Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signs historic drivers’ licenses bill into law

New law to benefit the 5000 Irish undocumented living in Illinois

As the debate moves to Washington DC the Irish and the Chicago Celts have their sights firmly set on immigration reform but with an added element: namely the E3 visa.  The hope is to add the E3 bill, modeled after a similar E3 visa for Australia, to any immigration reform bill.  The E3 visa for the Irish would be a reciprocal visa that would allow up to 10,000 Irish nationals the chance to come to the USA to work for up to two years. 

The visa would be renewable after two years and would include a three-tiered educational requirement for applicants.  The visa would be available to those with a high school diploma, a vocational qualification or a third level degree.  The Irish government has firmly stood behind the E3 and the bill has strong support on the Hill among friends of Ireland.   There has never been a better time to push forward with comprehensive immigration reform and the Irish are poised to once again punch above their weight in this debate.

*Breandán Magee is the Executive Director of the Chicago Irish Immigrant Support (CIIS)
 

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Nster.com