The Irish and U.S. governments have officially unveiled the new extended J visa deal that will allow a minimum of 20,000 Irish students and recent graduates to live and work in the U.S. for one year.

The program is expected to get underway before the end of the year, and possibly as early as next month.

At a signing ceremony at the State Department last week, Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte praised the new pilot program which represents the first of its kind between the U.S. and a foreign country.

The agreement was able to pass without congressional approval in accordance with the U.S. Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, which aims to develop relations between the citizens of the U.S. and other countries through exchange programs.

"Today's signing is designed to cultivate further mutual understanding between the people of the United States and Ireland. By enacting this new agreement, we hope to expand the international work and travel experience for those who may not otherwise have had the opportunity. It is a win-win situation for all of us," said Negroponte at the ceremony.

"Today's agreement is a significant development in our visa arrangements with the United States in almost two decades. By working and traveling for an extended period in our two countries, our young people will be long-term connections, which will help to maintain and enhance our historic bilateral relationship. We are confident that this agreement will successfully attract thousands of participants," said Martin.

The deal will also allow up to 5,000 U.S. citizens the right to legally work and travel in Ireland for a year. Processing for the visas will be handled through the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, and the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C.

A spokesperson for the American Embassy, Sheila Paskman, said the embassy has yet to receive official application details from the State Department, "but I imagine that will happen soon," she said, adding that the embassy has received numerous inquiries from Irish citizens about the new program.

The new U.S. visa will be an expanded version of the current J visa program that thousands of Irish students have availed of during the summer months, which allowed for four months of legal work and travel throughout the U.S.

Eligible applicants will have to either be a participant in a post-secondary (university) course of education, or a recent post-secondary graduate. The visas do not require a prior offer of employment in the U.S.

They are good for one year and are not renewable.

The new visa deal will be administered on a pilot basis for five years. It will be extended indefinitely - and, perhaps, also available to other countries - if it runs successfully.

For Americans interested in availing of the program, application details as they become available will be posted on www.embassyofireland.org, or www.dfa.ie.