In an effort to encourage young Irish people to live and work in the U.S. on a temporary basis, the Irish and U.S. governments have reached a deal to initiate a new pilot visa program that will allow for up to 20,000 Irish citizens to legally reside here for a period of one year.

Details about the new program, which is expected to commence early in 2009, will be finalized this week in Washington, D.C.

Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin is scheduled to meet with Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on Wednesday to review the program's finer details and procedures.

A formal announcement about the new program is expected from both governments in the coming days.

The program will be an expanded version of the current J visa program, which allows for students to work legally in the U.S. for a period of four months. J visas have been popular with Irish students for many years seeking work experience in the U.S. for the summer months.

The new pilot program is exclusive to natives of Ireland. It will last for a period of at least five years, with up to 20,000 visas available for each of the years.

If the program is successful it is expected that the State Department will expand it to include natives of other countries.

The program also includes a reciprocal component which will allow 5,000 American citizens to legally reside and work in Ireland each year.

Those applying for a new J visa will have to either be enrolled in a university or vocational course of study, or recently completed a course of study. There is no age restriction for applicants, but because of the educational/vocational requirement it is expected that the majority of visas will be taken by younger Irish citizens.

Visa holders will be allowed to work legally in the U.S. for one year. A prior job offer in the U.S. is not required.

The J visa is not renewable, and the holder will be expected to leave the U.S. when the visa expires.

A source told the Irish Voice that the Irish government is pleased to have been selected as the first country to participate in the State Department's pilot program. The visas will ensure a new flow of legal Irish citizens into the U.S., which had not been happening due to existing U.S. restrictions and the availability of visas for the Irish to other countries such as Australia.

The Irish government, however, insists it has not given up on securing legal status for the undocumented Irish here. "We have to take up what we can, when we can," said the source. "That doesn't mean in any way that we've stopped pushing for the undocumented."

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) sees the new program as an important first step towards permanently opening the doors of the U.S. to the Irish, and regularizing the status of the undocumented.

"We welcome the news that up to 20,000 visas a year will be available for Irish to come to America on one year work programs. We are delighted Taoiseach Brian Cowen and the government has followed through on the commitment to sustain and create new links between Ireland and America which are more vital than ever in this global economy," said ILIR chairman Niall O'Dowd.

"We look forward in the near future to working with the Irish government on resolving the issue of the Irish undocumented and creating a reciprocal work visa exchange program with the United States as other countries have done. The doors to America are open once again to a new generation of Irish."

A spokeswoman for the State Department told the Irish Voice that a statement about the new program would be issued after it has been finalized.