A bill which could give Irish workers access to thousands of US visas every year has been reintroduced in the US House of Representatives.
The plan to add Ireland to the E-3 visa programme will now have to be passed by both the House and the Senate before it can become law.
In November, the House of Representatives voted in favour of a previous E-3 visa deal but it failed to get the unanimous support that was required in the US Senate.
One Republican Senator, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, blocked the bill.
The issue was raised by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar when he met US President Donald Trump at the White House in March.
It is understood Mr Trump and US Vice President Mike Pence spoke to Senator Cotton about his opposition to the proposal.
The bill has now been reintroduced in the US House of Representatives by Democratic Congressman Richard Neal, and will be voted on at a future date.
Every year, more than 10,500 E-3 visas are offered to Australians who want to work in the US, but only around half of them are taken up.
Ireland wants to be able to access the remaining unused visas.
The Irish Government is working on a reciprocal arrangement, which would ease restrictions on Americans who wish to retire to Ireland and enable US citizens to work in Ireland on a similar basis.
E-3 visas are for two years, but can be renewed indefinitely. They allow the spouses of recipients to work in the US, but not their children.
In order to qualify, applicants must be employed in a speciality occupation, have a legitimate offer of employment in the US and possess the necessary academic or other qualifying credentials.
Read more:
Irish access to E-3 visas suffers setback in US Senate
Deadline looms for bill on Irish access to US visas
Separately, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner appearing before a US Senate hearing today.
Helen Dixon is on Capitol Hill for a meeting of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
The hearing is discussing data privacy rights, controls and protections.
