Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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48. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the impact here of the new US immigration policy in view of the restrictions announced by the US President, Mr. Trump, recently (details supplied); and the actions his Department will take to minimise the negative impact of US immigration policy for Ireland. [8520/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As I made clear in my statement of 29 January, 2017, concerning the Executive Order signed by President Trump on 27 January last, while US immigration policy is a matter for the US authorities, it is clear that this decision could have far-reaching implications – both on humanitarian grounds and on relations between the US and the global Muslim community. Accordingly, I share the concerns expressed by other EU partners regarding this development. I have noted the clarification issued by the Embassy of the United States in Dublin on 31 January, 2017, to the effect that the Executive Order in question does not restrict the travel of dual nationals to the United States, so long as they hold the passport of an unrestricted country and possess a valid US visa, if required. Since then, the US courts have intervened and imposed a suspension on the implementation of the Executive Order.

I would like to advise the House that officials from my Department met with representatives of the United States Embassy in Dublin on 8 February last and were assured that no changes have been made with regard to US visa regulations governing the issuance of visas for recent graduates. As the House may be aware, Irish students and recent graduates may avail of a range of options within the J1 programme. In this regard, I am pleased to note the recent announcement by the US authorities confirming an increase of 2,600 in the number of placements available to Irish citizens in the Summer Work and Travel (SWT) programme for 2017.