Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 14 Dec 1995

Vol. 459 No. 8

Written Answers. - Immigrant Visas.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

60 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the agreement with Australian authorities regarding the granting of visas to Irish emigrants; the way in which the numbers emigrating have varied in recent years; and if the figures fully reflect the historical flows and ties between Ireland and Australia. [19078/95]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

There is no agreement between Australia and Ireland about immigrant visas.

The numbers of immigrant visas issued by the Australian Embassy in Dublin for the years 1 July to 30 June since 1981-82 were:

1981-82	1,165
1982-83	965
1983-84	508
1984-85	621
1985-86	1,353
1986-87	2,212
1987-88	2,755
1988-89	3,600
1989-90	1,740
1990-91	733
1991-92	560
1992-93	426
1993-94	602
1994-95	695

An important factor in the decline in emigration to Australia since 1990 has been the availability to Irish people of a large number of "Morrisson" US immigrant visas in the period 1991 to 1994.

Under an exchange scheme agreed with the Australian Government, Irish students and recent graduates may spend up to a year in Australia on the basis of temporary employment; in 1995 over 3,000 Irish people did so.