Ireland & The Green Card Lottery
Overview
Are you Irish and you always wanted to live and work in the US?
In the following article, We'll provide you with all the
details you need to know that will help you fulfill your dream.
All Irish citizens can win a lifetime visa to live in the US
through the Green Card Lottery.
Read through all the details provided here that will help you
understand the procedure to submit a valid application for a
green card through the Diversity Visa Program.
What is the Green Card Lottery?
Green Card Lottery, officially known as the Diversity Visa Program
is a gateway to people from eligible countries to live and work in the US.
Every year, the US Department of State holds the diversity visa program that
issues 55,000 immigrant visas, also known as Green Card through a random
computer selection of the applicants who were eligible to apply
and submitted an application that meets the strict guidelines.
Those green card winners, will be able to live and work in the US and
enjoy the status of a permanent resident.
Eligibility of Ireland for the Green Card Program
The countries that have sent a fewer number of immigrants in the US
in the preceding years are eligible to apply for the Green Card Lottery
this year, Ireland being one of them.
Any country that has sent more than 50,000 immigrants in the past five years
is ineligible for the program.
If you receive the immigrant visa through the Diversity Visa Program,
you will be lucky enough to get yourself authorized to study, live and
work permanently in the US.
You will also be allowed to bring your spouse and any unmarried children
under the age of 21 to the United States.
Around October / November every year, the US Department of State accepts
green card applications and winners of the Green Card Lottery are announced
during the following year's April / May.
Ireland has always been on the list of green card eligible countries
with 167 visas granted to Irish citizens during last year's lottery.
Non Immigrant Visa Alternatives
60 other types of non-immigrants visas can also be availed to visit
the US, like the ones for student exchange, business and tourism reasons,
education, or journalism.
These are however for a shorter amount of time unlike the immigrants
visas, granting lifetime residence.
Background to the relationship between Ireland and USA
The US and Ireland's relationship have long been based on common
ancestral ties and shared values. Besides regular dialogue on
political and economic issues, the US and Irish Governments have
official exchanges in areas such as medical research and education.
Immigration from Ireland to United States
Immigration from Ireland is dominated by the mass migration during
the Great Famine when more than a million people immigrated to
North America. However, a relatively large number traveled to
America mostly in the 18th century in order to escape hardships
at home. Most settled in rural areas and took up farming.
They were quickly assimilated into the fabric of then mostly
Protestant American society.
According to estimates those of Protestant Irish ancestry number
more than 5 million.
Settlements of Irish in the US
The first permanent Irish settlements were in Maine and New Hampshire.
Other Irish settlements were in the states of Philadelphia, Delaware,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
If you are an Irish native, and would like to submit your application
for the official diversity visa program, click to apply today !
