Irish emigrants are flocking to Western Australia

Huge demand for Irish workers there says expert

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Perth city by night - Irish are flocking to Western Australia

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Western Australia has become the hot spot for Irish emigrants seeking a new life down under.

More than two thirds of Irish emigrants are opting for the west of the huge country instead of the traditional destinations of Sydney and Melbourne.

The Irish Examiner reports that a skills shortage, due largely to the mining boom in western Australia, is encouraging thousands of Irish jobseekers to locate there.

Migration expert Declan Clune from www.visafirst.com told the paper that because Australia is so vast and has so much to offer that it can be difficult for those leaving Ireland to know where to move to.

Clune said: “Our answer would be to go where the work is - which is where seven in 10 Irish people who leave Ireland for Australia are going.

“In our experience the growing demand for labor in certain industries has led to an employment drive in Western Australia for skilled foreign workers - particularly from Ireland.”

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An expert in the field of emigration to Australia, Clune also stated that employers and recruiters in the Western district are contacting his company regularly in the drive to fill the skills’ shortage with Irish workers.

He added: “There are two primary visas that Irish families travelling to Western Australia are going on - the 457 sponsorship visa and a permanent residency visa.

“The 457 sponsorship visa entitles people to work for an Australian employer and a job offer is required to apply.

“Currently for construction trades and engineering professions, which is where much of the employment opportunities lie in Western Australia, the sponsorship visa is being processed in some cases as fast as five working days.”

The Examiner outlined that in order to get a permanent Australian residency, there are different requirements that need to be met depending on the visa type.

The State Skilled Visa requires applicants to attain a minimum amount of points, while the Employer Nomination Scheme and Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visas require them to have a job offer.

“Each state in Australia publishes a list of occupations that are required for that state. The state of Western Australia (WA) has almost every occupation imaginable on their demand list - from construction trades to engineers to nurses to IT professionals,” said Clune.

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