Democratic and Republican leaders in the United States Senate have reached a deal which will put last week's stalled immigration reform bill back on the political agenda.
The bill promises to legalise an estimated 12m undocumented immigrants in the US, including tens of thousands of Irish.
The Democratic leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, have agreed what is described as a 'tentative deal' to bring immigration reform back for consideration during this term.
The bill will be back on the floor of the Senate after an energy bill, which is currently being debated, is passed.
It is understood the deal will limit the number of amendments to 20.
The deal was reached late last night and follows a pledge from President George W Bush to spend $4.4bn on border security.
President Bush also made a rare visit to Capitol Hill this week to explain his support for the bill to Republican lawmakers.
The immigration bill would create a new Z-visa, which would allow those currently living in the US illegally to work upon payment of a fine and eventually to apply for a Green Card. It would also create a guest worker programme.
