Irish students summer plans have been thrown up in the air after the US suspended the J1 visa programme amid coronavirus fears.
The measure comes after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The program which thousands of Irish students avail of each year will be temporarily suspended for 60 days and later reviewed.
A further 30 day suspension is possible depending on how the coronavirus outbreak progresses.
Student travel agency USIT said they are examining all applications and will provide updates and guidance when possible.
USIT said in a statement: "We will be in a position to do this once we receive further instruction on how to progress from our US sponsors and we expect to have another update to share with you next week."
Over 3,000 students from Ireland availed of the J1 visa in 2019 with similar figures expected to cross the Atlantic this summer.
