a sure-fire ticket to the United States in exchange for a tempting, but exorbitant fee.

“You see advertisements from firms claiming they have some special in, or can guarantee something that they cannot,” said Evans. “The only people who can guarantee a visa are the officers in the Consular Section and myself. We do not maintain any kind of relationship with visa fixers or other companies.”

Officers at the embassy believe that the vast majority of such fraud attempts are caught during the examination process: Men who hastily undergo staged marriages to bring along unfamiliar women are found out; fake documents are identified, and the applicants who submitted them can even be banned from future U.S. travel.

But when these agencies bully their own clients into undergoing such marriages, or encourage them to forge their visa application, it is often these unsuspecting clients who lose out—the fly-by-night agencies continue to operate, and the visa is awarded to another, approved applicant.

According to embassy personnel working outside of the consular section, the Ghanaian police have been ineffective in putting an end to the shady practices. “We've been trying to get the consular section to do something about it,” said one.

The embassy is therefore encouraging all interested Ghanaians to go to www.dvlottery.state.gov, and be aware of both the current scam tactics, as well as the lottery's requirements.

To be considered, all applicants must have completed secondary school, or two years of formal technical training in select professions. Successful applicants are invited to bring children under the age of 21, as well as a spouse, at a cost of GH¢891.25 per family member.

Upon being selected, applicants must pass a qualifying interview to receive their visa. The current lottery is for travel to the United States in 2010 and beyond.



Source: Statesman