Inspector General Patrick P. O’Carroll Jr. released a report last month showing that the Visa lottery recipients are prone to Social Security fraud.
The report showed that many of the lottery recipients were either carless with the numbers or intentionally gave them away to others, because hundreds of them had been repeatedly used with different employers. The report also referenced that many of these Social Security numbers could have ended up in the hands of illegal aliens.
“We believe it is questionable when a numberholder’s earnings record indicates he/she worked for a high number of employers. Prior audit work has shown that multiple individuals may use the same name and SSN to work,” Mr. O’Carroll said in his report.
According to Mr. O’Carroll 207 immigrants also requested three or more replacement Social Security cards, an action he deemed “questionable”.
The visa lottery program was created in 1990 to help ensure that immigrants from underrepresented countries have a chance to enter the U.S. The lottery awards 55,000 visas a year and recipients are based on pure luck despite family ties, education, or skills. Once a “winner” is picked they are immediately eligible to receive work permits and social security numbers.
Due to fraud and national security concerns Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) has sponsored bill H.R. 2278 that would end the visa lottery program. NumbersUSA has highlighted this legislation as one of the top five great solutions to help end the majority of immigration problems.
“The visa lottery is a flawed process for choosing permanent U.S. residents and should be eliminated,” said Rep. Posey. “No other country in the world hands out the privilege of residency to people based solely on winning a lottery.”
Read more at The Washington Times.
