IT TOOK IRISH people looking to emigrate to Canada just ten minutes to book nearly 4,000 Canadian working holiday visas yesterday.

3,850 of the IEC visas, which allow travel and work for up to two years, opened for registration at 8pm last night. By 8.10pm, they were all gone.

Canada is attracting larger numbers of Irish people, with unemployment as low as 4.3% in some parts of the country.

For those left disappointed, another batch of 3,850 visas will be released, but a date is yet to be announced.

Calgary

Added to that, a major recruitment fair, aimed at bringing Irish workers to the city of Calgary will come to Dublin next weekend and Cork on Wenesday, March 26.

According to Jeanette Sutherland of Calgary Economic Development, there are many jobs on offer for Irish emigrants.

“We have lots of exciting and broad ranging jobs which offer plenty of opportunity for those considering the move.

“While many of the companies travelling to Dublin are construction or oil and gas industry orientated, we have jobs in healthcare, education, administration, to name a few so please don’t rule yourself out.

“We are now seeing a lot of Irish moving to enhance their job prospects and lifestyle.”

Read: “We’d rather be poor with our people around us, than have opportunities in a different world”