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Pressure mounts on Senator Scott Brown to deliver on Irish visas

Supporters of the bill believe that Brown could make a very strong case to both Grassley and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell

NIALL O'DOWD,

IrishCentral Founder

Published Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 7:14 AM

Updated Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 10:01 AM

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Senator Scott Brown

Photo by © Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Pressure is mounting on Senator Scott Brown to deliver on his media comments last week that he was ready to push through an E3 bill,which would give 10,500 non-immigrant visas a year to the Irish, renewable every two years.

Brown the Massachusetts Republican was in discussions with Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa who has put a hold on a combined hi-tech workers and Irish E3 visa bill in the senate.

Irish Central understands that Grassley has raised three objections to the Irish part of the bill and that Brown as yet has not worked out the impasse.

The two bills have been considered together. The hi-tech bill which would help Indian and Chinese workers easily passed the House. However Senator Chuck Schumer, (D-NY) added the Irish bill in the senate.

Democratic sources told Irish Central that they believed Brown could win support for the bill because of the politics involved.

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Brown faces a tough battle in the senate race against his Democratic opponent Elizabeth Warren.

The Boston Globe reported a poll on Tuesday that poll showed the pair neck and neck with Warren on 46 per cent and Brown on 43 per cent.

Supporters of the bill believe that Brown could make a very strong case to both Grassley and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell that he needs the bill to bolster his support back home with Irish Americans.

“We don't believe he has made this argument yet,”said the Democratic source...”we don’t know if he will”.

Last week Brown told the Boston Herald that the bill was “ready to pop” but there has been little activity since.

What Brown does next will decide its fate. Fifty three Democrats are on board and a handful of Republicans. It needs sixty votes to defeat a filibuster.

Two GOP senators David Vitter of Louisiana and Jeff Sessions of Alabama have indicated they oppose the bill but it does not appear to be a high priority for them.

Nster.com

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11 Comments

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mopickelly | Mar 12, 2012, 01:56 PM EDT

I don't know much about this sbill. But I am against bringing more people into the U.S. to compete with unemployed American workers. Ihave also heard this is a "back door" amnesty. If true , I aremain against agnesties in any shape or form. It is also said there that there is nothing more permanent than a temporary worker!

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Mamba11 | Feb 16, 2012, 03:10 AM EST

I'm not sure if Sen. Brown's fate is more important than a fate of hundreds of thousands of people whose live will turn into a misery if this Bill becomes a law. If he wants to create a separate visa category for Irish, why not to do so? But Please don't let him mix gold and sh.t together. So called "hi tech" part of this Bill, will create even longer backlogs for foreign workers, including Irish, who have already applied for their green cards years ago and still waiting because of so called "retrogression".

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irishcoffeekid | Feb 15, 2012, 06:53 PM EST

The Requirements to qualify for an E3 visa: an applicant must demonstrate: • that he or she must have a legitimate offer of employment in the US (Hard to get when there are shortages of jobs already) • that the position he or she is coming to fill qualifies as specialty occupation employment (i.e. that there is noone within the state/in surrounding states or across the domestic USA qualified to do that job at that salary) • that he or she is a citizen (of whichever country they're applying in and has paid all their taxes and has no criminal record or drug record - including college) • that he or she has the necessary academic or other qualifying credentials which are often elevated for overseas applicants because they have to prove the skills are not possible to recruit in the USA • that his or her stay will be temporary (no greencard or premanent residency applications will be on offer), and • if required before the alien may commence employment in the specialty occupation, that he or she has the necessary license or other official permission to practice in the specialty occupation. An approved Labor Condition Application is required and no more than 10,500 E3 visas can be issued per year.

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irishcoffeekid | Feb 15, 2012, 06:49 PM EST

E3 VISA REGULATIONS - AS CURRENTLY WRITTEN: The process to obtain an E3 visa to work in the USA is the same as to obtain an H1B visa (you must first find a job with a sponsor company). This means that many H1B employers and sponsors also recruit and hire people on E3 visas. An E3 visa job must be found and secured with a E3 sponsor company in the US before the visa application can be submitted and issued.

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irishcoffeekid | Feb 15, 2012, 06:39 PM EST

What doesnt seem to be coming out clear in all this media coverage and whether its on purpose or not so he gets votes/support is this. You can't just apply for the visa - you have to have a job offer and unless you have that job offer you cant get one of the visa's. The reality is any employer in the USA is going to FIRST AND FOREMOST have to prove that there is noone on the continent of the United STates who can do that job and trust me thats goona be bloody hard to do because of the unemployment rate as it is across the US and because there are so many graduates already working in the fast food industry becuase they cannot get IT jobs. I think there needs to be more honesty about the fine print on this bill - from what i read here in DC noone in Ireland will get a visa unless an employer in the USA can prove they need to go overseas and lets face it they prefer the Indian/Asian workers because they cost less to process than Europeans. Ultimately anyone unemployed in Ireland, you're gonna need an employer to sponsor you to get that visa unless they change the fine print so its not like a J1 or a H1B visa - it still needs a job to get it!

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GeorgeDillon | Feb 15, 2012, 02:19 PM EST

"he needs the bill to bolster his support back home with Irish Americans". This is nonsense. There is absolutely no evidence that Irish Americans want special immigration treatment for Irish migrant workers. Would someone please prove to the contrary? Even on this web site most American posters show no sympathy for any favoritist treatment for the Irish. Take a Number and Stand in Line, Irish!

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chsr | Feb 15, 2012, 12:40 PM EST

This issue never affected me until now. I'm an engineer and was laid of 18 months ago and am having great difficulty finding work. I don't know how the visa process works, but we don't have unlimited opportunities for non Americans to work just now due to our economy, and I'll not favor any measure to allow anyone in until I know all the facts. We have high unemployment right now and frankly we don't need anyone else coming over demanding visas.

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boherlihy | Feb 15, 2012, 11:42 AM EST

Reciprocity on the E-3 visas has been guaranteed by the Irish government.

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Murph46 | Feb 15, 2012, 11:13 AM EST

If what fabem 1 says is true about his son, then Ireland Pog Ma Thoin!I WAS considering bringing my family back for the third time,but I'd now rather give money to the Queen after your lead article and this one!

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hollabackgurl | Feb 15, 2012, 09:32 AM EST

The most misinformed commentators in America always want to vent their opinions when it comes to immigration. Americans certainly can apply for Irish work visas. American companies have for decades profitably availed of its tax laws. Ireland SHOULD expect something in return.

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faberm1 | Feb 15, 2012, 09:27 AM EST

I think Irish workers should be given the same chance as asian workers to come and work. However, I think NONE are needed in that we have hundreds of thousands of graduates leaving USA universities in Computer and Software related fields who have NO WORK. We cannot be the shock absorber for the rest of the world's economic woes. If the Irish are allowed to come here, then Ireland should allow reciprocity to Americans. My son looked into spending 6 months in Ireland with a work permit and was told "No Americans need apply". The whole rest of the western world was allowed to apply on the website but not Americans.

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