5,000 more to apply for Oz visas to help in flood clean-up

ABOUT 5,000 additional Irish people are expected to apply for visas to Australia this year in a bid to help with the clean-up following the floods.

Experts said the massive clean-up effort will result in about 10,000 job opportunities for Ireland’s tradesmen and women.

Visa specialists www.visafirst.com said they have experienced a doubling in the number of enquiries on Australian working visas with people referencing Queensland since the scale of the disaster became apparent.

The firm said although the skills shortage list for many states in Australia include construction trade professionals, the volume of workers required has ballooned to have the necessary labour to rebuild cities and towns.

Manager with VisaFirst, Edwina Shanahan said: “We’ve heard reports that approximately 28,000 homes alone will need to be rebuilt. In addition to this, works will have to commence on roads, businesses, schools which means that demand for all construction trades — architects, engineers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painter-decorators is going to soar.

“Australia has been experiencing a shortage in construction trade professionals for many years and this shortage has now been exacerbated by recent developments. We are predicting the creation of approximately 10,000 new jobs as a result of this natural disaster. This will present hundreds of Irish men and women with much needed job opportunities abroad and many will enter in on the prioritised employer sponsored visa and working holiday visa.

“Many business contractors with successful business careers are also contacting us for businesses owner visas to set up business in Australia and they are already pricing jobs and winning contracts in Australia while waiting on the business visa to be processed.”

More than 22,500 Australian visas were issued to Irish people last year.