An Athy company which advises people on moving to Australia reports growing business.
Liz O'Hagan, an Australian, runs Emerald Solutions, which advises people how to go about securing visas and, for a fee, will take on all the bureaucracy of filling out forms and sending them to the relevant authorities in Australia.
Recently, Ms O'Hagan says, she has been inundated with inquiries from people who feel that this is the right time to leave Ireland and seek a new lifestyle in Australia.
"Everyone is talking about the housing market slowing down. People thinking about moving to Australia have been saying to me that now is the right time to sell up while prices are still high.
"The same amount of money can buy a house twice the size in Australia as it can in Kildare," she says.
Accredited to the Migration Agents Registration Authority and a member of the Migration Institute of Australia, she set up the company in Perth in 1999, specifically targeting Irish people.
The process of applying for work permits in Australia is extremely tedious and complex, with the parameters and government guidelines changing almost by the month.
In order to qualify for a skilled worker visa, applicants need to amass a certain number of points through a series of criteria.
Different points are awarded for different qualifications, professions and trades, provided they are recognised by the Australian authorities, and points are awarded in line with demand for those workers.
For example, such an eclectic range of occupations as gardener, chef and accountant will all gain the maximum number of points, while some professions, such as doctor, will receive none.
Applicants can add to their points if they are young (under 45), have relatives already living in Australia, can speak English fluently or have £50,000 to lend the Australian government on an interest-free basis for 12 months.
Now married to an Athy man, Ms O'Hagan had a lot of trouble arranging visa cover for him after the couple met in Sydney and she spotted a gap in the market.