Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. He was an incredibly popular person in the Department.

Addressing the difficult situation of undocumented Irish emigrants in the United States and working to secure legal pathways for Irish people seeking to live and work in the US continues to be a key priority for the Government, as it has been for many years. The need to address the challenge of establishing migration pathways, especially for the undocumented Irish, is of critical importance and has been raised by senior members of the Government at every opportunity. The issue was raised during our high-level political engagements over the St. Patrick's Day period across the US, not least in the bilateral exchange between the Taoiseach and President Biden on 17 March. I suspect it was also raised by my colleague, the Minister for State, Deputy Brophy. Irish political representatives will continue to build and maintain close relations with key members of the US Congress and high-level political contacts across the spectrum in the US, as we seek opportunities to deepen and strengthen our bilateral relations with President Biden's Administration.

I am pleased to see that immigration issues, including possible pathways to citizenship for the undocumented, are a priority for President Biden, as demonstrated by his proposed US Citizenship Act of 2021. The Government is actively supporting the efforts being made by his Administration, as well as efforts being made by the US Congress on a bipartisan basis, in the pursuit of comprehensive immigration reform, which still remains a very divisive issue politically in the US as the Deputy knows. Our embassy in Washington meets regularly with members of the House of Representatives and the Senate across the political spectrum. We are actively engaged with the Administration and Congress on finding innovative solutions and migration pathways to address the challenges faced by the undocumented.

In addition to seeking more options for the undocumented, the Government has continued its active support of a new E3 visa scheme that would facilitate legal immigration pathways to potentially thousands of Irish each year. The bipartisan reintroduction of the E3 visa Bill in Washington last week, that had previously been voted down by a small number in the Senate in 2018 and 2020, was a welcome development.

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