US Greencard Through Diversity Lotto

thenobody · 13-05-2010 10:40pm

I know it was directed at Moss, but my experience KCC are helpful. But there is no point in ringing them until you allow time for the letter to arrive and allow time for the processing of your application.
Dont call until at least August.
Putting N/A is better than leaving it blank.

Actually I looked back through my emails I did exactly the same thing. N/A on the form and emailed them in December asking them to update the address (and add a phone number). They responded the next day acknowledging the change.

mileyk2 · 13-05-2010 10:54pm

Oh thats great news! Thanks for all your help! In the middle of college finals and have just got the dream ticket so I'm all over the place! I hope we can keep in touch throughout the proccess as I 'm sure I'll need a reassuring voice when the stress kicks in, in 9 months time!
I'm going to plan for March like Moss because my number is similar to his. Just going to enjoy my summer now

thenobody wrote: »

I know it was directed at Moss, but my experience KCC are helpful. But there is no point in ringing them until you allow time for the letter to arrive and allow time for the processing of your application.
Dont call until at least August.
Putting N/A is better than leaving it blank.

Actually I looked back through my emails I did exactly the same thing. N/A on the form and emailed them in December asking them to update the address (and add a phone number). They responded the next day acknowledging the change.

thenobody · 13-05-2010 11:00pm

Yeah sure.

Mine was 18xxx and was at end of march brought forward from April. But it was last year. So March is a safe bet but most likely after.
Nothing to do than wait, have fun, dont get in trouble with the law, save save save and get your sh!t together in january.
Oh, and make copies of everything for them to keep.
Funny how people react when you say you won the lottery thing saying "thats brilliant, lucky bastard" and when it gets down the road and you get it and book to go they are like "Jasus, you're really going? Thats crazy, I couldnt do it". Guess it depends what and everything you are giving up.

MossNyc · 13-05-2010 11:00pm

mileyk2 wrote: »

Just wondering if you had any interaction with KCC? I'm really worried about putting not known in the address part of my form. I know I'm sure I can resolve this at the interview but would like to get it sorted over then next few months. Your postings are a great help

Yeah i found this on one of the forums. Dont worry about it

http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?310419-DV2011-Form-DS-230-(Question-No.11)

It seems to be fine to put NA and then do like Stephen does which is email to change.

mileyk2 · 13-05-2010 11:14pm

Thats great! thanks! what kind of lead time do you get for your interview?

MossNyc wrote: »

Yeah i found this on one of the forums. Dont worry about it

http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?310419-DV2011-Form-DS-230-(Question-No.11)

It seems to be fine to put NA and then do like Stephen does which is email to change.

thenobody · 13-05-2010 11:15pm

6 to 8 weeks - actually thats after the bulletin.

You then wait for the appointment letter which is usually 4 or 5 weeks in advance.
But once you see your number reached in the bulletins you can ring to get your date of interview. So the letter becomes irrelevant - but is important to be able to get in to the place.

mileyk2 · 13-05-2010 11:16pm

Yeh I can imagine it will be like that, sure the parents will feel awk.
When you made contact with KCC was it by phone before email?

thenobody wrote: »

Yeah sure.

Mine was 18xxx and was at end of march brought forward from April. But it was last year. So March is a safe bet but most likely after.
Nothing to do than wait, have fun, dont get in trouble with the law, save save save and get your sh!t together in january.
Oh, and make copies of everything for them to keep.
Funny how people react when you say you won the lottery thing saying "thats brilliant, lucky bastard" and when it gets down the road and you get it and book to go they are like "Jasus, you're really going? Thats crazy, I couldnt do it". Guess it depends what and everything you are giving up.

thenobody · 13-05-2010 11:19pm

Man, you are getting excited about this arent ya!!

By phone a few times first.

Relax. Its mad easy!
Hard part over

discus · 13-05-2010 11:41pm

Do I have this right - the lower your case number, the earlier your interview?

thenobody · 13-05-2010 11:42pm

yes.

lil_lisa · 13-05-2010 11:43pm

Discus, did you get it? How low is your number? I've heard people in the 3### that would be nice!

discus · 13-05-2010 11:52pm

I'm well under 20###, but not THAT low!!

thenobody · 13-05-2010 11:57pm

well since being that cagey about it then your interview will be before april. but ill guess december

MossNyc · 03-06-2010 4:59pm

So i finally received my physical green card in the post on tuesday. Its nice to finally have it. I got the new version which is like a credit card and actually green ( the last one was yellow)

It took about a month before i received a welcome letter. This is useful to have as it gives you a receipt number which allows you check the status of your case online. It took about 10 weeks before i got the physical greencard

Anyway just wanted to add the final chapter to this. Hope everyones interviews goes well

thenobody · 03-06-2010 5:16pm

Dont forget. You have to have that greencard card with you all the time everywhere.

rockonollie · 03-06-2010 6:08pm

MossNyc wrote: »

So i finally received my physical green card in the post on tuesday. Its nice to finally have it. I got the new version which is like a credit card and actually green ( the last one was yellow)

It took about a month before i received a welcome letter. This is useful to have as it gives you a receipt number which allows you check the status of your case online. It took about 10 weeks before i got the physical greencard

Anyway just wanted to add the final chapter to this. Hope everyones interviews goes well

mossnyc, did you tick the box on your visa application to have your social security card applied for automatically, and if you did, how long did it take after you arrived to get it?

lil_lisa · 03-06-2010 6:14pm

One of my friends was refused entry to a bar because all he had was his green card. Not logical at all!

MossNyc · 03-06-2010 6:45pm

thenobody wrote: »

Dont forget. You have to have that greencard card with you all the time everywhere.

Not a hope in hell im bringing that around with me. I have my New york state license and that stays with me. Its nearly $500 for a new one and you have to go in and do biometrics every time you apply for it. If you have a valid State drivers license i cant see the cops giving you too much hassle

MossNyc · 03-06-2010 6:46pm

rockonollie wrote: »

mossnyc, did you tick the box on your visa application to have your social security card applied for automatically, and if you did, how long did it take after you arrived to get it?

I did but i already have my ss card i just wanted the one that doesn't have the needs valid work requirements on it . Ill let you know when it arrives

thenobody · 03-06-2010 7:20pm

Even though you tick the SS card box you will need to go to the SS office about 10 days after you arrive. Ive read many reports of people expecting their social security cards to automatically arrive and nothing showing up. Best to just go get it done yourself.

Orange69 · 04-06-2010 3:14am

Any winners this year? The letters should be coming out about now right..?

thenobody · 04-06-2010 3:15am

they've already been sent out in May.

MossNyc · 04-06-2010 4:44pm

I got mine around this time last year

Naked Lepper · 09-06-2010 2:32pm

whens the next lottery

ak27 · 09-06-2010 8:09pm

It should open again at the beginning of October Naked Lepper.

hairyprincess · 21-07-2010 5:45pm

What exactly does the medical involve? I have spondylosis, so I'm concerned this could be an issue?
Also do children have to do a medical?

Thanx. Really interesting reading everyones stories

thenobody · 21-07-2010 5:53pm

It involves blood taken for tests for diseases and hiv etc. Check of the lungs etc. And an xray to check for TB. Then go back to pick up the xrays and results over a week later.
Dunno if that disease will be an issue. If it requires constant treatment and cost then probably. Get the list of doctors and ring one and ask them if that would be an issue. I went to a guy in the Blackrock Clinic. Think his second name was Gleeson or something like that.
Everyone has to get a medical and it would be around 360euro each.

rockonollie · 21-07-2010 5:56pm

the medical involves a regular medical check-up, review of vaccination history (boosters are given if needed), blood tests and a chest x-ray.

Generally it's just to make sure that immigrants won't be a burden on the US health system.

I'm not sure whether or not children need to go for a medical, but the embassy site says that all applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination, so I'd imagine they need to.

thenobody · 21-07-2010 6:00pm

Oh yeah forgot about the vaccinations. Try get your history if you can before you go to the medical. If cant then you get them and pay for them there.

St._Andalou · 21-07-2010 6:01pm

Does anyone know for sure when this opens again?

It's normally October, isn't it?

thenobody · 21-07-2010 6:04pm

Yes.
And searching the internet tells you in october

lonestargirl · 21-07-2010 6:10pm

hairyprincess wrote: »

What exactly does the medical involve? I have spondylosis, so I'm concerned this could be an issue?

Do you require ongoing treatment for your condition? If so it may pose a problem, it also may be difficult to get health insurance to cover a pre-existing condition once you get to the US (could be easier if your employer has access to a group scheme).

St._Andalou · 21-07-2010 10:54pm

thenobody wrote: »

Yes.
And searching the internet tells you in october

That's what I thought. And I just wanted to make sure. No need to be snide.

thenobody · 21-07-2010 11:37pm

was i?

Aprilmay · 24-07-2010 1:41pm

hairyprincess wrote: »

?
Also do children have to do a medical?

Thanx. Really interesting reading everyones stories

MEDICALS
Yes children have a medical, we had our medicals back in March, Myself, Husband, Daughter 12 and son 9. They had vacinations and a general health check because the were under 16 (no x-rays or blood tests)
It cost €1080 for all of us and we had them done in Blackrock Clinic with Dr. Gleeson, our results were back in 4 working days.If your concern is failing the medical you will be told by Blackrock clinic if you do and you get a copy of your results for your own records.

VISA
We had to pay $775( X 4) dollars for each visa. We had our visa's issued in the middle of April and we plan to activate them in Dublin in early September.
One thing I would recommend is paying for the Visa's by Bank draft its cheaper.If you pay by credit card it doesn't matter how good the rate is on the day you won't get it because the Embassy has a set rate with the banks I can't remember what it was though.

CREDIT RATINGS
On another note I have read that people are concerned about credit ratings for the states , I recommend going on line and getting one from the ICB (Irish credit Bureau) it costs €6 but its internationally recognised so you can use it when going to set up a bank account.It details all loans, car loans, mortgages and credit card payments.

Aprilmay · 24-07-2010 1:43pm

thenobody wrote: »

It involves blood taken for tests for diseases and hiv etc. Check of the lungs etc. And an xray to check for TB. Then go back to pick up the xrays and results over a week later.
Dunno if that disease will be an issue. If it requires constant treatment and cost then probably. Get the list of doctors and ring one and ask them if that would be an issue. I went to a guy in the Blackrock Clinic. Think his second name was Gleeson or something like that.
Everyone has to get a medical and it would be around 360euro each.

Dr Gleeson told us they don't check for HIV anymore its just syphilis

dave2pvd · 24-07-2010 2:20pm

Aprilmay wrote: »

Dr Gleeson told us they don't check for HIV anymore its just syphilis

Wow. Dr. Gleeson did my medical too. In 1994!

Aprilmay · 24-07-2010 2:30pm

dave2pvd wrote: »

Wow. Dr. Gleeson did my medical too. In 1994!

Yeah there are only five doctors listed for the whole country -two in Dublin and he's one of them.

lonestargirl · 24-07-2010 4:50pm

Aprilmay wrote: »

CREDIT RATINGS
On another note I have read that people are concerned about credit ratings for the states , I recommend going on line and getting one from the ICB (Irish credit Bureau) it costs €6 but its internationally recognised so you can use it when going to set up a bank account.It details all loans, car loans, mortgages and credit card payments.

We moved over to the US last year, opening a bank account is no problem. We got copies of out ICB credit report too but none of the banks we spoke to would accept them, however we got a mortgage based on two credit history reports from our Irish Visa cards (PTSB and MBNA - a simple letter to say we were in good standing) and moved into our house 6 weeks after we arrived. You would think they would take the ICB but basically if they hadn't heard of it they weren't interested.

Aprilmay · 24-07-2010 5:41pm

We had heard that Bank of America accept them -We have our credits cards with MBNA and would assume your credit score with them should count for something. We are only going over to check things out in September and to activate our green card and we plan to check out banks etc.We plan to buy a house outright and have no mortgage but if its going to affect our score we will probably have to take out a small one to build up our score.

lonestargirl · 24-07-2010 6:47pm

For the sake of €6 it is definetely worth getting the ICB report as each bank will have it's own policy. One bank that we didn't go with also ordered an international credit report through one of the big US companies, I spent 2 hours on the phone with them while they rang ESB, NTL etc and asked questions about me (I had to be on the line too in order to consent to release of the information).

Ruu_Old · 24-07-2010 7:11pm

Your credit/credit score from Ireland counts for nothing, loans and credit cards. It does not transfer over. You will have to start off with a secured credit card (e.g you pay $500 and that makes $500 your credit limit, make payments on time and after a few months you will be able to get a regular credit card from your bank. Read my sticky post.

lonestargirl · 24-07-2010 11:37pm

RUU I agree with you that a secured card is the way to go to build up a score that enables you to get a normal credit card or a car loan. However in my experience a bank is often willing to spend time investigating your international score when it comes to a mortgage (presumably as they make a lot of money on them). As I said above we moved into our house 6 weeks after ariving in the US.

dave2pvd · 25-07-2010 3:44pm

Aprilmay wrote: »

We had heard that Bank of America accept them -We have our credits cards with MBNA and would assume your credit score with them should count for something. We are only going over to check things out in September and to activate our green card and we plan to check out banks etc.We plan to buy a house outright and have no mortgage but if its going to affect our score we will probably have to take out a small one to build up our score.

A word of advice: don't just check out banks. Open a checking account and a savings account also. And: avoid Bank of America.

rockonollie · 12-08-2010 4:55pm

guys that we're interested in my case earlier in this thread.......i am glad to say that after months waiting, my greencard arrived in the mail today. Driving test is tomorrow.......hopefully i can finally start actually living in the US instead of just being here

lil_lisa · 12-08-2010 5:45pm

Awesome! Well done rockonollie. Where did you say you were? Indiana?

rockonollie · 12-08-2010 6:11pm

yeah, just outside cincinnati

Ruu_Old · 12-08-2010 6:13pm

Congrats, bit of a change to Irish summers right now eh?

(I'm in central Illinois).

rockonollie · 12-08-2010 6:24pm

you know i had been fine with it up until this week.....but right now we're getting mid-90s everyday with humidity in the upper 70% region.

Then i'm crazy enough to go play hurling in st. louis when it's almost 100F

lil_lisa · 12-08-2010 7:43pm

Wow, that sounds unbearable. It's been the worst summer here in San Diego in over 70 years, hasn't gone over 75°, of course, I'm not complaining, I'm actually relieved.

What are winters like over there?

US Greencard Through Diversity Lotto

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