Ask the Consul

Q.) I have applied to win the Green Card lottery.  Does that mean I cannot get a visa to visit the United States? 

A.) The Green Card lottery (also known as the Diversity Visa program) is very popular in Albania, and many people may share your question – thank you for asking it. 
Participation in the Diversity Visa lottery does not amount to an automatic refusal of a non-immigrant visa in the future.  All non-immigrant visa cases are adjudicated in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act. Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act requires consular officers to presume that a non-immigrant visa applicant is an intending immigrant unless he/she can overcome that assumption by showing strong enough social and economic ties that will compel him/her to return.  A refusal under 214(b), the most common type of refusal, is never “automatic.”  We interview applicants on a case-by-case basis, and take into account an applicant’s overall circumstances.  Participation in the Diversity Visa lottery would be only one of a number of factors that an interviewing officer may look at. 

Q.)  I received an e-mail telling me that I’ve won the Green Card Lottery and the next step is to send the Department of State money by wire transfer.  Why can’t I just pay at the Embassy?

A.)  Please, be very careful!  It appears you may be the target of a scam!  Under no circumstances will you be asked by the U.S. Government to send money by wire transfer for any kind of visa. 
There have been instances of fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites. Some companies posing as the U.S. Government have sought money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms. To learn more, please see the Federal Trade Commission Warning. 
Applicants selected in the Diversity Visa random drawing are notified by the Department of State, Kentucky Consular Center by letter, NOT email, and are provided instructions on how to proceed to the next step in the process. No other organization or private company is authorized by the Department of State to notify Diversity Visa lottery applicants of their winning entry, or the next steps in the processing of applying for their visa. 
The only official way to apply for the DV lottery is directly through the official U.S. Department of State Website during the specified and limited-time registration period.  Registration is free.  A number of private companies operate programs that claim to assist applicants with the Diversity Visa program.  Applicants who choose to use a private company for assistance should understand that this is a personal arrangement and the U.S. Government does not work with and does not endorse any private companies. 

More information about the Diversity Lottery can be found at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html .   This is the official source of information for the Diversity Visa lottery.