30% rise in working visas for Australia granted to Irish

WORKING HOLIDAYS:GRANTS OF Australian working holiday visas to Irish citizens have increased by over 30 per cent, according to new statistics released by the Australian tourism authority.

For the year-on-year period to January 31st, 2011, the number of visitors aged 18 to 30 granted working visas increased by 30.51 per cent, totalling 11,122 of Irish travellers, relative to the same period in 2009-10.

The visa allows travellers to stay for up to 12 months in Australia and work for up to six months with any one employer.

There’s an option to extend the stay to two years with a second working holiday visa, but this is restricted to those who complete a minimum of three months “specified work”, such as fruit picking in an eligible regional area. Tourism Australia regional general manager (UK and northern Europe) Rodney Harrex said the increase in Irish interest in the work visa was a sign that younger travellers were keen to explore the opportunities of living and working in a different country.

“The Australian working holiday visa allows travellers to stay in Australia for up to 12 months living the Aussie lifestyle and exploring our incredible country,” he said.

“Provided you’ve got a return airfare and some savings to prove you can support yourself when you arrive in Australia, and meet basic health and character requirements, anyone between the ages of 18 and 30 from Ireland can apply.

“Whether you want to pull beers in a pub in Sydney, work on a dive boat on the Great Barrier Reef, drive a monster truck in a mine in Western Australia or work in advertising in Melbourne, the job options for working holiday makers when they arrive in Australia are varied. And now with the extension of the second Working Holiday Visa, if you fall in love with the Australian lifestyle, there are more options for you to stay up to two years,” Rodney continued.

See immi.gov.au for details and harvesttrail.org.au for jobs that qualify for the second working holiday visa