LATE THIS YEAR, the Irish government announced a deal with its Australian counterpart that will increase the age limit for Irish nationals seeking a working visa from 30 to 35 years of age.
The system also works the other way, meaning that an Australian looking to come live in Ireland will now be able to secure a working visa here up to that age.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said the move would improve relations between the two countries.
“This extension of the eligible age not only allows a more diverse group of people to avail of this scheme, but also helps to strengthen those links between our two countries even further,” he said.
Since the working holiday programme was established in 1975, it is estimated that more than 275,000 young Irish people have spent up to two years in Australia under the scheme.
And many have come in the opposite direction too.
Clinton Donkin has lived in Ireland for over a decade and is the president of the Ireland Australia Association.
Historical links between the two countries are strong, with nearly a third of the population of Australia claiming Irish ancestry and recent decades have seen much to-ing and fro-ing between the two nations.
Donkin told TheJournal.ie: “All the founders of the organisation were Irish. It started in the late 1980s where a bunch of Irish people with an affinity to the country wanted to find out more about Australia. Many were those considering going over.”
The group has around 75 members, and regularly meet up for social events and gatherings. Since it was founded though, the makeup of the association has changed considerably.
“A lot of our members would now be blended families,” Donkin said. “Where one is from Australia, and one from Ireland. People who met there and came back.”
Extending the age that someone can get a working visa from 30 to 35 has the potential to have a big effect in both directions, he said.
He said: “I think it’s part of a wider focus from Australia towards Ireland, with Brexit going on. The two governments certainly have been working more closely since the Brexit vote.
The visa change will make a difference. Immigration to and from is driven by the economy, and Australia is now on a bit of a downward trend right now. We were happy to open things up a bit more a decade ago. I think it’s reciprocal.
Donkin said that the Australians he knows who’ve moved here usually fare very well.
“Aussies assimilate very well,” he said. “We all get on very well, and we like a pint. Aussies I tend to come across usually immerse themselves in the Irish way of life very well. A lot of people who end up joining us have that blended scenario.”
Donkin added that there is a very strong mutual connection between the Australians and the Irish that has been strengthened by recent migration in both directions.
“Everyone feels that affinity to Ireland,” he said. “I think that helps us all sort of feel bonded and connected.”
Warm welcome
David Dunne left Ireland in October 2012. Six years on, he lives in Perth with his wife Siobhán in a house they own.
Dunne told TheJournal.ie that it was the right decision to go.
“I got let go after my apprenticeship,” he said. “I was doing all sorts of jobs before I made the decision to move over. I’ve moved around a bit since I’ve been here but things are going so well.”
The Irish community is there in strong numbers, and Dunne said that really helped to acclimatise and fit in.
“I’d have Aussie friends at work but at the weekends, the Irish group would all meet up and see each other,” he said. “We even have a football team.
I think the change to extend the age to get a visa is a good thing. A lot of the lads at training will say things like ‘oh a friend of mine is thinking of coming over’, and now with that a lot more people will be able to. I say it to friends of mine back home all the time that they should come over. I think some more now will take up the opportunity. Why wouldn’t you just give it a go?
Making the trip home to visit is something is something that must be planned well in advance, meaning that a trip back once a year is usually all that’s possible.
Despite that, however, Dunne feels that he’s in a very good position compared to if he’d stayed in Ireland.
“Honestly, I was surprised by how well it’s turned out,” he said. “The rate of pay we get here is very good. And the cost of living is a lot lower. We were able to save for a mortgage really quickly. We didn’t come over with an awful lot, but we managed to save enough for a house within a few years. I don’t think we’d have been able to do that back in Dublin.”
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