Young Irish people will find it increasingly difficult to settle in Australia, under tough new visa rules approved by Canberra. 

With anti-immigration party surging in the polls, Labour Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a number of changes to cut the number of backpackers working in the country. 

Irish people who work in certain sectors of the regional economy have traditionally been eligible for a second year long working holiday visa. 

Going forward, that promise of six months of toil in the Outback, followed by another year Down Under is no more. 

“Now they are going to introduce a ballot, which means that even if you do the work, your name goes into a hat,” migration agent Andrew McDonagh explained on The Claire Byrne Show.  

“And if you're one of the 45,000 for year two or 5,000 for year three, you get to stay."

People celebrating Christmas on Bronte Beach, Sydney. Picture by: Jack McGarry.

Last year, 57,000 people qualified for the second year visa, which means that while most people will be given a second year, some will lose out. 

However, anyone with a British passport is exempt from the lottery and those with skills in certain key sectors can apply for other visas. 

“What Australia is also trying to do is they're trying to solve their economic problems and their social problems,” Mr McDonagh said. 

“So, if you work in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, some of these key priority sectors, they are very keen for you to move straight to to PR, or you've got a job where an employer thinks that you're vital to them, they will happily let you be sponsored to stay longer. 

“What they're trying to do is - to be blunt - control the numbers of people who spent three years pulling pints and pouring coffees.”

Koalas on eucalyptus trees. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Mr McDonagh also cautioned that the processing times have also slowed considerably in recent months. 

“I was speaking to a guy this morning, he's trapped in Bali now,” he said. 

“But he applied for his visa on the assumption that the visa would come through very, very quickly, as they have historically, he had his flight booked. 

“Of course, now they're talking about taking three months to to process the visas. 

“So, if you're applying for your very first visa to go from Ireland to Australia, don't book a flight until you have the visa in your hand because you could be waiting a lot longer than you think.”

Mr McDonagh advised any young Irish person who wishes to settle long-term in Australia to be “strategic early” and think about what visas they can apply for as soon as they arrive.

Main image: A kangaroo on a beach. Picture by: Alamy.com.