Possible move to us, few queries, any advice appreciated!

[punchdrunknihilist]

Hi,

I have a few queries, hopefully someone will help..

I am applying for the DV 2009 lottery. I am an Irish born Irish citizen living in London. On the US visa website, it says that there were 51 DV visas issued last year to Irish people, whereas places like Angola got 3000+ !

Does anyone know if this is this just because so few Irish people applied for a DV visa and most(!) Irish applicants were selected?

If I do get picked for an interview, do I need to have a job offer in hand? or can I get one based on my qualifications etc? (I don't have any savings or assets.)

Secondly, if I did win the lottery, what's the time frame between being picked and getting a visa?

Background info about me:
26yr old guy
Irish born Irish citizen.
Raised & Schooled in Ireland
University in UK -> Bachelors degree followed by Masters
Currently working and doing the requisite professional experience
& will be be a fully qualified Architect around October 2008 with all RIBA / ARB accreditation.

Ideally I'd like to move to the US (NYC in particular) around March 2009, if I get a visa will it restrict me to a certain timeframe?

Failing all this I hope to get a H1B though.. I am in the process of settin up interviews etc. (tight timeframe before 1st april I know!) Has anyone got any experience about going through immigration control when flying over for an interview? I mean for 'purpose of visit' etc? Plus, as an Architect, I would carry a portfolio of work (a dead giveaway) to any interview.

Thanks for reading, I hope someone can help!

[JAJ]

1. I don't recognise those figures. These figures from the State Dept are probably more reliable, note they count DV-2008 selections, not visas:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants ... _1317.html

It is true that DV-eligible territories are not all equally favored in the lottery. Territories in "low admission" regions of the globe get more visas than those in "high admission" regions.

2. Chances of being selected are quite low. Even if you are selected, it doesn't guarantee a visa (they select more "winners" than visas available).

3. Timing of the process is discussed in:
http://travel.state.gov/pdf/2009DVInstructions.pdf

It also discussed the requirements to be granted an immigrant visa.

4. H1-B visa is not easy to get (due to quota cap) and pathway to a green card may be difficult. Have you thought about other alternatives which may offer a simpler pathway to citizenship, eg Australia? (incidentally Australian passport holders can access the E-3 visa, much better than H1-B).

Have you obtained your British citizenship by now, if you've been in the U.K. for some time?

[Marco 72]

As a fully qualified architect you may be able to get a job offer at some US college. In that case you would be exempt from the H1B cap, and it should be pretty straightforward to get a work permit.

[punchdrunknihilist]

Hi, thanks for your replies.

I haven't gotten British citizenship. I'm not adverse to the idea, but as I already have an EU passport I'm not sure if I see the advantage.
Wouldn't dual nationality go against me in a green card / h1b interview?

As an aside I think I would be eligible for British citizenship if my father got it and he is eligible. He is eligible as every Irish person of my father's generation is eligible. Asking my Dad if he fancies becoming a British "subject" would be a whole other matter...

[JAJ]

Hi, thanks for your replies.

I haven't gotten British citizenship. I'm not adverse to the idea, but as I already have an EU passport I'm not sure if I see the advantage.

Having a second passport has advantages from time to time (eg if you need to send one away for a visa). Also, there are a few things that Irish citizens are excluded from (eg management/policy Civil Service jobs) and it's an insurance policy against immigration restrictions becoming tighter in future (which they will).

Wouldn't dual nationality go against me in a green card / h1b interview?

Unclear why it should.

As an aside I think I would be eligible for British citizenship if my father got it and he is eligible. He is eligible as every Irish person of my father's generation is eligible. Asking my Dad if he fancies becoming a British "subject" would be a whole other matter...

British subject status is not British citizenship and nor is it transmissible to children:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_subject
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_na ... of_Ireland

If you want British citizenship you will have to apply for naturalisation on your own merits. How long have you lived in the United Kingdom?

[punchdrunknihilist]

I looked into it and I've been here long enough to be eligible for British citizenship on my merits and the Citizen exam looks like a breeze. But it costs £655 plus another £70 - £80 for a passport.. Expensive stuff.
Changing immigration policies aside, it's not really a priority for me.

Does anyone know what investigations the US does into you for a green card or h1b? Obviously drug convictions would be a big no-no! but things like bank accounts, assets held etc or lack thereof, are these considered?

[JAJ]

I looked into it and I've been here long enough to be eligible for British citizenship on my merits and the Citizen exam looks like a breeze. But it costs £655 plus another £70 - £80 for a passport.. Expensive stuff.
Changing immigration policies aside, it's not really a priority for me.

If British citizenship isn't worth the application fee to you, then that's obviously your call.

You wouldn't be under any obligation to actually get a British passport.

Does anyone know what investigations the US does into you for a green card or h1b? Obviously drug convictions would be a big no-no! but things like bank accounts, assets held etc or lack thereof, are these considered?

You'll need to be a lot more specific.

[joesoap101]

I looked into it and I've been here long enough to be eligible for British citizenship on my merits and the Citizen exam looks like a breeze. But it costs £655 plus another £70 - £80 for a passport.. Expensive stuff.
Changing immigration policies aside, it's not really a priority for me.

If British citizenship isn't worth the application fee to you, then that's obviously your call.

You wouldn't be under any obligation to actually get a British passport.

Does anyone know what investigations the US does into you for a green card or h1b? Obviously drug convictions would be a big no-no! but things like bank accounts, assets held etc or lack thereof, are these considered?

You'll need to be a lot more specific.

There is virtually no point in applying for British citizenship considering that you are an Irish citizen - and most of the millions of Irish people living in Britain, do not apply for British citizenship because of this.

If you win the DV lottery (quite a small chance of this actually happening) you will possibly get a chance to go for an Immigrant visa interview- if your case number ever becomes current.
At the interview you have to prove that you will not become a 'public charge' so you would have to show that you can support yourself. You do not need a job offer but this can certainly help towards meeting that requirement. And all you need education wise is to show that you have a high school diploma - leaving certificate, everything above this level is a bonus.

The time frame between being selected and getting the visa depends on your case number and when it will become current. If you have a high case number then you might have to wait up until the end, Sept of each year, before being called for interview. If your number does not become current by Sept 30 then you lose the chance to get an interview, and subsequently the Immigrant visa.

Fewer Irish people apply for the DV lottery so there would be a lower level of notifications.

[JAJ]

There is virtually no point in applying for British citizenship considering that you are an Irish citizen - and most of the millions of Irish people living in Britain, do not apply for British citizenship because of this.

Most of the "millions of Irish people" are British citizens by birth in the United Kingdom.

About 150 Irish citizens are naturalised or registered as British citizens annually, according to Home Office figures.

It is pertinent to note that there is a difference between being a British citizen and being a foreigner with most of the rights of a British citizen.

[joesoap101]

There is virtually no point in applying for British citizenship considering that you are an Irish citizen - and most of the millions of Irish people living in Britain, do not apply for British citizenship because of this.

Most of the "millions of Irish people" are British citizens by birth in the United Kingdom.

About 150 Irish citizens are naturalised or registered as British citizens annually, according to Home Office figures.

It is pertinent to note that there is a difference between being a British citizen and being a foreigner with most of the rights of a British citizen.

Only about 20% of Irish people who were not born in Britain had become British citizens after 6 years- this is the lowest up-take of any group.

'24. People born in the Irish Republic were unlikely to become British citizens – only 25
per cent of those who had lived here for over 20 years had become British citizens.'

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0807.pdf

There is also anecdotal evidence that British born citizens of Irish decent often opt to travel on an Irish passport as there is no 'baggage' associated with it.