Way to Australia open despite changes to visa programme

Irish people hoping to travel to work in Australia have been told the door is still open to them, despite the scrapping of the popular 457 visa programme.

Australia’s prime minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed he was scrapping the programme as part of his policy of “putting Australians first”.

However, visa experts Visafirst.com has advised Irish people not to panic as the visa programme is to be replaced by a new scheme — the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) — which still leaves the door open to thousands of Irish looking to travel and work in Australia.