Immigration News

Emigration on rise to US and Britain

JAMIE SMYTH Social Affairs Correspondent

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0505/1224269734931.html

Wed, May 05, 2010

THE NUMBER of Irish people emigrating to the US increased by 12 per cent last year despite a significant drop in the number of temporary visitors from Ireland.

There was also a slight increase in the number of people from the Republic registering to live and work in Britain in 2009, according to immigration figures compiled by the US and British authorities.

Some 1,637 Irish people were granted legal permanent residence in the US in 2009, up from 1,465 a year earlier. The vast majority (1,066) were granted residence on the basis of having an immediate relative with US citizenship. A further 494 people gained residence on the basis of employment, according to the US department of homeland security.

The rise in emigration to the US mirrors recorded increases in emigration to Canada and Australia in 2009, which experienced 13 per cent and 25 per cent jumps respectively in the number of residence visas issued to Irish nationals.

Figures published by the British department for work and pensions show there was a 7 per cent rise in the number of Irish people registering to work in Britain in the first nine months of 2009.

Some 8,620 people were issued national insurance numbers in Britain up to the end of September, compared to 7,990 in the same period a year earlier. The vast majority of those who registered to work (7,380 people) were between the ages of 18 and 34.

Peter Hammond, director of the London Irish Centre, said there was probably a slight increase in the numbers of Irish people arriving, but it was nothing like the situation in the recession of the 1980s, when there were larger numbers of Irish emigrants.

“People who come here are finding it difficult enough to get work. It’s important to realise the streets of London are not paved with gold,” he said.

Crosscare Migrant Project, which provides advice to people considering emigration, said temporary options of travelling to Australia and Canada continued to be more popular than the US, which has a more cumbersome visa application procedure.

“There continue to be general inquiries about the US but it is simply not as accessible as Canada and Oz for young people who are interested in taking a year or two out doing casual work,” said Joe O’Brien of Crosscare.

Some 18,400 Irish nationals emigrated in the year to April 2009. The Economic and Social Research Institute predicts this trend will continue during 2010 and 2011, with a further 100,000 people leaving the country to travel or find a job.

Despite the increase in emigration the overall number of people travelling to the US for tourism or business fell by 103,893 to 526,017 in 2009. The number of students taking part in exchange visits to the US fell to 11,402 in 2009, down from 13,721 a year earlier. There was also an 11 per cent fall in the number of Irish temporary workers and their families entering the US during 2009.

Usit said the number of J1 visas issued in 2009 was down on the previous year.

“There was probably not one dominant factor but a squeeze on discretionary spending here and the fact that many Irish students may not have wanted to lose their existing part-time jobs by travelling to the US are factors,” said Seona MacRéamoinn of Usit.

Joanne Richardson, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, said the recession was clearly affecting tourism and business travel.

© 2010 The Irish Times

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          Contact: Media Department Monday, April 26, 2010                                                            212-356-3100 DOOR-TO-DOOR NONRESPONSE FOLLOW-UP BEGINS MAY 1ST Census urges cooperation with enumerators to ensure everyone is counted New York, NY – Beginning May 1, more than 600,000 Census takers, commonly referred to as enumerators, will knock on doors in communities across the United States, signaling the launch of the Nonresponse Follow-up operation (NRFU).  NRFU operation tasks enumerators with visiting households that did not mail back their 2010 Census form to make sure everyone is counted once and in the right place.  The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting this important operation to ensure that the 2010 Census is complete and accurate. Enumerators are temporary workers hired from the local community by the U.S. Census Bureau.  The census taker will have an ID badge with the Bureau of the Census seal, and may also be carrying a bag with “U.S. Census Bureau” on it.  If asked, he or she will provide you with supervisor contact information and/or the Local Census Office phone number for verification. Census takers will visit homes to ask the same ten questions that were included in the mailed out questionnaire.  They will not ask respondents about immigration or citizenship status, Social Security numbers, or bank accounts and any financial information.  They will not solicit any monetary contribution. “Nonresponse follow-up is critical to achieving an accurate census,” says Lester A. Farthing, the U.S. Census Bureau’s New York regional director.  “If an enumerator knocks on your door, please cooperate and answer ten simple questions so that your community can receive its fair share of federal funding and be fairly represented in government.” Census takers will visit each address up to three times and may try to telephone up to three times.  If a resident does not answer, the census taker will leave a door hanger with a number the resident can call to schedule an interview time. If contact is made by phone, the census worker will conduct the interview with the household member. All personal information given to census takers is kept confidential and is protected by strict privacy laws.  Census employees are sworn for life to protect personally identifiable information and face penalties of up to five years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 or both for disclosure.  The Census Bureau is prohibited by law from sharing personal information with any other government agency or law enforcement. Nonresponse follow-up operations will continue until July 10.  For more information on Census takers and NRFU operations, visit 2010census.gov. ATTACHMENT:  2010 Census Nonresponse Follow-up Electronic Press Kit ### About the 2010 Census The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution to be conducted every 10 years. Census data are used to apportion congressional seats to states; to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to local, state, and tribal governments each year; and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census form will be one of the shortest in U.S. history and consists of just 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide. 2010 CENSUS TIMELINE OF OPERATIONS May 2010 – December 2010 May 1: Launch of Nonresponse Follow-up operations – census workers visit households that have not mailed back their census form. July 24: Launch of Vacant Delete Check operations. August 6: Launch of Field Verification operations. Dec. 31, 2010: Reporting of Census data to the President of the United States. 2010 CENSUS LINKS Main Page: http://www.2010census.gov ‘Take 10’ and Be Counted/QAC Map: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/ NY Regional Website: http://www.census.gov/regions/new_york Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, more): http://2010.census.gov/2010census/involved/index.php NY Regional Facebook ID: New York Regional Census Office 2010 Census Logos: http://2010.census.gov/partners/census-logos/ Multimedia Center: http://2010.census.gov/mediacenter/index.php Images, b-roll and other tools: http://mediadownload.census.gov/ Local data: http://www.census.gov For data from the 2000 Census and American Community Survey enter the specific city or zip code into the “Population Finder” on the right-hand side.

PRESS RELEASE – October 30, 2009

The diversity visa lottery application period is currently open again for those who are eligible and interested in applying for a green card. For the seventh year, applications will only be accepted online via the U.S. Department of State website at www.dvlottery.state.gov.  

Emerald Isle Immigration Center is once again appealing to potential applicants to plan early again this year! The DV Lottery website can get frozen the closer we get to the deadline of noon on Monday, November 30th. Regretfully we will be unable to accommodate last minute walk-ins during the final days of the DV Lottery. So please call either of our offices if you need assistance with your application.

Each year, 50,000 green cards are made available through a lottery system to individuals who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The State Department's National Visa Center holds the annual lottery and chooses winners randomly from about 8 to 13 million qualified entries. About 100,000 entries are notified and given the opportunity to apply for permanent residence. If permanent residence is granted, then the individual, their spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 will be authorized to live and work permanently in the United States.

Only natives of certain countries are eligible to apply for the green card lottery. Those born in the following countries are not eligible to apply for the DV-2011 lottery because a total of more than 50,000 immigrants came from these countries to the U.S. in the previous five years: Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Korea, United Kingdom and its dependent territories (except Northern Ireland) and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible. An applicant may, however, claim the country of birth of their spouse, if eligible, or of either parent if they were born in a country of which neither of their parents was a native or a resident at the time of their birth.

All applicants also must have a high school diploma or the equivalent, defined in the United States as the successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education or they must have two years of work experience within the last five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. Entries for the DV-2011 diversity visa lottery must be submitted electronically from noon on October 2, 2009 through noon on November 30, 2009. Applicants may access the electronic diversity visa entry form at www.dvlottery.state.gov only during the 60-day registration period beginning October 2nd. Paper entries will not be accepted. All entries by an applicant will be disqualified if more than one entry for the applicant is received, regardless of who submitted the entry. Applicants may prepare and submit their own entries, or have someone submit the entry for them. The Department of State will issue DV lottery entrants an electronic confirmation notice upon receipt of a correctly completed Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form.

Applicants must also attach separate digital photographs of themselves, their spouses and unmarried children less than 21 years of age (except children who are already permanent residents or U.S. citizens). The photographs must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format and meet specific resolutions (600 pixels high by 600 pixels wide), color depths (24-bit color) and kilobytes (maximum 240 KB) requirements. If a photograph print is scanned, the print must be two inches square and be scanned at a resolution of 150 dots per inch and with specific color depths. If the digital image does not conform to the specifications, the application will be automatically disqualified.

Applicants will be selected at random by computer from among all qualified entries. Those selected will be notified only by mail between May and July 2010 and will be provided further instructions, including information on fees connected with immigration to the U.S. Persons not selected will NOT receive any notification. DV-2011 visas will be issued between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011.

No fee is charged to enter the annual DV program. The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program. Any intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare submissions for applicants do so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government. Use of any outside intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV entry is entirely at the applicant's discretion. A qualified entry submitted electronically directly by an applicant has an equal chance of being selected by the computer at the Kentucky Consular Center as does an entry submitted electronically through a paid intermediary who completes the entry for the applicant.

The new immigration laws carry heavy penalties for visa overstays.  Those who have overstayed their visa by 6 months, may face a 3 year bar upon their departure from the United States, if they have overstayed for one year or more, they may face a 10 year bar. Successful lottery applicants who are undocumented in the US must be processed for a visa at a US Consulate abroad under current laws. Departing the US will trigger the 3 or 10 year bars making them ineligible for a visa. Undocumented lottery winners with a relative petition or an employer labor certification pending before April 30, 2001, may be eligible to be interviewed in the United States under Section 245(i), provided they have not triggered the 3/10 year bars by leaving the US.

Inquiries may be made to the EIIC at their Woodside, Queens's office at (718) 478-5502 or at their Woodlawn, Bronx office at (718) 324-3039 or on the EIIC website www.eiic.org.  Both centers along with the Aisling Center on McLean Avenue (914) 237-5121 in Yonkers are currently scheduling DV applications.