By Debbie McGoldrick

“I AM currently living in Dublin and would like to live in Florida. I was there in 2002-2004 on a temporary H-3 visa. What is the best way for me to apply for a green card? If I apply now how long does it usually take before I am notified if I win or don’t win a card?

“Also I am currently studying ACCA and have been told that if I am qualified in a special field it might be easier to get a green card, but I think this only applies to temporary visas or sponsorship with companies. Am I right?”

FIRST, we’ve got to plead ignorance as to what ACCA is, though we’re guessing – with the help of Google – that it’s some sort of Irish accountancy course.

But what you heard about qualifications and green cards, or any type of temporary employment visa, is correct. The more qualified a person is through education/experience, the easier it is to have success in obtaining a visa.

You must have a good deal of U.S. experience already under your belt after the H-3 visa you received. H-3 holders are permitted to come to the U.S. for instruction and training in a particular field for up to two years, with the intention of bringing these skills home for use after the visa expires.

You say you’d like a green card and talk about “winning” one. Perhaps you’re referring to the annual DV-1 visa lottery. The application period for the next round of 50,000 green cards available through that avenue starts next Wednesday, October 4, and ends on Sunday, December 3.

The forms must be submitted electronically through the website www.dvlottery.state.gov. As in previous years, applicants are allowed to submit only one entry each, and as millions from around the world are expected to apply, the chances of success are slim at best.

There aren’t any substantial changes from how the lottery was conducted in previous years. There are some additional questions that applicants will have to answer, such as the country where they are resident at the time of application, and the highest level of education that they had earned at the time of application. Also, the term “legally separated” replaces “separated” when it comes to marital status.

Full details about this year’s instructions are available from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ ps/2006/72835.htm. Though this week’s questioner writes from Ireland and should be in the clear with regards to applying for a lottery green card, those who are here in an undocumented status must not – repeat, MUST NOT – take part in the lottery. A winning applicant would have to return to their home country for visa processing, and a ban of up to 10 years from the U.S. would be triggered upon return pretty much no matter what.

Undocumented with further questions about the lottery should contact one of the Irish immigration advice centers throughout the U.S.

If you’d like to live in Florida but are unsuccessful in the visa lottery, you’re going to have to find an employer in the state who would act as your sponsor for a green card. Virtually all employment-based visas, permanent and temporary, require a U.S. sponsor. (Exceptions are for those who are internationally renowned in a field, or those who wish to come and establish a business with a substantial cash investment.)

Perhaps you could investigate the employment possibilities in Florida with a trip to the U.S. using the 90-day visa waiver.