Hope fades for US visa bid for skilled Irish workers

Efforts in Washington DC to secure passage of a bill that would help skilled Irish workers to get a US visa appear unable to overcome partisan obstacles in Congress.

While Democrats have loaned their support to the E3 visa initiative which has been pushed heavily by Irish American leaders, it was reported yesterday that the main Republican supporter Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts has failed to gather enough backing from his own party.

A leading Republican lobbyist told the Irish Central website that relatively newly elected Brown “lacked clout” in the party.