There’s nowhere to live and it’s too expensive… but more Brits and Irish coming to Australia than ever – and here’s why they never want to go home

Thousands of Brits and Irish are moving to Australia after being lured by the prospect of more sun, world-class beaches, money and even finding a partner.

Up to 38,177 working holiday visas were granted to British citizens in the 12 months to June 2023, compared to 20,090 the year before – an increase of 90 percent.

According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs, up to 21,525 working holiday visas were granted to Irish citizens between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, double the 10,491 visas granted last year.

This was the highest number of visas granted to Irish citizens in sixteen years.

Visa First business manager Nune Troy said she expects that number to grow.

“There’s just more job opportunities and better money, but I think it’s also the cost of living and the housing situation in the big cities like Dublin,” she told Independent News & Media.

‘Since Australia relaxed visa rules in 2022 following the pandemic, Irish citizens up to the age of 35 can now apply for a working holiday visa, while previously the maximum age was 30. So I think that has increased the numbers as well.”

Sally Cope, Tourism Australia’s Regional General Manager for Britain and Northern Europe, said many are attracted to the beach lifestyle Australia has to offer.

“Australia also offers an incredible lifestyle – where else can you be in the boardroom at 4pm and on the beach an hour later?” she said.

‘We are sure there are many 30-35 year olds who thought they had missed their chance to live and work Down Under, who will seize this exciting prospect with both hands; and Australia is ready to welcome them.”

Many Irish and British people choose to live near Sydney’s eastern beaches for its vibrant expat community and the convenience of having the beach on your doorstep.

Friends Killian and Grace, from Kilkenny in the south-east of Ireland, spent their morning applying for jobs at the Coogee Bay Hotel on Monday.

The pair agreed that more of the friends they made at school and university currently live in Australia than in Ireland, making the trip a no-brainer.

“My mother’s sister came out to her boyfriend when she was younger and never came home,” Killian told Daily Mail Australia.

‘They now live on the Central Coast, have five children and probably go back to Ireland every few years.

“So I knew I would have a good support system to get out there, and then just the weather, the life, it’s more of a laid-back lifestyle than at home.”

Killian worked in construction management in London for more than three years and said life was ‘rushed and busy all the time’.

‘From friends and family who were here, I knew it was more relaxed. So I think I needed that before I fell,” he says, laughing.

Grace said most of her friends were already living or traveling in Australia before she arrived from London three weeks ago.

She was able to secure a rental property in Clovelly, where she lives with friends.

“All our friends are here. There is more here than at home right now,” she said.

Killian has only three close friends in Ireland, who are only there because they are stuck in employment contracts or in relationships with people who don’t want to move.

The pair said they would feel more settled once they had a job and a place to live.

“Until then, you’ll feel a little uneasy,” Grace said.

Killian added that he enjoyed quiet mornings on the beach that he would otherwise spend on a noisy London tube.

Friends Kieran and Lorcan had just enjoyed a dip at Coogee Beach despite the rain.

Lorcan, a personal trainer, hopes to stay in Australia as long as possible.

Kieran, who works in construction and lives in the eastern suburbs, admitted there were “too many” Irish in Australia at the moment.

James, 27, from Dublin, has lived in Australia for just over a year and spends about six to seven minutes every day thinking about home.

However, he insists he is not homesick because of the large Irish community in Sydney’s east, which has welcomed him with open arms.

He plans to stay for three to four years, despite being “below average” at surfing.

James works for Seeing Eye Dogs with Ellie, 24, from Worcestershire in the UK.

Ellie, who has spent three months in Australia, says she is still finding it difficult being away from her family and missing out on a cold Christmas.

She said her friendship group consisted of more Irish and English people than Australians and she was planning to travel the east coast this year.

Nicholas Sweeney, from Galway, had landed in Australia just hours before heading to the Coogee Bay Hotel to have a pint with his cousin Danielle.

“I work in recruiting and it seems like recruiting is booming here,” he said.

‘So I’ll hopefully work on that. So far so good, apart from the rain.

“Everyone in the neighborhood was lovely, so friendly and helpful.”

Nicholas said the benefits so far had been the weather, the food and the shopping, and in the short time he had been in Australia it already felt like a second home.

Personal trainer James Smith moved to Australia as a ‘broken backpacker’ in October 2016 and has never looked back.

He said moving was the “best decision” of his life and listed reasons why Australia is a great place to live, including affordability, lifestyle, coffee and the opportunity to reinvent yourself.

“You should quit whatever you’re doing and move to Australia,” James said.

“I can’t express how wonderful it has been to come here for every part of my health, my mental health, my business, my relationships and everything.

‘In Australia, even living in Bondi Beach, one of the most famous beaches in the world, is cheaper than London and I can’t quite imagine that, so Australia is a lot more affordable.’

James added that Australia is a really good place to be ‘poor’.

“When I came here as a backpacker, even spending as little money as possible, I could spend my days here (on the beach) chilling, reading a book and sorting myself out,” he said.

He said it can be difficult living “far from home” and that he sometimes misses his family, but added that the flight home is only “a day away.”

‘It’s still a day. Yes, it’s a 21-hour flight, but everywhere is a day away,” he said.

Earlier this year, Western Australia’s police minister, Paul Papali, led a delegation of Australians on a nine-day tour of Britain with the aim of recruiting 30,000 Britons for work in the Australian police, hospitals and hospitality.

“Our wages are higher and our cost of living is lower. Our healthcare system is world class. You will be taken care of,” he said.

‘Wages in Britain are much lower, conditions are worse and resources appear to be much worse. So there are all kinds of reasons why WA is more attractive.

“It’s a lower cost of living, higher wages and great weather. What’s not to like?’