Vol. 577 No. 1
43 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department is in contact with authorities in the United States with regard to a report that Irish citizens living illegally in the US will receive an amnesty. [30393/03]
The embassy in Washington DC is in ongoing contact with the US authorities across the full range of our interests, including the status of undocumented Irish citizens living in the US. In this regard, the embassy continuously monitors the situation, including assessing the potential for measures to regulate the status of the undocumented. While we understand that some consideration is being given by some members of Congress to possible new initiatives, they seem unlikely in the current climate to involve amnesties or special measures that would regularise the position of the undocumented Irish.
Our embassy and consulates maintain a close working relationship with Irish immigration groups in the US. Through this channel, and through their broader contacts with the Irish community and their representatives, the embassy and the consulates monitor the situation with regard to the undocumented Irish in the US. The diversity programme or Schumer visa lottery was introduced in 1994 and remains an important avenue of legal emigration from Ireland to the US.
