Adding Ireland to E-3 Nonimmigrant Visa Program

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2877, a bill to add Ireland to the E-3 nonimmigrant visa program.

As we approach St. Patrick's Day, this bill recognizes the unique friendship and working relationship between the United States and Ireland.

H.R. 2877 allows nationals of Ireland to be eligible to apply for unused E-3 nonimmigrant visas subject to Ireland providing reciprocal access to U.S. nationals. Holders of the E-3 temporary work visa must be working in a specialty occupation while in the United States.

A specialty occupation is one that is defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act as requiring:

One, ``theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge; and

Two, ``attainment of a bachelor's or higher degree in the specific specialty, or its equivalent, as a minimum for entry into the occupation in the United States.''

The E-3 applicant must have a job offer from an employer in the United States, and that employer must get a foreign labor certification from the U.S. Department of Labor prior to filing a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

H.R. 2877 also requires that employers using Irish E-3 visa holders in their workforce are, and will remain, participants in good standing in the E-Verify program. This means that such employers must use E- Verify to ensure those that they employ are eligible to work in the United States.

E-3 nonimmigrant visas are currently only available to nationals of Australia and are capped at 10,500 per year.

Australian nationals have never used all of the 10,500 authorized visas in a given year, nor have they even come close to doing so. In fact, the highest number used was during the last fiscal year when 5,807 were issued.

H.R. 2877 provides that nationals of Ireland can utilize the visas not used by Australians in a given calendar year. For operational purposes, the visa can be issued for the following year but will be counted against the previous year's cap. So the bill does not increase the number of visas authorized and allows Australia, for whose nationals the program was originally created, to have first access to those numbers.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2877 is a simple bill that reflects the continued friendship between Ireland and the United States.

Mr. Speaker, the bill is pretty simple. The opening is the closing. This is one of those times where I think common sense prevails. We are not increasing visas. We are continuing a strong relationship between Ireland and the United States.

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