February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
And this low number, according to the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, is a primary reason as to why Irish hopefuls should apply for a visa as long before the application deadline as possible.
There were now only days left to apply for the 50,000 free green cards available in the annual diversity visa lottery, ILIR said in a statement this week.
The lottery, it said, was one of the few remaining avenues for Irish people to legally emigrate to the U.S.
“Only 132 Irish applicants were chosen last year mainly because so few people knew how to apply for it,” said ILIR’s Kelly Fincham.
The current application period ends noon on December 1 but applicants are advised to apply as long as possible before then as the online system has been prone in the past to crashing in the closing days.
People who were born in Ireland and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply. Applications must be made at www.dvlottery.state.gov
This is the only official site. The program is free. If a website asks for money it is not the official website,” said Fincham.