“Visa Lottery Victory?” Why Paying a Consultant Could Cost You Everything — The Hidden Truth About U.S. Green Card Scams Targeting Europe
In recent years, with increasing enthusiasm from European nationals toward U.S. immigration pathways, the market for “immigration consulting” has exploded. Unfortunately, so has the rise of sophisticated scams targeting hopeful applicants—especially those applying for the Diversity Visa (DV), commonly known as the U.S. visa lottery. As an immigration legal expert with years of hands-on experience, I’ve witnessed firsthand how applicants from the UK, Germany, France, and beyond fall victim to misinformation, deceptive agents, and unlawful “consultants” who charge thousands of euros in exchange for false promises. The goal of this article is simple: to expose these schemes, explain the actual process, and help you avoid losing money—or worse, your immigration eligibility. Driven by global instability, policy shifts, and post-pandemic economic trends, more Europeans are seeking relocation options in the U.S. According to 2024 industry data, the number of DV entries from Europe has ...