February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who will be a significant player in the House of Representatives when a comprehensive immigration reform bill eventually takes center stage on Capitol Hill, apparently believed that she was being questioned with regard to a specific kind of bilateral deal between the U.S. and Ireland, one that would provide relief for the undocumented Irish without regard to the position of other nations whose citizens are living outside the parameters of U.S. immigration laws.
Such a deal has never been sought, either by the Irish government or those who campaign in the U.s. on behalf of the undocumented Irish.
What is being discussed is a bilateral visa deal that would provide something along the lines of the E3 visa deal that currently exists between the U.S. and Australia. If replicated, this would provide for two year renewable visas for a specified number of Irish citizens on an annual basis and based on certain qualifications.
A possible difference if such a deal is reached between Washington and Dublin is that, unlike the U.S./Australia agreement, the scheme would not necessarily be confined to individuals with college degree and would additionally cover potential applicants with specific job skills.
The position of the undocumented Irish is something that is being separately considered, and sympathetically so on the part of Rep. Velazquez who is a supporter of the kind of reform that will bring relief to the undocumented in general and the Irish who have been soldiering on amid those all too massed ranks.