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Major immigration reform in the United States will be put to the US Senate before the summer, a leading US Congresswoman haas said in Dublin.

Making a special one-to-one deal between Ireland and the US is not possible, said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.

But Ireland's need would be dealt with if such immigration legislation was passed by the Houses of Congress.

The Irish American immigration groups have been long campaigning for changes to benefit the undocumented Irish who have been living in many cases in the US illegally for over two decades.

Currently the Irish Government and the US are working on a short-term immigration deal which would allow young Irish to work in the States for up to two years.