Green Card Winner - Some Advice ??

yaylward

Hi - I'm 28 year old who has been lucky enough to have won the Diversity Visa 2009 for the USA. As I'm currently out of work (300,000 of us ! ) - this seems like the ideal time to take this opportunity.

I have an Smurfit MBS and am currently completing a Higher Diploma in Statistics. I had planned to do an MA in Economics next year - but have to take up DV option by January next.

I love to be able to do so some placement work in a US organistation similiar to Irish organisations such as CORI, TASC, CSO or NESC.

I've been searching for information on the internet and can't seem to find anything. Can anyone even recommend a good website to get started ??

Bobon

Hi Yaylward, when did you receive your notice of acceptance for the visa? I applied for this December gone and hoping to get the visa. Would you mind telling me the process involved from when you're accepted and what happens from there i.e when do you have to go by etc.? Sorry I realise this is a little off topic for you but just curious.

Darren1o1

Bobon wrote: »

Hi Yaylward, when did you receive your notice of acceptance for the visa? I applied for this December gone and hoping to get the visa. Would you mind telling me the process involved from when you're accepted and what happens from there i.e when do you have to go by etc.? Sorry I realise this is a little off topic for you but just curious.

I am guessing since you applied in December (last year) that you are in DV 2010 apposed to 2009 like the OP. It is not due til June/July.

Bobon

Darren1o1 wrote: »

I am guessing since you applied in December (last year) that you are in DV 2010 apposed to 2009 like the OP. It is not due til June/July.

Ok, cheers for clearing that up. Roll on July.

fintan.moloney

As far as I know they start posting the 2010 winning letters in May and this continues until June. Towards the end of June / start of July you can then check your result online (they added the ability to do this as in some countries the postal system can be very unreliable).

With regard to the original poster, you might want to take a look at www.goabroad.com - They have a section there on the US which might be of use.

yaylward

Bobon wrote: »

Hi Yaylward, when did you receive your notice of acceptance for the visa? I applied for this December gone and hoping to get the visa. Would you mind telling me the process involved from when you're accepted and what happens from there i.e when do you have to go by etc.? Sorry I realise this is a little off topic for you but just curious.

Thanks Fintan for the advice on that website - will certainly check it out!

As to the earlier query about the whole process - I applied 3 years ago via a private company, USAFIS. You can enter the competition free via the US State Department website – however I was not aware of this at the time. I goggled ‘Green card’ – this site appeared first on the results. They are efficient but I paid (I think) $100 - $150 on what otherwise was a free service!

Got the call from USAFIS last 31st of May 2008 to inform me that I had won the Green Card – rather bizarrely in the midst of the phone call the lady in question tried to sell me Spanish Language CD’s in order master the language ….such is the drawbacks of going with a company : )

USAFIS sent me out forms several weeks later , I had to email them as I was panicking …once again I wasn’t aware that the documents that they sent me on were available online on the US State Department website .

USAFIS also sent out documentation from a US legal firm called Carl - Dotan Cohen, Law Offices who they recommend to process the application for a $800 fee. Carl - Dotan Cohen, Law Offices did cite statistics on the huge amount of failed applications etc. and as part of their service intervenes if you made a mess of your application…but to be honest if your first language is English you should have no problem filling out the forms.

I got a call from the US Embassy in Dublin in January asking me to attend an interview late February – cue a whole lot of rushing about trying to get documentation in order.
The embassy wants:
Garda Certificate of Clearance – Has to of been issued within the last 6 months. This was the one item that I nearly did not have for the interview – it arrived one day prior to the interview despite applying for it 3 months previously.

Bank Statements from within the last 6 months – If you don’t have this, you need a letter from parent / guardian that they will support you as well as list of their assets / incomings from an accountant.

Current Passport as well as original Birth Cert

Medical, Chest X-ray & List of vaccinations – You have to attend a doctor that is approved by the embassy (they send you out a list). I attended an approved doctor at the Blackrock Clinic and also got my Chest X-ray there. As most Irish health boards do not have a list of vaccinations that were received by Irish Children whilst in primary school – I ended up getting boosters from this doctor as well and after March 2009 the number of required vaccinations has gone up. One warning …it cost over €350 ! You need to bring all your medical results to the interview

Academic Documentation – Need to get original third level / fourth transcripts from University. The lady also wanted the original Leaving Cert Document – I had only a copy which had been certified by the Gardai –she accepted it once she saw I had the rest of the documentation in order.

Photographs – Documentation received from the embassy outlined that 2 passport photographs where the image of the face was tilted from the right ear to the left cheek was required. However on the day of the interview they wanted just two ordinary frontal passport photos which I luckily had.

Fee of $775 needs to be paid on the day – Cash only. Also I nearly didn’t get to pay my fee as I had $800 (the bank would not give out smaller denominations) and it’s not the embassy’s policy to give out change – so try and have the exact amount if possible.

Your then interviewed by an embassy employee to see if you will contribute something to the USA, they generally want to see if you’ll be a decent citizen and provided that you pass this interview your issued with a pass that will allow you to enter the United States. This pass will expire in 6 months from the date of issuance. The actual green card will be posted to an US address that you provide in your initial application.

whitey1

Good luck

---

went through it myself 15 years ago and havent looked back since. Had only planned to stay for a year or 2 and am I'm still here.

Be open minded re employment...things are tight here right now. Lots of highly qualified, educated and motivated people out of work due to financial crisis.

You need major connections for the quasi governmental jobs youre interested in, so cast a broad net in your search

UCD Business Alumni have Chapters in Boston and NYC-could be a good starting point. Get their contact info from the Alumni Office in Blackrock

fintan.moloney

Thanks for all that information, its interesting to see what is involved in the process should one by lucky enough to get selected in the lottery. You mentioned they called you in January, was that long after you had submitted your forms and documentation?

Bobon

Fair play Yaylward, you left no stone unturned there.:)

Whitey, where are you living in the States? I'd be a little nervous going over now with the state of the economy etc. Also the fact that i'm starting a new job here adds to this.

Palmy

Received knowledge today that my application was successfull for the 2010 green card program.First time i had applied for it too.Just more forms to fill out and then hopefully the interview and pass. Fingers crossed.:)

kraggy

Palmy wrote: »

Received knowledge today that my application was successfull for the 2010 green card program.First time i had applied for it too.Just more forms to fill out and then hopefully the interview and pass. Fingers crossed.:)

Really? They said that people wouldn't be notified til June/July.

emeraldstar

Palmy wrote: »

Received knowledge today that my application was successfull for the 2010 green card program.First time i had applied for it too.Just more forms to fill out and then hopefully the interview and pass. Fingers crossed.:)

Oh wow, lucky lucky you

Bobon

Palmy wrote: »

Received knowledge today that my application was successfull for the 2010 green card program.First time i had applied for it too.Just more forms to fill out and then hopefully the interview and pass. Fingers crossed.:)

Fair play to ya Palmy. What did the letter say about an interview etc.?

Hopefully, a letter will come through the post any day.

Palmy

You have to fill in more forms and send then to the states work etc.Then if you pass that stage you will get an interview at the embassey betwwen Oct 09 and Sept 10,You neee to have police records,medicals done etc.Be worth it though.Oh and if you do get it you have to go to the states within 6 mths for the visa.

septembar79

fintan.moloney wrote: »

As far as I know they start posting the 2010 winning letters in May and this continues until June. Towards the end of June / start of July you can then check your result online (they added the ability to do this as in some countries the postal system can be very unreliable).

With regard to the original poster, you might want to take a look at www.goabroad.com - They have a section there on the US which might be of use.

Hello,

I registered for DV Lottery program in December 2006. and few weeks ago I received a phonecall from USAFIS that I won. They wanted about $600 for some package that will explain the procedure and help me learn English and Spanish. I did not accept to pay because I do not want to pay for something that should be sent to me for free. I already paid to USAFIS about $350 at the time of registering. Than, one of the manager said I should receive a Notification by mail by July 10. 2009.

Than today, I received an email from Carl-Dotan Cohen Law Offices. Now they ask for almost $3000 to lead me through the process. I do not think it is legal to hold on to someone's Notification deliberately, just to get the large sum of money.

You mentioned that you can get the information online at the end of June. Could you please provide me with URL so that I can check if this is some sort of scam, or I am reallz the winner of Green Card Lottery.

Thanks!

Palmy

I would not send any money to them.You have to apply for the DV lottery program every year and you are not automatically put in year after year,so if you applied in 2006 i find it difficult to believe as you have to supply an up to date photo taken within the last 6 months.The Dv program is free of charge to enter and you will be notified by mail like i was.Go onto the U.S gov website and this will explan it for you.They say you should not apply through a third party and that there is alot of companys charging for something that is free.The forms sent to you ,if you do win are not difficult to fill out ,just the normal where you have lived,worked,family and education back ground.The KCC center who deal with all the applications are very helpful and you can email them on any questions.I would wait to receive your information pack with your ds230 forms etc before i would believe anything.And remember that the Kentucky consular center (KCC) are the only place that process Dv lottery programs,no other companys or firms.

Palmy

Just not when you apply for the DV lottery you are given a reference number and told to look after it.You need this reference number to check to see if you have won,But as i said you should of been notified by mail already

septembar79

Palmy wrote: »

Just not when you apply for the DV lottery you are given a reference number and told to look after it.You need this reference number to check to see if you have won,But as i said you should of been notified by mail already

At the time of my applying through USAFIS, I got a reference number consisted of 9 numbers, and a password. And it said also that I will be in a pool for DV2009. All this is very confusing to me, because I think that DV2009 is already gone.

The only reason why I applied for it through the USAFIS, was that I did not know it is free through the state department, and because their website appears among first results on the internet. But now I know...

septembar79

yaylward wrote: »

Thanks Fintan for the advice on that website - will certainly check it out!

As to the earlier query about the whole process - I applied 3 years ago via a private company, USAFIS. You can enter the competition free via the US State Department website – however I was not aware of this at the time. I goggled ‘Green card’ – this site appeared first on the results. They are efficient but I paid (I think) $100 - $150 on what otherwise was a free service!

Got the call from USAFIS last 31st of May 2008 to inform me that I had won the Green Card – rather bizarrely in the midst of the phone call the lady in question tried to sell me Spanish Language CD’s in order master the language ….such is the drawbacks of going with a company : )<quote>

Hello,

Something similar happened to me few days ago. The same scenario as you described...You said you applied 3 years ago,,, it means in 2006. It makes sense that you were notified last year, but they notified me few days ago. I can hardly believe this is true.. They said they will send it to me by July 10. But is not the State department sending the notifications? How can USAFIS have my notification, if my address is on initial application? I am so confused...It seems that everyone else knows that I have won, except me,,the winner...
Than I got an email from the same law office Dotan Cohen in NY and they were asking almost $3000 to lead me through the process. Of course I am not going to pay. But I have never seen my Winning notification. Is there any way I can check if I really won the lottery?

Thanks!

ak27

septembar79 wrote: »

yaylward wrote: »

Thanks Fintan for the advice on that website - will certainly check it out!

As to the earlier query about the whole process - I applied 3 years ago via a private company, USAFIS. You can enter the competition free via the US State Department website – however I was not aware of this at the time. I goggled ‘Green card’ – this site appeared first on the results. They are efficient but I paid (I think) $100 - $150 on what otherwise was a free service!

Got the call from USAFIS last 31st of May 2008 to inform me that I had won the Green Card – rather bizarrely in the midst of the phone call the lady in question tried to sell me Spanish Language CD’s in order master the language ….such is the drawbacks of going with a company : )<quote>

Hello,

Something similar happened to me few days ago. The same scenario as you described...You said you applied 3 years ago,,, it means in 2006. It makes sense that you were notified last year, but they notified me few days ago. I can hardly believe this is true.. They said they will send it to me by July 10. But is not the State department sending the notifications? How can USAFIS have my notification, if my address is on initial application? I am so confused...It seems that everyone else knows that I have won, except me,,the winner...
Than I got an email from the same law office Dotan Cohen in NY and they were asking almost $3000 to lead me through the process. Of course I am not going to pay. But I have never seen my Winning notification. Is there any way I can check if I really won the lottery?

Thanks!

From what I've read on the US embassy site, the only way you'll know if you've won is if they (ie the US government) contact you through the post. Something doesn't seem right with these guys IMO. Personally, I wouldn't give them a cent without knowing I had actually won in the lottery.

Maybe you could try contact them and explain that you no longer need their assistance, since you want to complete it yourself and you'd appreciate it if they sent on any forms etc they have connected to your application. I don't know how willing they would be to release your forms, but it's worth a try.

septembar79

Thank you for your response. It all seems like another scam. When I asked them can they at least fax it to me so that I know what I am paying for, they said NO.

kraggy

Only the US Government can provide confirmation that you have won a Green Card.

Absolutely NO ONE else can confirm it for you.

yaylward

Fintan,

Got the initial call in May 2008, however did not get documentation until September 2008!

Rana82

septembar79 wrote: »

Hello,

I registered for DV Lottery program in December 2006. and few weeks ago I received a phonecall from USAFIS that I won. They wanted about $600 for some package that will explain the procedure and help me learn English and Spanish. I did not accept to pay because I do not want to pay for something that should be sent to me for free. I already paid to USAFIS about $350 at the time of registering. Than, one of the manager said I should receive a Notification by mail by July 10. 2009.

Than today, I received an email from Carl-Dotan Cohen Law Offices. Now they ask for almost $3000 to lead me through the process. I do not think it is legal to hold on to someone's Notification deliberately, just to get the large sum of money.

You mentioned that you can get the information online at the end of June. Could you please provide me with URL so that I can check if this is some sort of scam, or I am reallz the winner of Green Card Lottery.

Thanks!

hello ,


i have same experience . i recieved a call from USAFIS that i am winner.

it is not scam. just you have to ask about your case number and check it with KENTUCKY , you can get the number from embassy web site.

DC lAWYER OFFICE has called me also , and i am confused . did i have to hire them to proceed or what i have to do . i am afraid that i will loose the GC if i submit the forms by my self for a trifle reason.

please advice . is there any one who get the green card in he same way without any help from other offices.

Rana82

yaylward wrote: »

Thanks Fintan for the advice on that website - will certainly check it out!

As to the earlier query about the whole process - I applied 3 years ago via a private company, USAFIS. You can enter the competition free via the US State Department website – however I was not aware of this at the time. I goggled ‘Green card’ – this site appeared first on the results. They are efficient but I paid (I think) $100 - $150 on what otherwise was a free service!

Got the call from USAFIS last 31st of May 2008 to inform me that I had won the Green Card – rather bizarrely in the midst of the phone call the lady in question tried to sell me Spanish Language CD’s in order master the language ….such is the drawbacks of going with a company : )

USAFIS sent me out forms several weeks later , I had to email them as I was panicking …once again I wasn’t aware that the documents that they sent me on were available online on the US State Department website .

USAFIS also sent out documentation from a US legal firm called Carl - Dotan Cohen, Law Offices who they recommend to process the application for a $800 fee. Carl - Dotan Cohen, Law Offices did cite statistics on the huge amount of failed applications etc. and as part of their service intervenes if you made a mess of your application…but to be honest if your first language is English you should have no problem filling out the forms.

I got a call from the US Embassy in Dublin in January asking me to attend an interview late February – cue a whole lot of rushing about trying to get documentation in order.
The embassy wants:
Garda Certificate of Clearance – Has to of been issued within the last 6 months. This was the one item that I nearly did not have for the interview – it arrived one day prior to the interview despite applying for it 3 months previously.

Bank Statements from within the last 6 months – If you don’t have this, you need a letter from parent / guardian that they will support you as well as list of their assets / incomings from an accountant.

Current Passport as well as original Birth Cert

Medical, Chest X-ray & List of vaccinations – You have to attend a doctor that is approved by the embassy (they send you out a list). I attended an approved doctor at the Blackrock Clinic and also got my Chest X-ray there. As most Irish health boards do not have a list of vaccinations that were received by Irish Children whilst in primary school – I ended up getting boosters from this doctor as well and after March 2009 the number of required vaccinations has gone up. One warning …it cost over €350 ! You need to bring all your medical results to the interview

Academic Documentation – Need to get original third level / fourth transcripts from University. The lady also wanted the original Leaving Cert Document – I had only a copy which had been certified by the Gardai –she accepted it once she saw I had the rest of the documentation in order.

Photographs – Documentation received from the embassy outlined that 2 passport photographs where the image of the face was tilted from the right ear to the left cheek was required. However on the day of the interview they wanted just two ordinary frontal passport photos which I luckily had.

Fee of $775 needs to be paid on the day – Cash only. Also I nearly didn’t get to pay my fee as I had $800 (the bank would not give out smaller denominations) and it’s not the embassy’s policy to give out change – so try and have the exact amount if possible.

Your then interviewed by an embassy employee to see if you will contribute something to the USA, they generally want to see if you’ll be a decent citizen and provided that you pass this interview your issued with a pass that will allow you to enter the United States. This pass will expire in 6 months from the date of issuance. The actual green card will be posted to an US address that you provide in your initial application.

Hello YAYLWARD,

i am curriuos to know if you are in US right now.

i have same experience . i have to send the forms right now. but i am fraid to send it to make any mistake . i fill it already . it was easy to make . but a lawyer company has called me and said that i have to hire them since any single mistake will make my case decline.

please help me .

mikkyy

Hello,

I have won the DL for the year 2010, but I have done a mistake that I do not add my kid to the aplication because he was born later after the process, and I dont update the application however he was born on April 2009 while the lottary was on Sptember 2009, an emegration lawyer said to me that I will be wasting my monney if I process my application for the interview because they will denie it. any one have experience liken or near to my case?

Geraldine1

Hello,

I have won the DL for the year 2010, but I have done a mistake that I do not add my kid to the aplication because he was born later after the process, and I dont update the application however he was born on April 2009 while the lottary was on Sptember 2009, an emegration lawyer said to me that I will be wasting my monney if I process my application for the interview because they will denie it. any one have experience liken or near to my case? By Mikky

Hello Mikky
Am in same dilemma, applied for Green card through Usafis in 2008, then was single, got married 2010 and won Green card 2011.When i sent my completed forms i included my child and spouse, got interview date but problem is the emigration lawyers are saying its "extremely unlikely" that i will succed in my case, need some advice before i waste a lot of money doing the medical exams, visa, lega fees?? Mikky did you suceed in your application?

Fysh

The advice of an emigration lawyer is by definition more worthwhile than the advice of a pseudonymous person on the internet. I would suggest you take the advice you're being given by a professional dealing with this area of law.

Given that this thread has been dormant for over a year until this post, I'm locking it.