II 112th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2005 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 15, 2011 Mr. Brown of Massachusetts (for himself and Mr. Kirk) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To authorize the Secretary of State to issue up to 10,500 E–3 visas per year to Irish nationals.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Irish Immigration Recognition and Encouragement Act of 2011 or the IRE Act.

2.

Findings

Congress makes the following findings: (1)Immigration from the Republic of Ireland has been an important part of the history, identity, and culture of the United States. (2)Approximately 40,000,000 people in the United States identify themselves as Irish-Americans. (3)The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Public Law 89–236) created significant barriers for legal Irish immigration to the United States. (4)The Republic of Ireland continues to be an important strategic ally and friend to the United States.

3.

E–visa reform

(a)

Definition

Section 101(a)(15)(E)(iii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E)(iii)) is amended by inserting , or solely to perform services as an employee who meets the requirements under section 203(c)(2) if the alien is a national of the Republic of Ireland, after Australia. (b)

Numerical limitation

Section 214(g)(11)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(g)(11)(B)) is amended by inserting for each of the nationalities identified under section 101(a)(15)(E)(iii) before the period at the end.