Number of Irish moving to Australia rises by a quarter
December 30 2009 by Liam Clifford
The number of Irish moving to Australia rises, the history of both countries makes this a new twist on an old story.
According to new figures, the number of Irish people who decided to move to Australia this past year has risen by 25 per cent.
Irish people are now much more likely to opt to move to Australia or
Canada, rather than more traditional options such as the UK or the US,
the statistics suggest. The number of Irish people moving to Canada in
2009 was also up by 13 per cent.
Some 2,501 Australian visas were issued to Irish nationals in the year
to the end of June 2009. This was up from 1,989 during the same period
a year before. The number of Canadian visas issued in the first six
months of the year alone totalled 1,471 and the country is on course to
issue 3,000 for the full year.
Australian working holiday visas for under-30s who want to travel and
work in Australia for a year also rose by 33 per cent, to 22,786,
although the visas are not so popular among Irish youngsters.
The number of US visas granted to Irish citizens has continued to drop
over the past years with only 287 being awarded this year, slightly
down on the 288 and 317 awarded in 2008 and 2007.
Moving to Australia has a resurgence and looks set to continue into 2010.
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