WorkPermit.com (02/21/12)

The U.S. currently offers its E-3 visa only to Australians, but a bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate would add the Republic of Ireland to the E-3 visa program. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), would allow people from Ireland with a professional-level job and either a bachelor’s degree or 12 years of relevant professional level experience to live and work in the U.S. for two years, with no limit on the number of times the visa can be renewed. Their spouses also could work in the U.S. by applying for an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-765) through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. A larger immigration bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), which has been referred to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, has an Irish immigration provision.