To amend and extend the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998.

Summary: Amends the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (IPPCTPA) and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to revise the nonimmigrant alien eligibility qualifications for participants in the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program. Sets a minimum age of 21 (retaining the current age 35 maximum) and requires that the individual: (1) be a citizen of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland; (2) have been unemployed continuously for at least 12 months; (3) have resided continuously for at least 18 months in Northern Ireland or one of designated border counties of the Republic of Ireland; and (4) not have a degree from an institution of higher education.

Requires the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress each program year (currently, the third program year and the four subsequent years) on the number of aliens admitted under the program who have overstayed their visas.

Extends the authority of the IPPCTPA through FY 2008.

Requires the Secretary of State to verify that the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland continue to pay a reasonable share of costs for administration of IPPCTPA programs.

Amends the INA to reduce from 36 to 24 months the temporary period of the visit to the United States for participation in the program.

Denies any such person eligibility to apply for nonimmigrant status, an immigrant visa, or permanent residence until he or she has resided and been physically present in the country of nationality or last residence for an aggregate of a least two years following departure from the United States. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive this requirement if: (1) departure from the United States would impose exceptional hardship upon the alien's spouse or child (if such spouse or child is a U.S. citizen or a lawfully resident alien); or (2) the admission of the alien is in the U.S. public or national interest.

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT AND EXTENSION OF IRISH PEACE PROCESS CULTURAL AND 
              TRAINING PROGRAM.

    (a) Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act.--
        (1) Program participant requirements.--Section 2(a) of the 
    Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (8 
    U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended by adding at the end the following:
        ``(5) Program participant requirements.--An alien entering the 
    United States as a participant in the program shall satisfy the 
    following requirements:
            ``(A) The alien shall be a citizen of the United Kingdom or 
        the Republic of Ireland.
            ``(B) The alien shall be between 21 and 35 years of age on 
        the date of departure for the United States.
            ``(C) The alien shall have resided continuously in a 
        designated county for not less than 18 months before such date.
            ``(D) The alien shall have been continuously unemployed for 
        not less than 12 months before such date.
            ``(E) The alien may not have a degree from an institution 
        of higher education.''.
        (2) Extension of program.--Section 2 of the Irish Peace Process 
    Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is 
    amended--
            (A) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ``the third program 
        year and for the 4 subsequent years,'' and inserting ``each 
        program year,''; and
            (B) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:
    ``(d) Sunset.--
        ``(1) Effective October 1, 2008, the Irish Peace Process 
    Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 is repealed.
        ``(2) Effective October 1, 2008, section 101(a)(15)(Q) of the 
    Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(Q)) is 
    amended--
            ``(A) by striking `or' at the end of clause (i);
            ``(B) by striking `(i)' after `(Q)'; and
            ``(C) by striking clause (ii).''.
        (3) Cost-sharing.--Section 2 of the Irish Peace Process 
    Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note), as 
    amended by paragraph (2), is further amended--
            (A) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (d) and (e), respectively; and
            (B) by inserting after subsection (b), the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(c) Cost-sharing.--The Secretary of State shall verify that the 
United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland continue to pay a reasonable 
share of the costs of the administration of the cultural and training 
programs carried out pursuant to this Act.''.
        (4) Technical amendments.--The Irish Peace Process Cultural and 
    Training Program Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended--
            (A) by striking ``Attorney General'' each place such term 
        appears and inserting ``Secretary of Homeland Security''; and
            (B) by striking ``Immigration and Naturalization Service'' 
        each place such term appears and inserting ``Department of 
        Homeland Security''.
    (b) Immigration and Nationality Act.--
        (1) Requirements for nonimmigrant status.--Section 
    101(a)(15)(Q) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
    1101(a)(15)(Q)) is amended--
            (A) by striking ``Attorney General'' each place such term 
        appears and inserting ``Secretary of Homeland Security''; and
            (B) in clause (ii)(I)--
                (i) by striking ``35 years of age or younger having a 
            residence'' and inserting ``citizen of the United Kingdom 
            or the Republic of Ireland, 21 to 35 years of age, 
            unemployed for not less than 12 months, and having a 
            residence for not less than 18 months''; and
                (ii) by striking ``36 months)'' and inserting ``24 
            months)''.
        (2) Foreign residence requirement.--Section 212 of the 
    Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182) is amended--
            (A) by redesignating the subsection (p) as added by section 
        1505(f) of Public Law 106-386 (114 Stat. 1526) as subsection 
        (s); and
            (B) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(t)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), no person admitted 
under section 101(a)(15)(Q)(ii)(I), or acquiring such status after 
admission, shall be eligible to apply for nonimmigrant status, an 
immigrant visa, or permanent residence under this Act until it is 
established that such person has resided and been physically present in 
the person's country of nationality or last residence for an aggregate 
of at least 2 years following departure from the United States.
    ``(2) The Secretary of Homeland Security may waive the requirement 
of such 2-year foreign residence abroad if the Secretary determines 
that--
        ``(A) departure from the United States would impose exceptional 
    hardship upon the alien's spouse or child (if such spouse or child 
    is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for 
    permanent residence); or
        ``(B) the admission of the alien is in the public interest or 
    the national interest of the United States.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.