THERE WILL be no limit on the amount of one-year working visas available to Irish students and recent graduates wishing to work in the United States, the US embassy has said.
It was initially reported that 20,000 visas were being made available to students who have enrolled in an educational course that could lead to a degree or diploma and to those who have graduated within the last year.
However, a spokeswoman for the embassy said: “On the US side, we have not put any upper limit on the amount of people who can apply.” The spokeswoman said no statistics were available regarding the numbers who had already applied for the working visa, called a J visa, adding “anecdotally, a lot of people have asked about it”.
Student travel company Usit, which organises the one-year working visas for students and graduates, said there had also been confusion regarding eligibility.
It had previously been reported that anyone enrolled on a programme leading to a degree or diploma qualification would be eligible. However, the visa only applies to those on degree courses.
Under the terms of the deal, completed in January, some 5,000 US citizens will be able to work and travel in Ireland on the same basis, while the existing summer J1 visa, which enables third-level students to work in the US for three months, will continue as a separate programme.