Walsh Visas (Q)

The Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program is a cultural exchange and employment-training program that enables young people from designated counties of the Republic of Ireland (Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, and Louth) and Northern Ireland and to live and work in the United States for up to 24 months.

The Program offers eligible men and women access to a non-immigrant, Q-2 work visa, providing them a wide range of employment opportunities in selected cities in the U.S. In addition, the Program offers conflict resolution training and a variety of activities to involve participants in our diverse society. The goal of the Program is to help these men and women develop and enhance their personal and professional skills and then return to their respective countries as productive and skilled members of the workforce.

Program participants are unemployed individuals who have been recruited and sponsored by their home country governments. Program legislation prohibits Q-2 visa holders from adjusting their visas to immigrant status, another non-immigrant status, or permanent residence while they are in the U.S. A two-year period of residence in the home country is required before the participant can apply for another U.S. visa.

The Program is referred to as the Walsh Visa Program in honor of Congressman James Walsh of New York who introduced and sponsored the Program legislation. He has said of the Program that bears his name, “This visa represents an American commitment to provide support for the peace process and all that it promises for the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

The United States Congress enacted the Walsh Visa Program into law in late 1998. The U.S. Department of State (DOS), Bureau of European Affairs, is charged with the overall authority for the Program. The Program has recently been extended through September 30, 2008, but new participants are only being accepted through September, 2006. The updated legislation changed the duration of stay in the US from three years to two years. Additionally, eligibility requirements were changed. Program candidates must now:

• Have been residents of Northern Ireland or the designated counties of the Republic of Ireland for 18 months before the start of the Program.
• Have been unemployed for 12 months prior to starting the Program.
• Be between 21 and 35 years of age.
• Not hold degrees from higher education institutions.
• Be citizens of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland.

Those interested in applying for the Program in Ireland should contact their local FAS office in the Border Counties, or alternatively FAS/Walsh Visa unit staff at the following:

• Dundalk Training Centre, Coes Road, Dundalk, County Louth phone: 042-9355700
• FAS Training Centre, Ballyraine Industrial Estate, Ramelton Rd, Letterkenny, County Donegal phone: 074-9120500
• FAS Employment Services Office, Government Building, Cranmore, County Sligo phone: 071-9143390

For more information on the Program, please visit http://www.walshvisa.net/