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Canada is seeing an increasing number of Irish immigrant arrivals as Ireland continues to experience an economic downturn.
A recent report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) estimates that almost 1,000 people are leaving Ireland each week, many of them highly skilled workers.
"Worldwide, [Canada] is looking like the superstar of how to manage your economy," Eamonn O'Loghlin, executive director of the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce told the 'National Post.'
"So you have all these young, educated, highly skilled people in Ireland who are suddenly in a situation where there are very few jobs," he added. "They're looking around and they see how Canada has come through the recession and they see more opportunity here."
The number of temporary visa holders coming from Ireland has more than doubled in the last five years; Encouraged by Canada's relatively liberal economic immigration policy.
People with the right skills who gain enough points under criteria such age, work experience and academic qualifications can gain permanent residence through the federal skilled worker program, a points based system similar in some ways to those in the UK and Australia.
In addition, other routes exist for skilled immigrants such as the Canada Experience Class program for foreign students and the Provincial Nominee Program.
