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

Everybody in the House wants the same outcome, which is to find a way of regularising the lives of Irish people living in the US in the shadows. For many years they have lived and worked there and paid taxes there. In many cases they have married and have families growing up in the US. Often they are unable to come home for family funerals or for normal interaction with family and friends because they would not be able to get back into the US. It is a trapped way of living that consecutive Governments have been trying to address for many years. I do not know how many times I have been to Washington on this issue but it is quite a number. We have real friends in Washington who are trying to help us on this. This is not straightforward. Even to get the E3 visa proposal across the line is far from straightforward. We will continue to work not only with our friends in Congress but our friends in Australia to try to ensure there is a fast way to get this done.

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