More than 3,000 Irish people have contacted Australian visa specialists in an effort to move to work in Australia. In the past 18 months New Zealand has granted a record 6,441 work visas to Irish people.

In 2009,only 308 people were granted residency in New Zealand, and a a staggering 2,384 Irish people were granted residency in Australia.

50,000 Irish people had gained temporary entry to Australia by the end of the last fiscal year. 17,139 of those were temporary residents. According to recently published figures Canada is also experiencing a similar a trend.

It seems that Canada, Australia and New Zealand are the nations of choice for Irish immigrants.

However, Australia is currently reviewing its Skilled Occupations List and is currently only focusing on highly skilled English speaking professionals and tradesmen.

The review of the Skilled Occupations List will only affect 5 per cent of those who have applied for visas.

"We have met over 3,000 Irish people looking to relocate to Australia over the past 12 months and less than 5% will be affected by the pending visa changes," said Liz O'Hagan, founder of Australian Visa Specialists.

"While there is a lot of speculation, the current review is necessary to ensure that jobs are available when people migrate. We have seen the profile of Irish applicants change over the past year to more highly skilled professionals," she added.

The U.S. has clamped down on immigration and as a result it has fallen out of favor with Irish immigrants.