Number of approved Oz visa applications increases

Jobless Irish people are continuing to pour into Australia, with new figures confirming the number of approved visa applications from citizens here has increased.

The number of approved four-year “457 visas” — which are offered to skilled workers and their dependants who are sponsored by an Australian company — rose by 6% in the period from July 2012 to last May.

The stats, from Australia’s Department of Immigration, also show that more Irish emigrants than ever are attempting to move Down Under.