US Greencard Through Diversity Lotto

rockonollie · 12-08-2010 7:47pm

an awful lot worse than what you'll have......freezing cold and snowy

thenobody · 12-08-2010 7:53pm

June and July here in SD were like winter.
But also, I much prefer it than the heat. Seeing a few clouds during the day aint bad. Just wish it was a little warmer when the sun goes down.
And since when did 67F / 18C feel cold? Get used to this place very quickly.

rockonollie · 12-08-2010 8:01pm

i wish it was in the 60s here.....even overnight it stays in the mid 70s.....driving home from a ball game the other night.....the one that was hot for other reasons....it was 91F at 11:30pm

h57xiucj2z946q · 12-08-2010 9:47pm

rockonollie wrote: »

i wish it was in the 60s here.....even overnight it stays in the mid 70s.....driving home from a ball game the other night.....the one that was hot for other reasons....it was 91F at 11:30pm

You should try Phoenix, Arizona at Night :-)

Conor108 · 02-10-2010 6:47pm

Hey guys, Im just reading the DV-2012 requirements and it says:

You must have either a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform.

So a Leaving Cert is satisfactory? Im sure it is but just some confirmation would be nice! Thanks:)

EDIT: Post #1:o:o

thenobody · 02-10-2010 7:35pm

Yeah. But it's just one part of all the requirements. You'll need the rest too.

Bear in mind though that in this day and age degrees aren't worth much and having a masters is more important. Even more so especially in the states.
Make sure you complete college in a "careerable" course before thinking of these sort of things. You don't want to have to pay what they pay for education over here.

Aprilmay · 02-10-2010 10:37pm

Conor108 wrote: »

Hey guys, Im just reading the DV-2012 requirements and it says:

So a Leaving Cert is satisfactory? Im sure it is but just some confirmation would be nice! Thanks:)

EDIT: Post #1:o:o

Yes it is-I brought my other qualifications with me but once I had a copy of my leaving certificate on the day of the interview thats all they wanted.

DeadMoney · 15-10-2010 2:37pm

I am just getting my application together now and this will be my first year to apply (thanks lil lisa for the extremely helpful pm a while back). One question I have is when the results come out next June, do you just hear back if you have been successful, and can you check it yourself to see? God, winning a green card would be as good as winning the real lotto for me :rolleyes:

thenobody · 15-10-2010 3:34pm

What do you mean getting an application together? It's nothing more than getting a photo and filling out a form online - 3 mins total.
Then just forget about it and put it out of your mind. If you are extremely lucky you could have a letter arrive home in may or june from sweden from the Kentucky consular (btw this means you were selected not that you will end up getting it, it's the first stage). Otherwise you'll get nothing.
No need to overthink this thing until you are picked and have to

lil_lisa · 15-10-2010 3:53pm

This is where you'll go to check it for next year on or after May 1st 2011.

Aprilmay · 15-10-2010 4:41pm

I actually never checked on line ( had forgotten tbh)- I just got the letter telling me I was selected and the forms to complete for the next round.

SHOVELLER · 15-10-2010 9:34pm

Great thread. Is there any link suggesting a successful applicant needs a certain amount of money to enter the U.S.?

Aprilmay · 16-10-2010 11:01am

SHOVELLER wrote: »

Great thread. Is there any link suggesting a successful applicant needs a certain amount of money to enter the U.S.?

We brought bank statements, Pension statements, Credit card statements to show we had savings and no credit card debt, we also brought our mortgage statement (our mortgage is small and we have still alot of equity in our home even in todays market) They kept all of these statements and they were not returned to us. We brought all of these as we were a family of four and we wanted to make sure we were not denied on financial grounds. I would say if your single you have plenty of time now to get your finances in order if your applying now.

silja · 16-10-2010 2:31pm

SHOVELLER wrote: »

Great thread. Is there any link suggesting a successful applicant needs a certain amount of money to enter the U.S.?

Yes, http://travel.state.gov/pdf/1318-DV2012Instructions-ENGL.pdf, point 34. Basically, you must be able to support yourself by having qualifying income/ job offer, assets or a US based sponsor (friend or family). You must make 125% of the current year poverty level (about $18'200 for two people this year) in income, or 3/ 5 times as much in assets.

DeadMoney · 26-10-2010 2:27pm

Can you get passport pics taken in photo shops for upload on a disc? Webcam is bust and have none on my computer.

SHOVELLER · 31-10-2010 11:08pm

DeadMoney wrote: »

Can you get passport pics taken in photo shops for upload on a disc? Webcam is bust and have none on my computer.

Went here last year: http://www.cameracentre.ie/stores/grafton-street

They take your photo upstairs and when you tell them you are applying for the Green Card they will size it for you onto a disc. €20 if memory serves.

ak27 · 01-11-2010 9:48pm

DeadMoney wrote: »

Can you get passport pics taken in photo shops for upload on a disc? Webcam is bust and have none on my computer.

If you have a digital camera you could use that as well, that's what I've done.

Conor108 · 24-12-2010 10:25pm

Can we get this stickied again?

Black Swan · 25-12-2010 2:19pm

Conor108 wrote: »

Can we get this stickied again?

Done. Happy holidays!

Gavwdr · 11-01-2011 3:05pm

Hi Guys,

I'm currently looking into moving to the US for, say 4+years, as i'm sure most of you are aware that there is a lot of paper work and processing time involved. I am looking for a visa (if such visa exist that is) that will allow me to travel to the US and find a job over there. Now I know that visas do run out and I was wondering what visa should I apply for and what happens if my visa runs out?? Can I renew through the irish embassy or do I have to return home?

All advice is welcomed.

Gavwdr

Aprilmay · 11-01-2011 3:18pm

Gavwdr wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I'm currently looking into moving to the US for, say 4+years, as i'm sure most of you are aware that there is a lot of paper work and processing time involved. I am looking for a visa (if such visa exist that is) that will allow me to travel to the US and find a job over there. Now I know that visas do run out and I was wondering what visa should I apply for and what happens if my visa runs out?? Can I renew through the irish embassy or do I have to return home?

All advice is welcomed.

Gavwdr

I'm not sure if such a visa exists although others will advise -J1 is for one year only
I know there is one (visa) if you have a Job you can apply for but I can remember the name although you don't have a job offer so unless you have an offer thats no good.
This thread is for the diversity lottery which would take two years to get provided you get picked out of the draw.
I'm sorry I can't be of anymore help.

silja · 11-01-2011 3:55pm

Gavwdr wrote: »

I'm currently looking into moving to the US for, say 4+years, as i'm sure most of you are aware that there is a lot of paper work and processing time involved. I am looking for a visa (if such visa exist that is) that will allow me to travel to the US and find a job over there.
Gavwdr

There isn't a "looking for a job" visa. Your best option is to go over on the visa waiver program for a maximum of 90 days at a time to look for a job- you can interview on this visa, but not actually work. Once you have a job, your employer can then petition for a work visa. Alternatively, find a job in Ireland with a multi-national such as Google or HP and after a couple of years, ask them to transfer you to the USA.

PeakOutput · 13-01-2011 8:52pm

didnt see this thread before im in the lotto for this year fingers crossed, i still can avail of one j1 and one h1 though so i have basically two years of being able to work over there if i dont get it but it would be pretty convenient to get it first time around

thenobody · 13-01-2011 8:55pm

remember that you need to get jobs in your field of study with those year visas. Cant just be any job. It will be tricky then.

PeakOutput · 13-01-2011 8:57pm

thenobody wrote: »

remember that you need to get jobs in your field of study with those year visas. Cant just be any job. It will be tricky then.

im lucky in that thats not a problem

FGR · 18-03-2011 2:41am

I'm sure this is asked quite frequently but -

I've been entering the Lottery since 2004 and have yet to win. Is this common? It's just that so many people seem to win each year I'm beginning to wonder why on Earth I'm not even succeeding in getting past step one.

That said..I'm in it again this year.

Thanks for reading.

thenobody · 18-03-2011 3:12am

ForegoneReality wrote: »

I'm sure this is asked quite frequently but -

I've been entering the Lottery since 2004 and have yet to win. Is this common? It's just that so many people seem to win each year I'm beginning to wonder why on Earth I'm not even succeeding in getting past step one.

That said..I'm in it again this year.

Thanks for reading.

Huh?
It is extremely uncommon to win it - or should say randomly picked.
Only a hundred or slightly more go to Ireland each year and there are hundreds of thousands that apply for it. Everyone I know has been entering for years and I am the only one of them lucky enough to be picked.
It's all a game of luck and chance. Nothing more. It's just a lottery. (I'd rather have won millions than this but it'll do!)

Never think you are going to win or have a chance at it. Just each year apply online between October and December and then forget about it and get on with life.

Aprilmay · 18-03-2011 6:56pm

ForegoneReality wrote: »

I'm sure this is asked quite frequently but -

I've been entering the Lottery since 2004 and have yet to win. Is this common? It's just that so many people seem to win each year I'm beginning to wonder why on Earth I'm not even succeeding in getting past step one.

That said..I'm in it again this year.

Thanks for reading.

We applied 2009 for the first time and got it -we didn't even check the results on-line,we forgot about it and the envelope just arrived in the post, I think 16 million applied that year and only 147 or thereabouts were given to Ireland. We consider ourselves very lucky I know of someone who's applied every year since it started.

jamesbrond · 18-03-2011 7:10pm

We were picked in the last one.
A mate of mine applied and was picked too.
None of us have actually used it though.
A few years ago it was different. We all thought we'd need to leave the country because there would be no jobs here. That didnt turn out to be the case though.

I heard its not really random either. The more you make the better the chance. If you are a couple and you have a very high combined income you have more chance.
If you are currently working in a high paid job you have more chance than if you are not working.
If a couple both have degrees they more chance.
If you worked there before, such as a J1 etc you have a better chance.
If you have relatives who are legal already there.

thenobody · 18-03-2011 8:43pm

That all has nothing to do with being picked.
It does with getting selected to be given the greencard.
But that's after you are selected which is completely random.

If you are selected doesn't necessarily mean you will get a greencard

Palmy · 20-03-2011 5:54am

All you basically need is to have finished high school,have abit of money saved,and no criminal record.If you have all these and are lucky enough to be randomly selected you won't have a problem.Once you have your green card ,you have to use it.You can't just go in and out once every two years or so on holiday thinking maybe one day ill move,as they will ask you to surrender your green card.(basically they just tell you that your not using it and they take it off you.)So if you do win the green card be sure your going to use it.It's not as simple as people might think,you still have to file tax returns in the U.S even if your living abroad or back in Ireland while your sorting out your move to the U.S. although in general if your not earning more than 75k you won't have to pay tax twice (Ireland and in the U.S).

thenobody · 20-03-2011 7:15am

You talking about the foreign tax credit? - on Irish income when resident in the US.

You don't pay tax in Ireland on your American income.

Palmy · 21-03-2011 10:21am

I was just saying if you get your green card and decide to stay in Ireland for up to a year while your getting yourself organised to move to the U.S, and that you are working here, you still have to fill a tax return for the U.S. even though your not working in the U.S.:)

thenobody · 21-03-2011 3:14pm

Well I guess that depends. Cos you have six months to activate it and then six months to move permanently.
So if possible and if the person if just activating and coming back best to leave it to the start of the following year if that lies within the six months.
Your residency starts when your greencard is activated which then means you have to do the tax return for that year as you say.
So best to activate and move in the same year.
And beat not to leave it near the deadlines

PeakOutput · 17-04-2011 12:32pm

So iirc we find out on the 1st of may who has gotten greencards

who is waiting for the results?

I am very excited about finding out if I got one or not, I am trying to keep telling myself that the chances are slim but I cant help but get excited about the possibilities if I do get one.

I am heading to the states on the 20th of may for 5 months anyway so not sure how I can go about activating the green card and all that stuff if I do get one but I will cross that bridge if I come to it.

If I don't get awarded one the worst case scenario is I live in australia for the winter and then go back to america this time next year on a h1 visa and get my employers to start sponsorship but thats expensive and a pain in the ass

So who is waiting? Are you confident? What are your plans if you do get one and if you dont?

ak27 · 17-04-2011 2:36pm

PeakOutput wrote: »

So iirc we find out on the 1st of may who has gotten greencards

who is waiting for the results?

I am very excited about finding out if I got one or not, I am trying to keep telling myself that the chances are slim but I cant help but get excited about the possibilities if I do get one.

I am heading to the states on the 20th of may for 5 months anyway so not sure how I can go about activating the green card and all that stuff if I do get one but I will cross that bridge if I come to it.

If I don't get awarded one the worst case scenario is I live in australia for the winter and then go back to america this time next year on a h1 visa and get my employers to start sponsorship but thats expensive and a pain in the ass

So who is waiting? Are you confident? What are your plans if you do get one and if you dont?

I'm waiting on the the results too. This is my second attempt at the Diversity lottery. tbh I haven't made any serious plans just yet for moving because the chances are so slim (fingers crossed I will get selected though!). I have thought of a few places where I'd like to move to if I do get selected, but that's about it.

lonestargirl · 17-04-2011 10:08pm

PeakOutput wrote: »

.
If I don't get awarded one the worst case scenario is I live in australia for the winter and then go back to america this time next year on a h1 visa and get my employers to start sponsorship but thats expensive and a pain in the ass

you know you need sponsorship to get a h1 visa right?

Also the way they are organised you can't start work between April and October, there are a certain number of visas each year and applications open April 1st for starting after Oct 1st. Previously they ran out within a few days but last year they didn't run out until Jan (so if you got one any time after Oct 1st until they ran out then you could have started immediately).

lil_lisa · 18-04-2011 6:41pm

Has anyone received a letter from Kentucky Consular Center yet?

thenobody · 18-04-2011 6:45pm

They'll be received from mid May until end of June.
Its too early now. They get processed around now and can take 6 weeks to receive the letter from the date of processing.

EDIT: no more letters per later posts below as of this year

thenobody · 18-04-2011 8:08pm

By the way.
I have seen some people getting a bullsh!t email about being selected for a greencard.
Dont trust any of them or any other companies. They are scams.
You will not get an email!!

This one was from

From: U.S. Department of State <usatravel.state.gov@london.com>

and it had said selection guaranteed if you paid $880 and the following:

After you find a Western Union agency you need to go with cash money, an identity card(e.g passport or national identity card) and send the payment to the U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom: 

Name : John Godwin 
Address: 24 Grosvenor Square 
London, W1A 2LQ 
United Kingdom 

The payment must be sent to the above U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom because the U.S. Government decided this based on the diplomatic relations with your country.

BuffyBot · 18-04-2011 8:15pm

lil_lisa wrote: »

Has anyone received a letter from Kentucky Consular Center yet?

They no longer send letters.

Worth noting this info

US Department of State wrote:

Finally, remember that all DV-2012 applicants must check their status online, and will not receive a notification letter from the U.S. government.

From http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html

thenobody · 18-04-2011 8:20pm

and also

"The Kentucky Consular Center will no longer mail notification letters to DV selectees. Those selected in the random drawing are NOT notified of their selection by email."

lil_lisa · 18-04-2011 9:53pm

That's definitely worth noting, I'm sure there are already scammers on this sending out fake letters.

PeakOutput · 20-04-2011 8:28pm

lonestargirl wrote: »

you know you need sponsorship to get a h1 visa right?

ye none of that is a problem

Also the way they are organised you can't start work between April and October, there are a certain number of visas each year and applications open April 1st for starting after Oct 1st. Previously they ran out within a few days but last year they didn't run out until Jan (so if you got one any time after Oct 1st until they ran out then you could have started immediately).

thats the h1 you are talking about? that is strange as my friend is flying out a week after me (end of may) on a h1 for a year but i will have a look into it if tha is the case then i should start the greencard process this year instead of relying on h1, ugh thats going to be a pain

maybe i have my names mixed up when i say h1 i mean the 12 month working visa they are offering students that is called the h1 right?

sleepyescapade · 20-04-2011 10:03pm

PeakOutput wrote: »

ye none of that is a problem

thats the h1 you are talking about? that is strange as my friend is flying out a week after me (end of may) on a h1 for a year but i will have a look into it if tha is the case then i should start the greencard process this year instead of relying on h1, ugh thats going to be a pain

maybe i have my names mixed up when i say h1 i mean the 12 month working visa they are offering students that is called the h1 right?

thats the j1.

h1-b visa is where an employer sponsors you to become a permanent resident of the U.S

silja · 20-04-2011 10:16pm

PeakOutput wrote: »

maybe i have my names mixed up when i say h1 i mean the 12 month working visa they are offering students that is called the h1 right?

No you are talking about the J1- needs to be done within a year of graduating. The H1B is a dual intent work visa, where the employer can sponsor you for a greencard after some years of working for them.

PeakOutput · 21-04-2011 12:19pm

ah gotcha I dont know why I thought it had a different name to the traditional j1

El Diablo 101 · 24-04-2011 2:45pm

I've a weird feeling I might win this year because I am in the middle of a four year degree, and to win it would mess up my studies. Knowing Murphy's Law and all that!

Wasn't the opening period for entry cut from two months to one this year? I'm getting excited, just one more week to find out!

sleepyescapade · 24-04-2011 7:14pm

I'm excited but being realistic about it, given how many apply each year. If I don't get it its not going to mess up my alternative plan of 12 month j1 / possible h1 anyway.

little lady · 01-05-2011 5:22pm

Hi,

I got selected this year 2012 lottery, I was just wondering; for aynone that has been through it before, the medical and the Garda check, will I be given enough time between receiving the letter with the appointment details and the appointment itself to get these done or should I just go ahead and get them??

I know from this thread that there are certain doctors that you must go to for the medical so would I be better call the US Embassy and asking for the details or will I just sit tight?

I know I have only been selected for the interview and that doesn't necessarily mean I will get a Visa but I'm still really excited :-)

US Greencard Through Diversity Lotto

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