The State has spent more than €8.1 million on centres providing “immigration advice and services” to Irish people in the United States since 2021, according to data from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The money was spent through the department’s Emigrant Support Programme on “long-established” immigration centres in New York, Boston, Seattle, San Diego and San Francisco and a national umbrella organisation representing all these centres in New York.
The centres, which are charitable organisations, provide “valuable information and assistance to our citizens, including those seeking opportunities to regularise their immigration status”, according to an information note released as part of a Freedom of Information request.
Some €1.94 million was spent on these centres in 2021; followed by €2.1 million in 2022; €2 million in 2023; and another €2 million by December 10th, 2024.
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The recipients were: the Irish Pastoral Center (Boston), Rian Immigration Center (Boston), Irish Diaspora Center (Philadelphia), Emerald Isle Immigrant Center (New York), New York Irish Center (New York), Aisling Irish Community & Cultural Center (New York), Irish Community Services (Chicago), Irish Outreach Center (San Diego), Irish Heritage Club (Seattle), Irish Immigration and Pastoral Center (San Francisco) and the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers (Washington).
Asked about concerns over the continuation of immigration supports under the incoming Trump administration, in particular for undocumented Irish, a spokeswoman for the department said securing legal pathways for Irish people to live and work in the US would continue to be a key priority for government.
“This has been the case throughout successive US administrations, and this work will continue with the incoming US administration,” she said. However, the State “should not underestimate the challenges” in achieving a “clear pathway for undocumented Irish citizens to regularise their status”, she added.
In May 2024 two US congressmen reintroduced bipartisan legislation to expand the E3 visa programme to include Ireland. The E3 programme was introduced in 2005 as part of a US-Australian trade agreement and has made 10,500 visas available to skilled Australian nationals annually. Previous attempts to pass the Bill failed in 2018 and 2022.
This latest attempt is also set to fail, as any legislation which has not become law by the time the new Congress sits on January 3rd automatically falls.
While the Irish government will continue supporting efforts to secure an Irish-specific E3 visa, “the challenges to enactment should not be underestimated given how challenging legislative proposals relating to US immigration reform have been over the past decade”, said the DFA spokeswoman.
More than €250 million has been distributed to over 900 organisations across 51 countries since the Emigrant Support Programme launched 20 years ago. Hundreds of grants issued worldwide last year included more than €3 million for the London Irish Centre and €500,000 for the GAA Gaelic Park in New York.
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