Is A Green Card Really Green?

The next week of my life was primarily spent stressing out over the finite details of the newly established “Green Card” employment permit scheme.

I forgot to mention this in one of my earlier posts (Another Dervish Of Interviews), but on the previous Wednesday the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment had finally released (just a week before they would go into effect) the details of their new work visa schemes (something that I had been worried about since I found out they were changing it), specifically whether I would still find architect on the list of “in demand” professions that would qualify for the easier version of their employment permits, or whether I would be booking a flight back home with a sore groin and broken heart (the revisions to Ireland’s standard work permit scheme have made it more of a tedious and difficult process, to the point where it would likely not be an option for me if the Green Card wasn’t going to work out).

To my delight, architect was still on the list and my initial look through the application didn’t suggest much had changed in that process. Basically all that was required was a letter of offer from an employer (the employer has to be registered in Ireland), which must outline the specifics of their offer in a prescribed way (IE including information on wage, term of employment, etc.). Included with the letter would be the filled out application with sections for both employer and employee, two passport-style pictures, copies of a few pertinent documents (specifically the perspective employees passport), “certified proof of qualifications” for the prospective employee, and a big fat check of €1,000.

The money amount was a fairly significant change from the $150 dollars I was going to have to pay with their previous scheme, but it wasn’t something I was going to let hold me back. Another change for the good and bad was that the paperwork would be processed through the DETE directly, where it would have been processed through my local consulate (in San Francisco) before. This meant that I wouldn’t have to go all the way back to the States to wait on the paperwork to process through the consulate, but it also meant that it would take 2-3 times as long to process…SIX to EIGHT WEEKS! They also changed how spouses of the permit holder are dealt with, largely for the better (this I will get into later).

Unfortunately, despite this major effort to revise and strengthen Ireland’s employment permit policies and a seemingly well put together description of the application process, there were still quite a few holes that left me with questions (here’s where there worrying part started). The application itself, as I started the process of filling it out, had a lot of little holes and problems. Things that, had they actually gotten someone to look at it before posting it, might have been elevated. Some examples of this are: questions with three possible answers and only two answer options, and sections that were not required for a Green Card having no obvious way to mark them as not applicable.

The largest question was in the requirement of “certified proof of qualifications.” That was it. A statement I found to be incredibly vague and no other descriptions were provided to narrow down what form this “proof” needed to take and which “qualifications” it applied to. Was this primarily aimed at doctors and some IT professionals that would be required to have higher level certifications? For a lower level architect, like myself, would proof of degree suffice, or did they want complete proof of all qualifications outlined in the job description? What would constitute “certified proof” of “strong design skills?”

These were the questions rolling through my mind as I tried to decipher this seemly harmless statement… I’m sure I could come up with just about anything to instill myself with worry, but in relation to making sure this application went through smoothly and as quickly as possibly, I really wanted to have all the answers.

Now, you are probably asking yourself, “Why are you stressing over a few small questions? Just ask somebody…” And it would seem that simple, wouldn’t it. Except for the fact that, with this surge of new change, the “call center” for the employment permits office was so inundated with calls that never were my calls answered. No automated system existed for a message to be left (though it’s likely that wouldn’t have yielded any response). My experience with questions left via email yielded similar results (otherwise known as NONE!). Even when I went down to the DETE offices to speak to someone in person, there was no way to interface with some who was working in this department and no way to set up an appointment. The best I managed to get was bouncing questions off of the guy at the desk, who, though he answered my questions in an informed fashion, wasn’t exactly the authoritative source for information that I would be able to place my confidence in.

“All the answers,” it seems, was not meant to be...

In the end I was left with the desk guy’s answers and my own common sense to finish the application. Reasonable sources in most cases, but again, not the solid foundation I wanted when mistakes could potentially lead to months of extra processing time…months that I wouldn’t really have.

In all fairness, I am confident that the package of information I turned in met to all of their prescribed requirements, so hopefully it will just roll (slowly...very slowly) on through processing.

During that week I met with Henry J. Lyons’ human resources person, Martina, twice. In the first meeting, which occurred on Tuesday, we went over the details of their offer, which held a few nice surprises (including time-and-a-half pay for overtime, 22 days of starting vacation time, a 10% discount on a private health insurance plan of my choice, and a fairly casual work environment), and I explained the application process and outlined exactly what I needed from the company in regards to documentation. The second meeting occurred the next day where I signed the final offer letter, making the job offer official, and collected all other needed documentation. Another wonderful surprise that came out of the second meeting was that Henry J. Lyons would be willing to pay the application fee for me. I also got to finally thank my soon-to-be boss personally for the offer. A weird side effect of having a recruiter is that you never, aside from the interview itself, have any personal interaction with the companies you are meeting. So, though I had technically already accepted their offer through my recruiter, I had never actually gotten to talk to anyone.

On Thursday, February 1st, the first day allowed in the new specifications, I turned in my Green Card application. This puts receiving my Green Card out to mid to late March. They actually told me not to bother calling to even check on whether everything had been received correctly for four weeks…

So, I am on the edge of my seat for the next six to eight weeks…

While on the edge of my seat, at least for the rest of the week and into the weekend, I decided to watch the first season of the TV show 24, which I had been holding onto for quite a while. This wasn’t exactly the best show for setting myself comfortably at ease (it’s really an intense show, almost too intense, but very well put together), but it was fun while it lasted.