Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts he is making or the contacts he has made with the US Administration in regard to bringing forward legislation to deal with undocumented Irish citizens; if the issue of the reinstatement of section 245, or a repeal of the three and ten-year overstay bars were discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9413/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government attaches the highest importance to resolving the plight of our undocumented citizens in the United States. In the absence, to date, of comprehensive immigration reform in the United States, we have actively pursued a bilateral approach in this area, aimed at reforming our overall immigration arrangements with the United States and facilitating greater legal migration between the two countries. The approach has had three core objectives: a reciprocal Working Holiday Agreement; new bilateral arrangements to provide reciprocal long term working visas (known as E3s); and a solution for our undocumented.

The first of these objectives has already been delivered, and the second, the provision of long term working visas, similar to the E3 Visas available to Australian citizens, has formed the basis for detailed discussions with senior Members of Congress over the past twelve months. Ideally, the undocumented would be able to avail of the proposed visa scheme. However, if that is not possible, as many of our key contacts have advised, their best prospect for a solution lies with comprehensive immigration reform.

I would like to emphasise that our efforts in these areas in no way dilute the Government's strong commitment to finding a solution for the undocumented, whose welfare remains a key priority. We are in ongoing contact with US law-makers on this issue. A central part of a solution for the undocumented would be the regularisation of their status in the United States. In the past, regularisation in the United States was facilitated through the adjustment of status under section 245(i) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. Our key contacts advise that adjustment of status could only be addressed after less politically sensitive matters, such as agriculture visas and the DREAM Act, have been advanced. The Taoiseach and I will use the particular opportunity afforded by the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the US to engage the new Administration at the very highest level on this issue.