Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

US Greencard Through Diversity Lotto

12357…48

Comments

  • #122
    Orange69
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Orange69


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


  • #123
    thenobody
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭thenobody


    they've already been sent out in May.


  • #124
    MossNyc
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭MossNyc


    I got mine around this time last year


  • #125
    Naked Lepper
    Registered Users Posts: 1,514 ✭✭✭Naked Lepper


    whens the next lottery


  • #126
    ak27
    Closed Accounts Posts: 51 ✭✭ak27


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


  • Advertisement
  • #127
    hairyprincess
    Registered Users Posts: 2,290 ✭✭✭hairyprincess


    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 :)


  • #128
    thenobody
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭thenobody


    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.


  • #129
    rockonollie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,626 ✭✭✭rockonollie


    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.


  • #130
    thenobody
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭thenobody


    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.


  • #131
    St._Andalou
    Closed Accounts Posts: 327 ✭✭St._Andalou


    Does anyone know for sure when this opens again?

    It's normally October, isn't it?


  • Advertisement
  • #132
    thenobody
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭thenobody


    Yes.
    And searching the internet tells you in october


  • #133
    lonestargirl
    Registered Users Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭lonestargirl


    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).


  • #134
    St._Andalou
    Closed Accounts Posts: 327 ✭✭St._Andalou


    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.


  • #135
    thenobody
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭thenobody


    was i?


  • #136
    Aprilmay
    Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭Aprilmay


    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.


  • #137
    Aprilmay
    Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭Aprilmay


    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 :)


  • #138
    dave2pvd
    Registered Users Posts: 1,511 ✭✭✭dave2pvd


    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!


  • #139
    Aprilmay
    Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭Aprilmay


    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.


  • #140
    lonestargirl
    Registered Users Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭lonestargirl


    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.


  • #141
    Aprilmay
    Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭Aprilmay


    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.


  • Advertisement
  • #142
    lonestargirl
    Registered Users Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭lonestargirl


    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).


  • #143
    Ruu_Old
    Closed Accounts Posts: 36,634 ✭✭✭✭Ruu_Old


    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.


  • #144
    lonestargirl
    Registered Users Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭lonestargirl


    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.


  • #145
    dave2pvd
    Registered Users Posts: 1,511 ✭✭✭dave2pvd


    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.


  • #146
    rockonollie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,626 ✭✭✭rockonollie


    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


  • #147
    lil_lisa
    Registered Users Posts: 1,829 ✭✭✭lil_lisa


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


  • #148
    rockonollie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,626 ✭✭✭rockonollie


    yeah, just outside cincinnati


  • #149
    Ruu_Old
    Closed Accounts Posts: 36,634 ✭✭✭✭Ruu_Old


    Congrats, bit of a change to Irish summers right now eh? :) (I'm in central Illinois).


  • #150
    rockonollie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,626 ✭✭✭rockonollie


    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


  • Advertisement
  • #151
    lil_lisa
    Registered Users Posts: 1,829 ✭✭✭lil_lisa


    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?


Advertisement