Moving to Australia from Ireland comes down to seven jobs, done in the right order: pick a visa, apply, save, sort insurance, book your flight, get through your first week’s admin, then find work and a place to live. If you’re 18 to 35, the usual start is a Working Holiday visa. It costs AUD 840, and Home Affairs expects processing to take around three months on average.
I made the move myself, and Irish Around Oz has been helping people do the same since 2013. Over 250,000 people are in our Facebook groups, and the questions haven’t changed: which visa, how much money, and what to do when you land. This guide answers each one in a few lines, then links to our detailed guide. We checked every fee and rule against official sources in October 2026.
Short version
- Pick your visa. Aged 18 to 35? Start with the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417).
- Apply from Ireland. It costs AUD 840. Don’t book flights until it’s granted.
- Save. Home Affairs says you’ll usually need about AUD 5,000, plus the fare out of Australia.
- Get travel insurance. Ireland’s health deal with Australia doesn’t cover GP visits, ambulances or getting you home.
- Book your flight. Dublin to Sydney is usually cheapest in May and dearest in December.
- Do your first week’s admin. Bank ID check, tax file number, SIM and transport.
- Find work and a place to live. A hostel first, then a room in a share house.
Hopefully, more sunny days to come in Australia
Step by step: how to move to Australia from Ireland
Here’s the order to do things in. Allow three to six months from deciding to landing.
3 to 6 months before you go
- Check your passport. Your visa is linked to it, so renew first if it’s close to running out. NAB also wants it valid for at least 6 months when you open an account.
- Pick your visa and apply online from outside Australia. Have your passport, a birth certificate showing both parents’ names and a recent bank statement ready. Here’s how to apply for a Working Holiday visa from Ireland.
- Start saving. See how much money you need below.
- Pick a city. Rent is the biggest difference between them.
1 to 2 months before
- Book your flight once your visa is granted. You must enter Australia within 12 months of the grant, and your 12 months’ stay starts the day you land.
- Buy travel insurance that starts the day you fly.
- Open a money transfer account so you’re not stuck with your bank’s exchange rate.
- Sort your Irish admin. Cancel direct debits you don’t need, and make sure your banking app codes go to a number that will work in Australia.
The fortnight before you fly
- Apply for an Australian bank account online. CommBank and Westpac let you start within 14 days of arriving, NAB within 30.
- Book a hostel or short stay as a base while you look for a room.
- Join the Facebook group for your city, and save copies of your passport, visa grant and insurance to your phone.
Your first week in Australia
- Verify your bank ID, apply for your tax file number and get a SIM. Details are in your first week below.
- Start on jobs and rooms.
Our moving to Australia checklist has every step in order, with a free PDF. Once you land, use your first week in Australia: the checklist for Irish arrivals.
Which visa do you need to move to Australia?
If you’re 18 to 35, it’s usually the Working Holiday visa. Here’s the quick match for each situation, with the official Home Affairs fee from 1 July 2026. Fees are for the main applicant.
| Your situation | Visa, fee and key rule |
|---|---|
| Aged 18 to 35 and want to work and travel | Working Holiday visa (subclass 417), AUD 840. Apply from outside Australia before your 36th birthday. Stay 12 months. Usually you can only work for the same employer for 6 months. |
| Already on a Working Holiday visa and want another year | Second or third Working Holiday visa, AUD 1,000 each. You need 88 days of specified work for a second visa and 179 days (6 months) for a third. |
| Over 35 | No Working Holiday visa. Look at study, a job offer with sponsorship, a skilled visa or a partner visa. |
| Studying | Student visa (subclass 500), from AUD 2,500. Work up to 48 hours a fortnight in term. Since 2 October 2026, most people, including all Working Holiday visa holders, must apply from outside Australia. You need Overseas Student Health Cover. |
| Have a job offer and skills | Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), from AUD 4,015. Your employer sponsors you for a job on the Core Skills Occupation List, and you need at least 1 year of relevant experience. Stay up to 4 years. |
| Skilled, under 45, no sponsor | Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), AUD 6,135. Permanent. You need a skills assessment, at least 65 points and an invitation to apply. |
| Your partner is Australian (citizen or permanent resident) | Partner visa (820/801 in Australia, 309/100 from outside), from AUD 11,710. If you’re not married, you usually need to have been in a de facto relationship for 12 months before you apply, unless an exception applies. |
| Moving with your children | Not a Working Holiday visa, which doesn’t allow dependent children. Sponsored, skilled and partner visas can include family, for a charge per person: on a 482, AUD 4,015 per adult and AUD 1,005 per child under 18. |
Announced, not law yet: on 17 September 2026 the government announced a plan to move second and third Working Holiday visas to a ballot, with 45,000 second-year and 5,000 third-year places a year. You’d still need your 88 days or 6 months of specified work to enter. There’s no start date, so the current rules still apply. Read what the ballot means for you and our regional work guide.
Staying longer? Our visa options guide covers every route, and our Australian visas page matches you with a registered migration agent. For study, our partners at Study Destination offer a free study consultation. And read the 15 mistakes to avoid on a working holiday visa.
How much money do you need to move to Australia from Ireland?
For a Working Holiday visa, Home Affairs says you need enough money to support yourself and to leave. That’s “usually about AUD5,000 for your initial stay, plus the fare” to wherever you go after Australia, or proof you already have that ticket.
That’s a visa rule, not a budget. Here’s what a first month costs if you land in Sydney and take a room in a share house.
| Cost | Typical figure and source |
|---|---|
| Working Holiday visa | AUD 840 for your first, AUD 1,000 for a second or third (Home Affairs, from 1 July 2026). |
| Flight from Dublin | Typical returns to Sydney: EUR 890 to 1,250 in May, EUR 1,350 to 2,700 in December. The cheapest one way we saw was EUR 601, for 18 November (Google Flights, October 2026). |
| Rental bond | Up to 4 weeks’ rent in NSW, so up to about AUD 1,260 for a AUD 315 a week room. You get it back at the end if nothing’s owed. |
| First month’s rent | About AUD 1,260 for a room in a Sydney share house at around AUD 315 a week (Rent.com.au, June 2026). NSW landlords can ask for up to 2 weeks in advance. |
| Phone | Prepaid plans from about AUD 30 every 28 days on budget brands, or about AUD 44 on the big networks (Finder, via our cost of living guide, October 2026). |
| Transport | Sydney’s Opal caps adult fares at AUD 50 a week (Transport for NSW, October 2026). In Brisbane, every trip is 50 cents. |
| Food | About AUD 152 a week in groceries for one person (Finder, via our cost of living guide, October 2026). |
Add those up and your first month in Sydney comes to roughly AUD 3,400 once you land, before your first payday. That’s on top of the visa, the flight and a few nights in a hostel. So AUD 5,000 is a floor, not a comfortable budget. Our cost of living in Australia guide breaks down each city, the money checklist covers what to sort before you go, and our flights between Ireland and Australia guide has typical fares.
Money: bank account, tax number, super and moving your savings
Open an Australian bank account before you land
You start online shortly before you arrive, then prove who you are once you’re here:
- CommBank: apply within 14 days of arriving, and show your passport at a branch within 20 days of opening or the account may close. You can’t pay in or spend until then.
- Westpac: start within 14 days of arriving, then verify your ID online or in a branch to activate it.
- NAB: start online within 30 days of arriving. The account opens when you visit a branch.
CommBank and NAB don’t take visitor visas. Keep your savings in Ireland until your ID is checked.
Tax file number (TFN)
Apply online once you’re in Australia with a visa that lets you work. It’s free, so never pay anyone to do it. The ATO posts it to your Australian address within 28 days. You don’t need a TFN to start work, but without one you pay more tax. Working holiday makers pay 15% on the first AUD 45,000 if their employer is registered with the ATO as a working holiday maker employer.
Superannuation
Super is Australia’s pension. Your employer has to pay at least 12% of your qualifying earnings into a super fund, every payday since 1 July 2026. Pick one fund and give it to every employer. You can claim it back when you leave for good, but working holiday makers are taxed 65% on it. Here’s how to claim your superannuation back.
Moving your money from Ireland
Irish banks build a margin into the exchange rate, so compare before you send your savings:
- CurrencyFair: check the rate and the exact amount you’ll receive before you send.
- Wise
- TorFX
We compare the costs in the cheapest way to transfer money from Ireland to Australia.
Health care and travel insurance
Ireland has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. If you were living in Ireland before you arrived, it covers medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital, plus some prescription medicines, from the day you land until your visa ends. You don’t enrol in Medicare or get a Medicare card. You just show your Irish passport at the public hospital or pharmacy.
What it doesn’t cover:
- GP visits outside hospital
- Ambulances
- Most dental care
- Getting you home. Smartraveller says medical evacuations “often cost 1000s of dollars”.
- Anyone on a student visa. Students need Overseas Student Health Cover instead.
Home Affairs strongly recommends health insurance for Working Holiday visa holders, and says you’re personally liable for all your healthcare costs. Our pick for Irish working holiday makers is True Traveller. You can buy it even after you’ve left Ireland, as long as nothing has happened yet that could lead to a claim. Once you’ve lived in Australia legally for three months, Go Insurance covers trips away from Australia, whatever your visa.
Read what travel insurance Irish working holiday makers need and does Medicare cover Irish people in Australia?
Your first week in Australia
- Bank: take your passport to the branch to verify your ID, then move your savings over.
- TFN: apply on the ATO website. It’s free.
- Phone: get a prepaid SIM. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are the big networks, and budget brands use them for less.
- Transport: in Sydney and Melbourne, tap on and off with your contactless bank card or phone for the same fares as an Opal or myki card. Perth takes contactless too, and Brisbane uses the go card.
- Health: nothing to sign up for. Carry your Irish passport and keep your insurance details handy.
- Address: use one that gets post, for your TFN and bank card.
- Work tickets: book your RSA or White Card course if you need one.
The full list, in order, is in your first week in Australia checklist.
Where Irish people move in Australia
A record 103,080 Irish-born people lived in Australia in 2024, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures published by the Irish Government. Most new arrivals pick one of the big four cities, and rent is the biggest difference.
| City | Median asking rent a week (Domain, September 2026 quarter) |
|---|---|
| Sydney | Houses AUD 835, units AUD 780 |
| Perth | Houses AUD 750, units AUD 700 |
| Brisbane | Houses AUD 700, units AUD 660 |
| Melbourne | Houses AUD 600, units AUD 600 |
Sydney
Busy, buzzing and the dearest of the four for rent. The Irish pubs, GAA clubs and trad sessions are in our guide to the Irish in Sydney.
Melbourne
The cheapest of the big four for rent, with loads of festivals and chillier winters. Public transport is half price until 1 January 2027. Read our guide to the Irish in Melbourne.
Brisbane and the Gold Coast
Warm weather, an outdoor lifestyle and 50 cent fares on buses, trains, ferries and trams across South East Queensland (Airtrain excluded). Brisbane house rents held at a record AUD 700 a week in the September 2026 quarter. Read our guide to the Irish in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Perth
Sunny and relaxed, with a strong Irish community. It’s 7 or 8 hours ahead of Ireland, the easiest for calling home, and the quickest to fly home from: 21 hours to Dublin at the fastest (Google Flights, October 2026). Read moving to Perth from Ireland.
Finding work in Australia
Hospitality, construction, nursing, childcare and office jobs are the usual starting points. Where to look:
- The Irish Around Oz job board (more below).
- Seek, Indeed and Jora, the big Australian job sites.
- Recruitment agencies for your trade, especially nursing, construction and office temping.
- The Irish network. Our Facebook groups, GAA clubs and Irish pubs will tell you who’s hiring.
- Regional work for a second Working Holiday visa. See our regional work guide.
Get your tickets. Serving alcohol needs an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol), done state by state, so do it in the state you’ll work in. Building sites need a White Card, which works in any state. Childcare and nannying need a Working With Children Check from your state.
Know your pay. From 1 July 2026 the National Minimum Wage is AUD 26.44 an hour, or AUD 1,004.90 a week, and your award may pay more. The Fair Work Ombudsman says visa holders have the same workplace rights as everyone else.
Jobs for Irish workers
The Irish Around Oz job board is where employers post jobs for Irish workers, from trades and nursing to hospitality and office jobs. Every listing is also shared on Facebook, including the Irish Around Oz Jobs group.
Arriving on a Working Holiday visa? Get True Traveller sorted before you start work.
Browse jobs Travel insurance guide
Hiring Irish workers? Post it to the groups with premium job advertising.
Finding a place to live 🏘️
Book a hostel or short stay for your first week or two, then look for a room in a share house. Rooms come up every day in our city Facebook groups and on Flatmates.com.au. Whole houses and units are on realestate.com.au and Domain.
Renting is tight. In September 2026 only 0.4% of Perth rentals and 0.7% of Brisbane rentals were vacant, according to Domain. Have your passport, a bank statement and a payslip or job offer ready when you apply.
Each state sets its own rules. Here’s how it works in NSW:
| What you pay | The rule in NSW |
|---|---|
| Holding fee | No more than 1 week’s rent, and only once your application is approved. It goes towards your rent if you sign. |
| Bond | No more than 4 weeks’ rent, paid through Rental Bonds Online. |
| Rent in advance | No more than 2 weeks. |
| What you don’t pay for | Background checks, viewing a property, preparing the lease or your first set of keys. |
Avoid rental scams. Scamwatch says to insist on inspecting the place yourself, because a drive by isn’t enough. Walk away if the “owner” is overseas, keeps making excuses about viewings, or wants money up front by money transfer.
Moving to Australia from Ireland with family, or on your own
Moving with your family
You can’t bring your children on a Working Holiday visa, so families usually come on a sponsored, skilled or partner visa that includes everyone, with a charge for each person. Since 2 October 2026, most new student visas can’t include family.
Check school fees before you pick a city, because public schools can charge children on temporary visas. In NSW, most temporary resident students pay a AUD 150 application fee, plus AUD 6,400 a year for primary and years 7 to 10, or AUD 7,600 for years 11 and 12 (2026 rates). Some visas are exempt, including children of 482 holders in eligible regional areas. Other states set their own rules.
The health agreement covers each family member who was living in Ireland before you came, with the same gaps, so insure everyone.
Moving to Australia alone
Loads of people do it, and the first few weeks are the hardest. Hostels and share houses mean you meet people from day one, so say yes to invitations. Our list of Irish groups in Australia has the city groups and support groups like the Irish Support Agency in NSW and the Claddagh Association in Perth.
Shipping your things to Australia
Bring a suitcase and buy the rest second hand when you get here. If you need more:
- Send My Bag: extra suitcases and boxes, sent door to door by air.
- Seven Seas Worldwide: boxes, bikes or the contents of a room, by sea or air.
Prices and delivery times are in our guide to shipping between Ireland and Australia.
What people wish they’d known before moving
We’ve asked thousands of people in our groups what they wish someone had told them. These come up again and again:
- Bring a bigger buffer than you think. A rental bond (up to four weeks’ rent in NSW), rent in advance and a few weeks before your first payslip add up fast.
- Get your RSA or White Card sorted early. Bar work needs an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) and building sites need a White Card. Having them ready gets you working sooner.
- Work comes quicker than you’d expect, and the pay is good. So is the cost of living, especially rent.
- It’s not always sunny. Melbourne winters are cold. When the sun is out, wear suncream.
- Australia is huge. The fastest non-stop flight from Sydney to Perth takes about five hours. Plan your travel around it.
- Calling home is awkward. Sydney and Melbourne are 9 to 11 hours ahead of Ireland, depending on the time of year, so you’re catching people first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
- Bring a suitcase, not a backpack, if you’re settling in one city. And don’t ship furniture or a car over. Sell it, store what you want to keep, and buy second hand here.
- Don’t keep comparing it to Ireland. Everyone who settles well says the same thing: go with an open mind.
For more, read 10 little-known things that happen when you move to Australia, and grab our free moving to Australia checklist.
Join the Irish community in Australia
Stay connected, and find work, housing and events through the Irish Facebook groups:
- Irish Around Sydney
- Irish Around Melbourne
- Irish Around Brisbane
- Irish Around Perth
- Full list of groups
We’re a friendly bunch. Say hi, ask a question, or share your story.
Download the checklist
Feeling overwhelmed? Grab the free Moving to Australia Checklist with everything from this guide in one simple PDF: https://irisharoundoz.com/download
Moving to Australia from Ireland: FAQ
How do I move to Australia from Ireland?
Pick a visa and apply online from Ireland. Save while you wait, buy travel insurance, and book your flight once the visa is granted. Then follow the step by step list above.
How much money do I need to move to Australia from Ireland?
Home Affairs says usually about AUD 5,000 for a Working Holiday visa, plus the fare to leave. A first month in a shared room in Sydney costs roughly AUD 3,400 after you land, before the visa (AUD 840) and your flight.
Can I move to Australia from Ireland without a job?
Yes. You don’t need a job offer for a Working Holiday, student or Skilled Independent (189) visa. You do for a Skills in Demand (482) visa, because your employer sponsors you.
What’s the age limit for a working holiday visa for Irish citizens?
18 to 35. You must apply before your 36th birthday, by midnight Australian Eastern time the day before.
How long does a working holiday visa take?
Home Affairs expects the average to be around three months. Don’t book flights until it’s granted. After that, you have 12 months to enter Australia.
Is it hard to move to Australia from Ireland?
If you’re 18 to 35, the visa is an online form. The hard parts are the money and finding somewhere to live, because rentals are scarce. Over 35 it’s harder: you’ll need to study, be sponsored, qualify for a skilled visa or have an Australian partner.
Can I move to Australia with my family?
Yes, but not on a Working Holiday visa. Sponsored, skilled and partner visas can include your family, with a charge for each person. Budget for school fees too: AUD 6,400 to 7,600 a year at NSW public schools in 2026 for most children on temporary visas.
Can I move to Australia from Ireland alone?
Plenty of people do. Stay in a hostel or share house, join your city’s Facebook group, and find your local GAA club or trad session.
Do Irish people need health insurance in Australia?
Yes. The health agreement covers public hospital care and some medicines, but not GP visits, ambulances or getting you home, and not student visa holders at all.
What do I need to know before moving to Australia?
You can only start an Australian bank account 14 to 30 days before you arrive. Rent is your biggest cost. And on a Working Holiday visa you can usually only work for one employer for 6 months.
Need help? Drop into the Facebook group or message the Irish Around Oz page. We’re here to help make the big move easier.
Thanks for stopping by,
Stephen Palmer
Last checked October 2026.
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