Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan writes to John Kerry over J1 changes

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has written to US secretary of state John Kerry over changes to the J1 visas system which will prevent students entering the US without a prearranged job.

He was joined by student representatives in expressing concerns over changes made to the visa system, which now require that the thousands of students who travel to the US each year source work in advance.

Mr Flanagan said that for almost 50 years, the J1 experience has been a rite of passage for many young Irish students and has played an important and positive role in strengthen-ing the Ireland-US relationship.