Mr. Seamus Pattison. led a delegation to Washington for meetings between the newly established United StatesIreland Interparliamentary Group. During those meetings. the Irish representatives repeatedly raised the idea of a transitional visa program designed to support the implementation of the peace agreement. After a few weeks of research. consultation and negotiation. we. all of us. came to share their enthusiasm and introduced H.R. 4293. The Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act legislation creates 12.000 temporary. nonimmigrant work visas targeted at young men and women from disadvantaged areas from Northern Ireland in the border counties. It aims to assist the region in its transition to a peacetime economy. As a new lowcost. lowrisk. high return investment in peace. this visa affords individuals an opportunity to obtain valuable job skills needed for the 21st century and the experience of working in the worlds greatest economy. After their visit. they would return home prepared to provide the crucial skill needed to attract private investment to their local economies. LI 2350 The program would provide up to 4.000 visas a year for 3 years. allowing the holder to live in the United States for up to but no more than 36 months. It would identify disadvantaged areas within Northern Ireland and the border counties which require public and private sector activities to break the cycle of structural unemployment. retrain the longterm unemployed and outofwork youth. and in doing so. assist in the regeneration of the economies in these locales. It would encourage grass roots support for longterm peace and economic stability by providing a release valve for the tensions and disillusionment of communities in despair.
Keywords matched
visa work visas visas