Young Irish people arriving in Oz surges by 50% in past year

THE number of Irish people aged between 18 and 30 granted working holiday visas to Australia has surged by almost 50% since last year.

A total of 21,753 Irish nationals were granted the temporary visa in the period up to June 30 this year, according to Australia’s Department of Immigration.

The figure represents a jump from 14,833 for the previous year for those heading for working holidays down under.