Austin Deasy
Ceist:45 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Donnelly visas which are scheduled to be issued to Irish citizens in the current year; and if he will give details of the applicants currently on the waiting list.
Written Answers. - Donnelly Visas Programme.
Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:70 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the present position regarding legislative initiatives or new developments to help Irish people who want to work legally in the United States.
Peter Barry
Ceist:79 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has made representations to the United States Congress to have the Donelly visas legislation extended.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 45, 70 and 79 together.
As I have stated on a number of occasions to this House, the Government attach the greatest importance to the question of emigration to the United States. In addition to our successful efforts to improve the welfare and advice services available to Irish emigrants already in the United States, we have sought to encourage our friends in Congress to promote measures to reform current US immigration legislation which places intending immigrants from this country at a considerable disadvantage. The Donnelly visa programme which was designed specifically to address this disadvantage has, I am pleased to report, resulted in Ireland receiving over 14,000 immigrant visas in the period 1987-89. While figures are not yet available for this US fiscal year, there are some indications that Ireland might hope to receive approximately 7,000 visas before the programme ends on 30 September 1990. This would mean that we would have received over 50 per cent of the visas available under the Donnelly programme.
The Donnelly visa programme does not operate a waiting list. Anybody who is on the list of applicants registered in 1987 could conceivably be selected for a visa between now and the end of the programme in September 1990.
The House will be aware that the Ken-nedy-Simpson Bill was passed by the United States Senate in July of last year. This measure if it became law would provide for the creation of a new immigrant category of 54,000 visas per annum — 10,000 of which would be set aside for citizens of countries like Ireland — based on a points system. The next step in the legislative process is the passing of a similar Bill in the House of Representatives. This process has already started and a number of Bills have been tabled, including one from Congressman Donnelly which would provide for the extension of the Donnelly visa programme.
I understand that the House of Representatives immigration sub-committee has scheduled hearings for 21 February and 1 March and that the House will then begin discussing their own Bill. I had the opportunity to have discussions with Congressman Donnelly during his recent visit and I am hopeful that real progress on legislative reform may be made this year. I can assure this House that the Government will continue to press its friends in Congress on the matter.