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More families split as dads seek Oz work

Tuesday, September 04 10:49:53

More Irish men are leaving ahead of their partners and spouses in search of work and a better life in Australia than ever before, according to migration specialists www.visafirst.com today.

It said that from 2011 - 2012 the company has seen a 58pc increase in the number of what are termed "primary" applicants heading out ahead of dependants in seek of work and that 75pc of these applicants are male.

Edwina Shanahan, Manager with www.visafirst.com commented, "We looked at our customer database around the same time last year & it became apparent that this trend was picking up - whereby one partner or spouse would initially go to Australia in seek of work in an effort to set up a life & a home there, before their partner or spouse followed after a few months - often with young children in tow. A year on and we see these numbers have escalated considerably and it's now almost the norm. What's interesting to note also is that in 75pc of cases the "primary" applicant is male".

Its customer data has also revealed that there is also a marked increase in the number of people looking to go to Australia long-term on either a Permanent Residency visa or a Sponsorship visa - where in the past the most popular visa or the visa of choice would have been the one year Working Holiday Visa. According to visafirst.com this also demonstrates Australian employer's preference for candidates on more permanent visas with less work restrictions.

"Permanent Residency visas grants increase by 33pc this year which is a significant number of additional people choosing to leave Ireland for Australia - indefinitely. In contrast, the VisaFirst visa index shows a levelling off of working holiday visa numbers for Australia, which reflects a lack of cash flow for those in their early 20s. These people no longer have the luxury of taking a year out of college or work to travel to Australia on the off chance that they may pick up some work. We are seeing now that this type of care free travel is becoming a thing of the past and those in their 20s are now more concerned with completing their studies and finding employment before they take the leap Down Under".