US Embassy interview for green card

woodaaa

Hi

Hey looking for anyones experiance of this in dublin, what it was like what they asked how much financial evidance of support u had to show etc. Mine is next month (DV lottery winner)

A few years ago i spent a summer on a j1 visa in the us. I had a legal job for a few wks paid tax etc but then i had to leave n changed city where i took a job that payed cash in hand and i dont think i was registered with anyone when i worked there for about 3 months

In the forms i sent to kcc i just put down the first job i had in the us the legal one. Is this going to be a problem for me at the interview bit worried? will they ask about it. should i tell them about the second job r just claim i traveled n didnt get another job? i kinda remember putting the second place down on some other forms i had to fill out after the j1 and tink i told some people during my stay there where i was working as it was required not sure if this was just a usit thing or a proper official gov policy where dey would have accesss to this info.

i also claimed my tax back using taxback.com but dont have any of the paper work is this a problem?
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Ruu_Old

Do you have work setup over there or some family in the US? How do you plan to support yourself? I had a joint bank account setup in the US and my inlaws became a joint sponsor on my application so that helped. Best of luck with your interview, I've been through it and know how stressful it can be.

Ajos

woodaaa wrote:

Hi

Hey looking for anyones experiance of this in dublin, what it was like what they asked how much financial evidance of support u had to show etc. Mine is next month (DV lottery winner)

A few years ago i spent a summer on a j1 visa in the us. I had a legal job for a few wks paid tax etc but then i had to leave n changed city where i took a job that payed cash in hand and i dont think i was registered with anyone when i worked there for about 3 months

In the forms i sent to kcc i just put down the first job i had in the us the legal one. Is this going to be a problem for me at the interview bit worried? will they ask about it. should i tell them about the second job r just claim i traveled n didnt get another job? i kinda remember putting the second place down on some other forms i had to fill out after the j1 and tink i told some people during my stay there where i was working as it was required not sure if this was just a usit thing or a proper official gov policy where dey would have accesss to this info.

i also claimed my tax back using taxback.com but dont have any of the paper work is this a problem?
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I got in on the lottery about three years ago. It's not that complicated. Once you've got to the interview stage you've basically got it. All they want to know is that you're not going to become a ward of the state and you have the equivalent of a high school education. If you have any college then bring along any diplomas or degrees you have. If not, bring along your leaving results. If you don't have that, then you have to have three years work experience in some kind of craft field. I don't know how you'd prove that.

You convince them you won't be a ward of the state (basically signing on) by either having a big chunk of cash in your account (bring bank statements) or a firm job offer. I'm not sure exactly how much money you need. Ten grand? Twelve? I actually didn't have enough, but the guy let me through "on my potential". I didn't have the funds but I had a good resume and a bunch of US contacts lined up, I guess I made a good impression so he gave me the benefit of the doubt.

It felt like once you've made it to the interview they really want to let you through. As long as you didn't overstay your visa I'm not sure it's that important how much you earned, whether you paid tax etc.

The one thing that nearly tripped me up was that they need an address in the US to send your Green Card to. I hadn't found anywhere to live because I didn't know if I had the card, so it was a little hairy. I had to leave the interview, go outside, get my phone back from security, call a friend with family in the States and get their address. Make sure you have an address - friend or family or whatever. You can change it when you get there.

Another thing was that they only take cash. There's a hefty fee you need to pay if you get the card, so you should have that ready. Even better if you have it in Dollars, because the exchange rate they offer in there if you pay in Euros is terrible. No cheques or credit cards!

Another thing I saw someone else get tripped up on was having different names on documents. If your middle name is on your passport then you need it to be on the document you get from the Guards as well. It needs to match everywhere.

This information is over three years old so things may have changed. I was pleasantly surprised how relaxed and easy it was once you're prepared.

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neacy69

I am thinkin of applying for the green card lottery
what is the best way of doing it i know you can pay comanies like www.usafis.org to handle the application for you is this best or is it easy to do yourself?

Ruu_Old

I don't know about paying some company as there are a huge amount of scammers out there so be careful which one you choose. When I applied a few years ago, I done it myself.

iarlaoha

Hi all,

I applied for the DV Lottery back in November, did everything carefully, made sure everything was filled in correctly in the online for, and now am crossing fingers, thinking positive thoughts, and asking the universe at large, hoping to be one of the lucky ones.

I fell in love with an american girl a year ago (Going to visit her next week for our 1st anniversary), and have nearly drained my savings going to see her in the last year! It's a very serious relationship, and we've been looking into the K1 and K3 visas (as in tying the knot), but it'd be really good to live with each other proper for a while before we make the decision. In the name of equality, and giving everything a real shot and seeing all aspects of living with each other.

So I have a few questions that hopefully you guys can answer for me, if you can remember

1) Do the offer letters come straight from Kentucky(?) or are they from the Embassy in Dublin?

2) What sort of envelopes do they come in? Is it registered post?

3) What do the letters generally say?

4) Any of the folks who got them, when did they come, when was the interview, and when were you actually allowed to go to US?

I just want to know what to look out for, and I put my home address in when I filled it out, so just to give the parents a heads up in case I'm not home that week.

Ajos

I applied in October 2001. I can't remember most of the details, but I do remember that I had basically given up when the letter arrived - I'm not sure it was even in 2002! It's definitely too soon for you to know now.

If I recall it was an A4 envelope and it came from Kentucky. I can't rmember exactly what it said, but it contained instructions - now comes the real application! You have to do a fair bit of running around, getting a medical, getting a letter from the Guards, that kind of thing. My interview was in June 2003. Yes, it takes a long time. If you get the interview you can basically leave immediately. They don't give you a Green Card there and then, they stamp your passport with permission to enter the states. This is only valid for six months. If you don't leave in that time you lose it altogether.

You hand in the envelope to Immigration in the US when you arrive and then it starts getting processed. It takes a while (9 months?) for the actual card to arrive, but until it does there's another stamp in your passport which does the job. To get work you need a Social Security Card, which they say they'll start processing when you arrive but I had to go and do it myself, which I think is fairly common.

Anyway, the main point is - applied October 2001, landed in NYC October 2003 (could have been June 2003, but I had a lot of stuff to wrap up). It's a slow process. Maybe it's faster now, but I doubt it.

Good luck!

kennedk4

Hi i have my interview next month on the 10 and was wondering if any no do you have idea do you have to use your visa within six months of getting it or can you leave if for a year just i need time to get the cash together to move there. and also have you any tips for the interview . I going to have my bank statement with me with a few thousand in my account is there anything else i should bring.

Ajos

kennedk4 wrote:

Hi i have my interview next month on the 10 and was wondering if any no do you have idea do you have to use your visa within six months of getting it or can you leave if for a year just i need time to get the cash together to move there. and also have you any tips for the interview . I going to have my bank statement with me with a few thousand in my account is there anything else i should bring.

I'm pretty sure you have to bring a bunch of stuff - letter from the Guards, results from your medical etc. Didn't they send you a letter explaining what you need to bring? If you have a good CV and letters of reference you should bring those too. If in doubt, bring it. Better too much than too little.

You need to bring the cost of the processing in cash. They don't (or didn't when I did it) accept cheques or credit cards, and they expect payment then and there. If you can get it in dollars all the better, as their exchange rate is poor. You also need to have an address in the US for them to send the Card to - you can change it later, but they need one from you at the interview. Friends, family in the US?

When I got the Green Card in the lottery back in 2003 you had to leave within six months. You could probably go there for a month then back to Ireland for a while, although I would say that's a risky strategy.

Tips for the interview - I don't know. It probably depends on who interviews you. I had a young guy who really wanted to give me the card. It's really just a question of not giving them reasons to stop you. Be confident. Be ready to sell yourself. It comes hard to irish people usually, but Americans expect it, and if you want to do well over here you'll have to learn how to do it eventually.

If they say you don't have enough money, don't give up - they can still let you in. You just need to convince them that you will hit the ground running and you have no doubt in your ability to become a millionaire within six months. Well, that's a bit extreme but you get the idea.

Good luck, and please come back and say how it went - I'm really curious about other people's experiences of it.

Kattyboy25

Hi guys,

I hope that i can get your feed back on something. I got a masters degree a year and a half ago and then i used the visa waiver travel to go over and back to the States between now and then, spending most of my time in the States. I managed to get a job that would sponsor me a green card but I fear that I mightn't get the green card at the consular interview in Dublin because I have been entering the US so often and for so long (3 months in 1 month out) and I haven't been working since since I left college. Do you think I might have a problem during the interview?
I got all the paper work that says I can do the job I'll be working at and no other person can, and so on, at the last stage of filling out the consular processing form.

Ruu_Old

No doubt about it, they will question you about where the funds came to support yourself while over there and if you have a current job in Ireland. Since you have a position that no one else can fill, it should be ok though.

Kattyboy25

Thanks Ruu. Yeah I came over for a holiday and I met someone and ended up staying much much too long. I didn't even think I was going to get a job over there so never thought too much about staying so long. I wish I had some foresight then.

I hope they don't ask me if I have a job because I kind of gave up looking for a job after the company in the US offered me one. Regarding support I have been living off my savings and my parents income :eek:

I think I might have to have a great reason for being over there for so long, I can't really say I met someone and I fell in love and we are too..... well too young to get married when this route of getting residency over there to be with her is a much better way, see education is useful

I hope the consular officer considers that I have three degrees and being much more important then being in the US for a year and a half on the tourist visa waiver.

gunsofbrixton

Going to try and jump on this thread if thats ok applied for a greencard through a website possibly dodgy at least haven't heard anything from them in a while they said they'd put me in for 3 years(which was maybe like 4 years ago) think it was something like nvas.com but somehow think they were Irish based. Does that ring a bell with anyone cause I want to see whats going on.

To my second point does anyone know of the odds for the green card lottery i mean is it a shot in the dark or is it because were from Ireland we have fairly good chance.


Lastly i have just recently finished a 2.2 Masters Degree in DCU with a good undergradutae degree 2.1 in Economics. The Masters is basically international relations focused more on International Security issues. Anyway with regards to my education can I reasonably hope to secure a position with an american company and have the visa situation sorted by them any experience out there???

Kattyboy25

Yeah this thread is really for embassy related question for people who are going through the greencard process not want a greencard sometime in the future, but still no harm done.

You are talking about the greencard lottery. There are alot of scam websites offering to do the application for your entry of the lottery and even some website say that if you win they will pay for the flight over. It is all nonsense. Don't bother with these websites because all they want is your money, they probably don't even submit your application because the likelihood that you'll win is very very slight. I have been applying to the greencard lottery for 8 years now and I never won.

Now I guess about 100,000 irish people apply to the greencard lottery every year, last year on about 130 irish people won. SO you got about 1 in 1000 chance of winning a greencard. To be quite honest you'd have a better chance at winning something in the irish national lottery since that's played every week.

How bad do you to go to the States? You can always study over there, this requires getting an F visa. Or if your super rich invest in a company over there and get an E visa.

I think alot of Irish people think the only way you can go over there to live is through the greencard, but this is not the case check out other visas. H1-B visa might be for you if you look for a job now over there, h1-b visas go quickly once they become available in April.

If you don't want to study but you can't find a company to sponsor you a h1-b you can always try the J visa. Yes I said J visa, it is the same as most students use when you travel to the States for the summer. You can work or train in a company in the states for up to a year in a J and they are relatively easy to get if you get the right company to sponsor you it. Now it does mean that you are stuck working for the company because you won't be able to transfer this visa to another company. If you are in college go to you careers advisory and ask about training in America for a year after you finish your degree, they should know where to point you.

Kattyboy25

Why guys,

Just thought i would post here aswell for my question. For people that got their greencards how long did u have to wait from when the NVC sent off your application to the embassy before you heard from the embassy itself? The NVC sent off my application afew weeks ago now and I haven't heard from the embassy yet about getting an interview date! I am just getting abit worried, and would like to know what is the typical time line for this.

best regards.

Ajos

Nvc?

SoBe

Ajos wrote:

Nvc?

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1309.html

EDIT: cant answer your question yet kattyboy25 (visa still being processed) but i wish you the best of luck

Kattyboy25

Hi guys,

My interview is this week, and where is the building I should be going to for the interview near the US embassy?

Thx.

Ajos

When I did it it was actually in the US embassy.

Kattyboy25

Well interview wasn't as much this week as it was today. I was three hours there! They didn't ask me any questions, I had all the forms in order, which is what they only asked for. Now I am on ebookers booking a flight to the US.

Everyone thanks so much for your support and assisting in answering my dumb questions.

California here I come :-)

Ruu_Old

Best of luck for the future, congrats.

SoBe

congrats and best of luck kattyboy25.enjoy it

have my own interview on the 13th of july to look forward to here

Kattyboy25

Hi guys,

In California now, damn the weather is beautiful! SoBe I wish you luck at the US embassy, but to be quite honest it's like going to the passport office and waiting, for me all they asked for were my papers, and no personal questions, i.e. what's do u do for a living etc etc!

starky

SoBe wrote:

congrats and best of luck kattyboy25.enjoy it

have my own interview on the 13th of july to look forward to here

How did your interview go in the end? I am following behind you guys, I won DV-2008, I have it all to look forward to!

JanB

Hi All,

I have just completed my application through USAFIS - Good or Bad idea?? I am married with 2 children and hope to move to Wisconsin. I completed everything correctly and uploaded all pictures required.

I was told that winners will be notified in Feb next year. But on the Us Gov website they say that the registration period is over. I am worried now after reading peoples experiences that my application may be rejected or not even sent. Can anybody shed light for me.

Also if I were to do it independley where is the application online???

cheers all


JanB

silja

JanB- I don't know about the website you went through and if they are any good, but the details for the lottery and how to apply is here. Looks like your next chance is in October 08, for the 2010 round of visas:
http://dublin.usembassy.gov/visa_lottery.html

JanB

Thanks a million

Rana82

kennedk4 wrote: »

Hi i have my interview next month on the 10 and was wondering if any no do you have idea do you have to use your visa within six months of getting it or can you leave if for a year just i need time to get the cash together to move there. and also have you any tips for the interview . I going to have my bank statement with me with a few thousand in my account is there anything else i should bring.

hello ,

congratulations !!!

i would like to know if you pass the interview.

did you proceed in procedures by yourself or you hire lawyer office to send your forms and prepare docs.

please advice

Rana82

Kattyboy25 wrote: »

Hi guys,

In California now, damn the weather is beautiful! SoBe I wish you luck at the US embassy, but to be quite honest it's like going to the passport office and waiting, for me all they asked for were my papers, and no personal questions, i.e. what's do u do for a living etc etc!

Hello ,

i hope you could recieve my message. i am so impressed of your experience . i have the same right now. i recieved notification and i have to send the forms right now. but i would like to know if i have to hire a lawyer office to proceed , or i can submit it by my self.

thanks and good luck

lonestargirl

Rana82 wrote: »

Hello ,

i hope you could recieve my message. i am so impressed of your experience . i have the same right now. i recieved notification and i have to send the forms right now. but i would like to know if i have to hire a lawyer office to proceed , or i can submit it by my self.

thanks and good luck

You should be able to do it yourself. Just one question for you, it doesn't seem that english is your native language and are you aware that eligibility for the DV is based on nativity (where you are born) rather that your citizenship?