MARK HENNESSY, Political Correspondent
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0919/1221773888183.html
Fri, Sep 19, 2008
TWENTY THOUSAND one-year working visas to
the United States are to be made available under a deal to be agreed in
a final round of talks in Washington today, it emerged last night.
Under the new agreement, the J visas will
be available not just to students as the existing three-month J1 visas,
but to anyone with a secondary-school education, or a trade.
The package has been worked on for
several months by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Irish
Embassy in Washington, led by Ambassador Michael Collins, and the US
state department.
Speaking in New York in July, Taoiseach
Brian Cowen made it clear that action on visas and immigration to the
United States would be a priority during his time in office.
The visa deal to be agreed today with the
state department will come into force in the New Year, sources said
last night. So far, it is not yet clear what the top qualifying age for
applications will be.
Relations between the Irish-American
community and the Government, which were near- poisonous in the final
months before Bertie Ahern departed from office, have improved
significantly in recent times.
Mr Ahern had argued that the demand by
Irish-American groups for an amnesty for Irish illegals was
unrealistic, while they, in turn, said Ireland was failing to put any
pressure on the US authorities.
Meanwhile, Irish-American immigration
groups have urged people to be careful when they apply for another visa
scheme that offers 50,000 Green Cards.
Applications for the places in the
Diversity Visa Lottery will open between October 2nd and December 1st
this year, and applications can be downloaded from
www.dvlottery.state.gov.
However, the Coalition of Irish
Immigration Centres, in a statement released yesterday, warned
potential applicants not to deal with unverified online operators, who
are illegally charging fees for the work, and then not doing it.
"Irish citizens who are interested in
working in the USA in the next couple of years should apply for the
lottery as it will give them an opportunity to apply for a "green card"
(legal permanent residency).
"Winners should consult the Irish centres
once they have been notified to ensure that they are eligible and that
the application is completed correctly. Instructions and additional
information will be available at the department of state site during
the application period. This is the only official site, many on-line
scammers will offer to take your money and not even request your
digital photo," said the combined lobby group.
Last year, only 132 Irish applicants were chosen under the DV Lottery, but demand is likely to be higher this year.
© 2008 The Irish Times