Australia targets Ireland in global campaign for workers
Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Australia is holding an event in Dublin as part of a global campaign to attract 100,000 skilled workers to the country. Similar events are being held in Britain, the US and South America. The are targeting workers who are under 45, have good English, and have qualifications and/or work experience in several occupations in demand; occupations on that list include a wide variety of professions and trades. http://www.immi.gov.au/skillexpos/
Diversity Visa lottery accepting applications
Wednesday, October 4th, 2006The application period for the 2008 Diversity Visa Program begins today, and extends until noon on December 3, 2006. The program is a random lottery open to applicants with a high school education or equivalent, or who can show two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience within the last five years.
The programme selects 50,000 winners, divided among six geographic regions with a maximum of 7% available to people born in any single country. In last year’s lottery, there were 160 visa winners from Ireland and 42 from Northern Ireland.
Many of the local Irish immigration centres in the US are running workshops to help people apply for the visa lottery. Visit the US Department of State website for official instructions.
US-bound passengers to go through all pre-clearance in Ireland
Thursday, September 28th, 2006US-bound passengers from Irish airports will soon go through all pre-clearance procedures through US officials based at Dublin and Shannon. The current system checks passports, but the US embassy says it is working with Irish authorities to implement the agricultural and customs checks that are now conducted in US airports after passengers arrive. The embassy says the move will offer significant security and commercial benefits.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1695797&issue_id=14694
Mayo-born Argentine Navy founder honoured
Thursday, September 28th, 2006A monument to Admiral William Brown was unveiled by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday in Dublin’s Docklands. The Irish Independent says the Mayo-born founder of the Argentine Navy who died in 1857, has 1,100 streets, 420 schools, six football clubs and two cities named after him in Argentina.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1695760&issue_id=14694
Minister for Foreign Affairs meets with ILIR, NY groups
Wednesday, September 27th, 2006The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, has met with representatives from the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) in New York to discuss the campaign on behalf of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States. The minister reiterated the Government’s strong support for the ILIR’s campaign. He added, “The plight of the undocumented gets harder by the day and the ILIR campaign has undoubtedly already had a strong impact in Congress and beyond. The Government will remain actively involved in representing the concerns of the undocumented in the crucial period ahead.â€?
During his visit to New York, Mr Ahern also met with representatives of the following organisations:
- Emerald Isle Immigration Center
- Aisling Center
- Irish Immigration and Pastoral Center, Philadelphia
- New York Irish Center
- Project Irish Outreach
- Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers
The Minister praised the work of the centres, saying, “The services offered by the Irish immigration centers are critical, particularly for the more vulnerable members of our communities here. I welcome the ongoing focus on supporting community networks and the development of services for older Irish people in this country. The work that the centers undertake to respond to the particular difficulties encountered by the undocumented in their communities is also of key importance�.
See the Department of Foreign Affair’s press release.
Eavan Boland comments on emigrant experience
Tuesday, September 26th, 2006RTE’s radio programme Rattlebag ran a rerun of an interview with Eavan Boland, in which she spoke extensively about her experience as an Irish woman abroad, beginning with her childhood as a diplomat’s daughter. She read her poem “The Emigrant Irish�. She characterized her own experience by saying, “I was never an emigrant. I was outside my country – it’s a much more luxurious experience�.
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