Canada to receive 6000 Irish emigrants

As reported by Inside Ireland, nearly 6,000 Irish citizens will emigrate to Canada in 2012, following a visit earlier this week by a delegation of Western Canadians to Ireland on a recruitment campaign.

The delegation said the demand for certain skills is now very great, as Canada is in open competition with Australia for Irish workers. Several Canadian provinces are also willing to grant permanent residency to Irish farmers willing to purchase land and establish themselves in Canada—a fact that will be of special interest to many people in rural Ireland.

Edwina Shanahan, who is a migration expert at VisaFirst, estimates that nearly 6000 Canadian work visas will be issued to skilled professionals from Ireland this year. This will match the Australian requirement for a skilled Irish workforce. Australian Canadian employers are currently competing for the skilled Irish workforce, she added.

However, in terms of being considered for skilled worker visa applications in Canada this year, the limit has already been reached in 11 job fields. These include: Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management, Restaurant and Food Service Managers, Biologists and Related Scientists, Architects, Licensed Practical Nurses and Social Workers Specialist Physicians, Dentists, General Practitioners and Family Physicians, Pharmacists and Registered Nurses.