The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is warning Iraqis who want to enter the annual visa lottery to be wary of a scam that instructs applicants to send money via Western Union to someone apparently at the U.S. Embassy in London . `` UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should money be sent to any address for participation in the DV program , '' the embassy warns in its statement . The Diversity Visa program offers up to 55,000 visas worldwide each year to applicants `` drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States , '' according to the State Department website . The winners get green cards , meaning they are permanent residents of the U.S . It 's free to enter the random drawing through the State Department website dvlottery.state.gov . This year 's entry deadline was November 2 . The embassy said any Iraqi who worked with a private entity to apply should be cautious , because some people apparently have been sent letters instructing them to pay money up front .
A court in Iraq apparently requires all visa lottery applicants to send money up front . The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issues a warning that visa ##s are free . Each year 55,000 visas are given out worldwide in a random drawing .