Irish workers in temporary skilled visas like the 457 will soon find it easier to move to permanent residency, following changes to the immigration program announced today.

The Australian Tourism Export Council wants the Working Holiday scheme extended to the age of 35.

The government has announced a new migration program for Darwin to help employers fill skills and labour shortages associated with major projects. The Federal Government has begun negotiating the first Regional Migration Agreement (RMA) for the Top End of the Northern Territory, designed to help regions hire overseas workers where there is a genuine need to do so.

The Department of Immigration (DIAC) has said it expects companies employing staff on 457 visas to continue paying staff the agreed income, once changes to the living away from home allowance (LAFHA) come into effect in July.

The number of working holiday visas granted to Irish citizens rose by over 30 per cent in the last six months of 2011, new figures reveal. According to the Australian Government’s Working Holiday Maker Visa Program report, 11,911 working holiday visas (WHV) were granted to Ireland up to December 31 last year, compared to 8,923 to the previous comparable period.

An American bill that will allow thousands of Irish emigrants gain two year work visas could pass in Washington this week, according to Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. Senator Brown told the Boston Herald that the Irish E3 visa bill which he filed is “about to pop” on Capitol Hill.

The number of Irish workers being sponsored by Australian companies rose in 2011. Figures released by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) show that Irish citizens were granted 3,100 primary 457 visas up to December 31 last year.

An increasing number of Irish immigrants who flock to Birmingham in search of work are failing to secure employment, a British charity has said. According to Irish in Birmingham, more and more young Irish men are arriving to the city on the “off-chance” of obtaining work.

In our latest installment of Australia and Me we catch up with engineering consultant Rory Corbett, from Cork. “I relocated to Sydney in May 2011 with my wife and two young kids on a 457 sponsored business visa. This is our second time escaping the recession,” he explains.

The Australian health care system is one of the best in the world. However, unless you have adequate health insurance, you won’t be able to access it without paying out an inordinate sum of money. We profile health Down Under for medically minded migrants.