penguinsix

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...y.html?hpid=z1

The bill is not passed, but negotiators have basically given up on the Green Card Lottery. The number of scams reported (primarily websites and agencies ripping off potential applicants) was very troubling and the demand for skilled-visas will be taking some of the diversity visa slots.

Bob

That'll annoy the Irish voters

GeoffM

Bit of an odd reason to think about cutting it off (amongst other reasons). There are loads of websites trying to muscle in on ESTAs yet I wouldn't have thought that would be reason to cancel ESTA, for example. I know it's a tough one to solve but raising awareness of the scams might be a better way to start!

Zen10

I always regarded it as a terrible idea. Highly skilled professionals with PhDs could only get temporary visas like H1Bs while Tom, Dick and Harry got PR immediately for entering a lottery. It's about time the US had a proper immigration system based on points like everywhere else, but internal politics means that can never happen.

MarylandNed

I seriously doubt it. Ireland (138) and Northern Ireland (45) combined received a total of 183 visas out of the 50,000 available in the 2013 lottery. That's less than 0.004%. Hardly enough to get anyone upset. It pales into insignificance when you look at the list of winning nationalities. So there are many more nationalities who will have a much bigger reason to mourn the passing of the Diversity Visa Program. You can check the DV-2013 numbers here:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigra...ypes_5715.html

MarylandNed

I totally agree. US immigration is too slanted towards family-based immigration (e.g. family reunification, asylum, etc) rather than skills-based immigration. It is ridiculous that many foreign students graduate from US universities and then can't obtain permission to stay here to work. Instead they are forced to leave for other countries with a more skills-based immigration system e.g. Canada.

Bob

I was only being slightly tongue in cheek....

But the reality is, the Irish ancestry is much larger here than many of the other nationals and the only reason the Irish were still eligible for the lottery instead of being dropped like the rest of GB was because of the Irish vote.

MarylandNed

Firstly let's not forget that the Republic of Ireland is a separate country. It is not part of the UK. There's also a big Italian population in the US but Italy was also eligible (along with many other countries who had previously sent large numbers of immigrants to the US).

What I think you're referring to is the the fact that Northern Ireland was included but not the rest of the UK. By the way, you're incorrectly using the term GB...Northern Ireland is NOT part of GB. It is, along with GB, a part of the UK. The official name of the country is the UK of GB & NI.

Now since Northern Ireland won a grand total of 45 visas out of 50,000 (and the Republic of Ireland won 138) in the 2013 lottery, I hardly think we're going to have an outcry from Irish Americans. I doubt the DV lottery is even on the radar for the vast majority of them. Ireland (Republic plus NI combined) won as many visas as Kosovo and fewer than Somalia, Macedonia, Lithuania, etc.

Ichigo-chan

+1

Ray

it was originally called The Irish Progam

Ichigo-chan

Really? Are you jesting?

markwm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_Immigrant_Visa

Bob

It only stuck around for as long as it did, including the Irish because primarily the Kennedys kept pushing for it, for the Irish votes.

You can shit around with the numbers as much as you want, but that's basically the reason it has stuck around for as long as it has and the only reason Ireland and Northern Ireland were included, because they certainly aren't part of the diverse nature that this was intended for.

Ray

and they got I think it was 35% of the available visa

lansbury

No they will just get more the the skilled visas. Haven't seen anything an Irishman can't do with a hammer. Hammer, 4x2s and bag of nails and you're a house builder.