There are some situations which you may prefer to pay someone to help you prepare your application:

Convenience. One benefit of using a fee-based service is the convenience of registering any time of the year without worrying about missed registration deadlines. For example, if you cannot register within the 2 month open registration period then you may want to use a service.

Poor English Language Skills. If your English language skills are weak, then a paid lottery service can help. The service should either correct mistakes for you or return your registration and tell you where to make the correction. Since millions of applications were prepared incorrectly in past years, there may be a need for this type of service.

Lack of Computer Access. You must have access to a digital camera to take your picture, or a scanner to digitize your photographs. If you do not have computer technology available, you may wish to send in a paper application and standard photograph to a lottery service so they can scan your picture and enter your information electronically for you.

Unreliable Postal Service. People with slow or unreliable postal service in their home country should use a lottery service. If your winning notification letter does not arrive in a timely manner, you will lose critical response time.

Unknown Future Residence. Others may not know where they will be living when winners are selected and need to use the return address of a trusted third party that will not change.

Visit myGreencard.com for a list of ethical lottery services. To use a green card lottery service, just fill out their paper form. Then send the service your completed form. Be sure to follow our guidelines for photographs. They will scan your photos and electronically submit your registration on your behalf. If your photographs do not meet the required specifications, they should contact you immediately for a replacement.

If You Use a Service. If you decide to use a service send in your paper application at least 6-8 weeks before the closing date of the lottery. Some lottery services only accept electronic entries. Of course we question the wisdom of paying a lottery service to enter your electronic application for you, since you must already have the ability to enter your information, including digital photos, into a computer. However, if you do not want to worry about missed deadlines, then sending your electronic entry to a service any time of year can be convenient.

There are several excellent lottery sites that provide good service. Some have 24-hour toll free telephone numbers, attorney contacts, and complete translations for non-English readers. Some lottery services even spend extra time cleaning up poor photographs that would normally be rejected by the government. Others accept applications received as late as one or two weeks before the closing date of the lottery, but charge an additional fee for processing last minute applications. Remember, it may be difficult or impossible to change incorrect application data if you submit your application too close to the end of the lottery. Again, see myGreencard.com's paid lottery service recommendations, if you decide to pay for assistance.