Angus M.

I received my Morrison Visa in 1993 while I was living in Ranelagh and studying at Trinity College Dublin. At the time, Ireland was in the middle of a serious economic downturn, with unemployment sitting at around 16%. As I approached graduation, there were virtually no job prospects. Like many of my classmates, I applied for the Morrison Visa with the hope of finding work in the U.S. It felt like the only real path forward.

“My first job in America was on the night shift at a printing company in Branford, Connecticut. It was far from glamorous, but it was a start.”

After work, I’d often end up at a local diner with the truckers, sharing beers at 5 in the morning. It was surreal, a million miles away from my old life in Dublin, but in its own way, it was unforgettable.

Those early days were tough. I didn’t have any family in the U.S., so I had to lean heavily on my friends. Their support was everything. Without that close-knit circle, I honestly don’t know how I would’ve made it through those first few years.

“Now, looking back, I’ve been in the U.S. longer than I ever lived in Ireland. My home is here, my children are here, and my wife is American.”

Over the years, I’ve talked to other Morrison Visa recipients and what strikes me is how many of us shared the same mindset: we thought this would be temporary. Just a stopgap. We’d use the visa, work for a bit, and go home.

But that was over 30 years ago.

I ended up renewing the visa three times and eventually became a U.S. citizen. Somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing myself as someone just passing through. I came to understand that I’m American, of Irish heritage, absolutely, but this is home now.