In an unprecedented attempt to reverse a dramatic decline in the numbers of Irish students taking part in the J1 summer visa programme, the American ambassador to Ireland is to address information seminars for students here.
Describing the decline in the programme's popularity as a "hugely important issue for us", Mr James C. Kenny said it allows students to learn that the US is not "what they just see on the front page of the headlines every day".
Under the J1 programme, Irish students can legally work and live in the US for a maximum of four months over the summer.
However, last year The Irish Times revealed that applications for the programme received by the student travel agency, USIT, had fallen from 6,500 to 2,800.
Mr Kenny said he was aware that there was some anti-US sentiment among students as a result of the war in Iraq, but he believed there were a number of other factors which had contributed to the decrease in applications for the programme.
These include the increased popularity of other countries such as Australia, the strong economy here - meaning students can easily find summer jobs at home - and tighter controls on entry procedures.
The J1 programme has long been seen as a traditional "rites of passage" by generations of Irish students. But students have been put off by tighter security controls since the September 11th attacks.
For the first time last year, any student wanting to participate in the programme was required to attend an interview in the US embassy in Dublin. This means students, from outside Dublin in particular, can be faced with significant additional travel expenses to attend the five-minute interview - which costs €100 through USIT.
Participants also face mandatory fingerprinting at airports, and must agree to register with the US authorities so that they can be tracked while in the country. A restriction on final-year students enrolling on the programme has also affected participation rates.
"By the end of the J1 season [last year], we were pretty disappointed," Mr Kenny said. "What we hope to do is get the numbers back up to where they were previously to 2004. I hope that we can . . . make it easier and more welcoming for people to come experience [the US]. Because I'm telling you it is a hugely important issue for us in America to be that way."
Mr Kenny added that he was prepared to miss this week's presidential inauguration, which takes place on Thursday, to focus on the new J1 recruitment drive. The information seminars will be held in TCD and UCC later today and tomorrow.
He ruled out any relaxation of the new procedures, and said the focus would be on making the process more streamlined.