Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins first visit to US this May

Visit takes place early next month

 Irish Central - Editorial

The Irish government has announced the first visit to the U.S. by new Irish president Michael D. Higgins to take place in early May. He will speak at the American Ireland Fund dinner in New York on May 3, as well as address the American Irish Historical Society and the Irish Business Network.

Higgins has been off to a very good start in his presidency, pressing the issues of minority rights and making clear where the responsibility for Ireland’s perilous financial situation lies.

Higgins was a long time activist on many such issues, so his presidency has been predictable in that regard, but his outspoken comments have certainly been welcome.

Higgins spent time in the U.S. at Indiana University and is an old hand in dealing with the American Irish diaspora.

His attitude to America has always been that of a left wing Irish parliamentarian, ill at ease with many of America’s foreign policy decisions.

It will be interesting to see where his thoughts stray during his U.S. visit on many such issues.

Higgins has long been a champion of immigrant rights, especially in Britain where he has often visited the Irish community there.

We can hope that he can help move on the current discussion around the E-3 visa bill which has stalled in Congress, and do his best to help progress it.

The Irish president is heavily circumscribed for speaking out by the constitutional restraints, and Higgins has always been outspoken, so the job will really test his political patience.

It will be an interesting visit to assess Ireland’s new president and his impact on the Irish American community. He has started well given the deep regard and respect for his two predecessors Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson.

Comment:

Regardless of the office that he holds, Mr. Higgins should be afforded the same reception here that he showed to U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and again to U.S.  President George W. Bush in 2004 on their visits to Ireland. His attitude toward their visits left a great deal to be desired, on the other hand, his enthusiastic participation in the obnoxious demonstrations at Shannon Airport were absolutely beyond the pale. They were organized to intentionally ridicule, cajole, and insult our valiant American troops during their fueling stopovers going to and coming from Iraq and Afghanistan. These heroic young men and women were subjected to intense ridicule by these idiotic demonstrators for honorably serving our country.

Anybody who participated in these reprehensible demonstrations, including Mr. Higgins, should be held accountable for their actions and treated accordingly.

If any progress is to be made on the proposed Irish E-3 Visas, which looks doubtful at this time, it won't be as a result of any effort on his part. That is a matter to be decided by the U.S. Congress not by a politician from another country with a long standing anti - American agenda such as that of Mr. Higgins.

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians in America

 An Uachtaran -Wee Michael D.

Michael D. Higgins – The most anti-American head of state in the western world. This fact is sure to do wonders for American business and tourism.

He protested against the US Presidential visit to Ireland in 1984.
He protested against the US Presidential visit to Ireland in 2004.

Michael D. Higgins has always been Ireland's No.1 participant in anti-American protests and demonstrations

E3 Visa For Irish Citizens

E3 Visa For Irish Citizens

Apr 9, 2012

Visa Info
At end of last year we wrote about the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act 2011 which among other things will reduce wait times dramatically for Chinese and Indian nationals who are on long Green Card waiting lists with EB-2 and EB-3 Visa Categories.
However one other part of this legislation which we didn’t cover much is an addition to the E3 visa category. The E3 Visa is a work visa category that is currently exclusive to Australian nationals and has an annual quota of 10,500 per year. For many years, the Irish American groups and the Irish Government and been lobbying various US Congressmen and Senators (particularly those in large Irish ancestry districts and states) to expand the E-3 visa to include Irish nationals.
As a reminder the main facets of the current E3 Visa for Australians include;
- Available to Australian Citizens which means demand is low relative to annual quota
- An Annual Quota of 10,500 (reset every October 1)
- A Partner Visa called E-3D which allows dependent married spouses and minors to accompany E-3 Visa holder
- Spouse E3-D visa allows partner to work (differs from H-4 visa which is partner visa for H-1B that doesn’t allow working)
- Visa holder has to be Australian citizen but spouse does not
- Allows work based on Specialty Occupation and Bachelor’s Degree conditions
- Can be applied for at any time of the year (unlike the H-1B visa)
- Is for 2 years and can be renewed indefinitely (unlike the H-1B visa which is for 3 years but only renewable once)
- Is NOT a dual intent visa unlike the H-1B visa (but it is not technically prohibited to have a concurrent Green Card application)
- Has no filing fees for the employer
Given the E-3 visa annual quota has barely breached 3,000 since its inception in October 2005, it has a lot of capacity available.

Negative Effect on Irish Applicants

However one point that has been largely ignored in relation to Irish citizens apart from the obvious pandering for votes by Senators and Congress people around the country with heavy Irish constituencies is that this bill can have a negative effect on current Irish immigrants in the country.
Irish immigrants currently in the country who may have pending PERM applications (Green Card or Permanent Residency petitions) will actually be disadvantaged by this entire bill passing through Congress. Because of the removal of limitations on all the Chinese and Indian nationals in particular artificially restricted from having too many of the annual quota of Green Cards awarded to them from the various waiting lists, current Irish immigrants on the waiting lists will now have to wait longer.

Comment:

Why is it that proponents of the "temporary (supposedly indefinitely renewable) work permits", better known as the Irish E-3 Visas never discuss the negative aspects of this "feel good, proposed legislation"? Why is it that so many our undocumented Irish nationals have expressed feelings of utter disgust with those who started out a few years ago with busloads of undocumented Irish full of grandiose promises of "Legalize the Irish". It seems that the buses have all run out of gas just like those who made promises they knew they could never keep. It is time for them to stand up and tell the truth. This is an election year and no politician in his right mind is going to take a chance of alienating any segment of the voting public by showing favoritism toward any ethnicity to the detriment of others. Like it or not, my friends, this is political reality!!!

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians in America