Fake marriages dominate Visa Lottery fraud

The U.S. Embassy says its officials are working with Ghana Police CID document fraud unit to fight widespread fraud by applicants for the U.S. visa lottery (called the Diversity Visa or DV) and to protect honest applicants from extortion.

Of particular concern this year is the growing number of fraudulent marriages arranged for immigration purposes only. Officials detected fraud in a high percentage of applications where spouses were added after the date of the original DV entry. The Embassy says it feels obliged to investigate every case. Given the very large number of short-term marriages awaiting investigation, and that the DV year ends at the end of September, not all investigations may be completed before the end of the program year.