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.
