Schumer Announces his E-3 Irish Visi Program, Allowing Increased Immigration from Ireland, Will Be Included in Senate's Comprehensive Immigration Bill

Press Release

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the "Schumer E-3 Irish Visa" program would be included in the Senate's comprehensive immigration bill, and that he yesterday beat back efforts to remove it from the bill. The provision would allow 10,500 Irish citizens with secondary-level education to find work in the U.S. every year. Unlike previous programs, this program would be permanent and have no sunset.

Schumer released the following statement:

"As a lead author of the Senate's immigration bill, I made sure that the legislation would allow for increased Irish immigration to America. Including it in the legislation was important, but keeping it in there through the legislative process was always going to be difficult. Yesterday we won a major battle, and beat efforts to strip the provision from the bill. I have always fought hard for increased immigration from Ireland and have had some successes in the past, but the advantage of this provision is that it will be permanent, and will not sunset. I believe that having more immigrants, including Irish immigrants, helps America and grows our economy, and now we have taken a major step in creating a permanent pathway between the two countries. I won't rest until this provision is signed into law as part of the comprehensive immigration bill.

It was always the dream of my Senate hero, the late Senator Teddy Kennedy to fix the unintended consequences of the 1965 immigration law, which made it almost impossible for the Irish to legally come to America. I am honored to pick up that torch and very pleased we are a giant step close to making it a reality."

BACKGROUND ON THE "SCHUMER E-3 IRISH VISA" PROGRAM

· This proposal addresses unintended consequences from a 1965 immigration law that inadvertently disadvantaged Irish nationals seeking to enter the United States. Soon after the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which switched the immigration system to one favoring high-skilled workers and reuniting immigrant families, Irish immigration to the U.S. sank by roughly a third.

· The decline has worsened in the ensuing decades. The late Senator Edward Kennedy, a chief sponsor of the 1965 law, acknowledged the inadvertent impact on the Irish. In 2006, he noted of the 1965 law: "What we were trying to do was eliminate the discrimination that existed in the law, but the way that that legislation was developed worked in a very dramatic and significant way against the Irish."

· In the years after the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Congress approved a number of temporary proposals to reverse the decline in Irish immigration to the United States, such as the Donnelly Visa Program (1988) and the Morrison Visa Program (1992). But each of these programs expired.

· The diversity visa program, first approved in 1994, was also originally intended to help reverse the inadvertently low rate of Irish immigration to the United States. But the bipartisan Senate legislation proposes to end that program.

· The E-3 visa program for the Republic of Ireland would ensure a long-term fix.

· Congress has already created similar programs for other allies with strong cultural ties to the United States, such as Australia.

· The proposal has a history of strong, bipartisan support. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts was the lead sponsor in the 112th Congress.

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