United States: President George W Bush has ruled out an amnesty for undocumented immigrants in the United States but called for a temporary worker programme that would allow such immigrants, who include an estimated 25,000 Irish citizens, to remain for up to six years.
Under Mr Bush's plan, however, all currently undocumented immigrants would have to go home after a maximum of six years.
The president used his weekly radio address to call for a comprehensive immigration programme that would tighten border controls and repatriate illegal immigrants quickly while ensuring that businesses have an adequate labour supply.
"If an employer has a job that no American is willing to take, we need to find a way to fill that demand by matching willing employers with willing workers from foreign countries on a temporary and legal basis. I'll work with members of Congress to create a programme that will provide for our economy's labour needs without harming American workers, and without granting amnesty, and that will relieve pressure on our borders," he said.
Congress is considering two proposals to regularise the position of the undocumented - immigrants who have overstayed their visas and who now work illegally. A bill sponsored by senators Edward Kennedy and John McCain would require the undocumented to pay a $2,000 fine before becoming guest workers but would allow them to seek US citizenship after six years if they break no laws in the meantime.
Senators John Cornyn and Jon Kyle want undocumented immigrants to go home before applying to be guest workers for a maximum of six years, unaccompanied by their families and with no prospect of becoming US citizens.