19/09/2008

Irish To Get New One Year Work Visa For US

The Irish are soon to avail of a new one year working visa between Ireland and the US.

The new 'J-Visa' will enable any Irish person with a secondary school education or a qualification in a trade to spend a year travelling and or working in the US in a similar manner to the existing J1 Visa.

Some of the details of the visa have are yet to be decided, such as the upper age limit for those who qualify, but the proposal has been widely welcomed.

The agreement has been in negotiations for several months between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Irish Embassy in Washington, and follows appeals for a total amnesty for Irish immigrants in the US.

The current Taoiseach Brian Cowen had also previously commented on the situation in July, whilst in New York, saying the issue of visas and immigration would be a priority of his incumbency.

Around 20,000 visas are expected to be issued annually and the arrangement would also allow American citizens to come and work in Ireland for a year

It is being reported that the deal could be signed as early as today, however a Department of Foreign Affairs source has revealed that it could be a number of months before an agreement is in place.

(DW)

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