Fewer Irish looking to move to the US

There has been a fall of 25 per cent in Irish people looking to move to the US, according to a company that helps process visa applications.

Visa First explained that the lengthy application process, which has numerous stages and can take years on end to complete, is making would be applicants think twice, with many now opting to try for Canadian visas instead.

The US has maintained its popularity with those in the hospitality and construction sectors, but the number of nursing and engineering applicants has fallen by 67 per cent and 60 per cent respectively.

Visa First migration expert Edwina Shanahan noted that the US was still a prime destination among Irish workers, but that many people were just not aware of all the options open to them. She pointed out that the company’s data showed them that most of the Irish applicants these days were in their mid- to late-twenties.

Shanahan said that anyone who has a sibling living in the US should think about going down the “sibling visa” route, even if they were not contemplating moving at present. She explained that although you may have no plans to relocate to the US, there would be no harm in having the visa in case you change your mind at a later date.