The Irish Echo has reported breaking news of police making 10 arrests in New South Wales. All 10 arrests were Irish nationals alleged to be in breach of the conditions of their visas.

NSW Police received information from their Victorian counterparts that a number of Irish nationals may be staying in Sydney unlawfully and committing offences.

A police source said the Irish nationals came from two or three of the same families.

About 2.30pm yesterday, police in Cabramatta detained three people suspected to be unlawful non-citizens.

It is alleged that upon being searched by police, cash was found on a 38-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, believed to have been earned unlawfully whilst on tourist visas.

They have been charged with goods in custody suspected of being unlawfully obtained and were granted bail.

The 38-year-old man will appear in Liverpool Local Court on November 2.

The 16-year-old boy is due to appear in Parramatta Children’s Court on November 3.

They were issued with bridging visas and the third man was detained in immigration detention.

About 4pm yesterday, police went to the Hume Highway, in Bass Hill, and detained a 27-year-old woman, a 24-year-old woman, and five children aged between 18 months and five years old.

The 27-year-old woman was charged with one count of dealing with property suspected to be proceeds of crime and six counts of providing false information to a pawn shop.

She was granted conditional bail and will appear in Liverpool Local Court on 2 November.

The two women and children were issued with bridging visas.

The children have not been detained and are currently in the care of their family.

For more details, follow updates at the Irish Echo here.

If you need assistance or advice in acquiring a legal Australia visa, contact Australian Migration & Visa Lawyers to speak to one of our friendly and professional Registered Migration Agents, we specialise in all visa categories.

A recent article published in Herald.ie, "Dont be too sad for our young emigrants - they're having a ball" looks at life in Australia for a number of young Irish who've emigrated to Australia in the search of employment and lifestyle opportunities while their home country struggles through tough economic times.

Written by Gerry O'Carroll, the article highlights that although these people may have left Ireland to escape the global financial crisis, they're by no means staying in Australia out of obligation or need, most of them are truly "having a ball".

I watched Ireland defeat Italy [in the 2011 Rugby World Cup] with my son last weekend. I was one of the lucky parents who saw that game with my offspring by my side.

I am sure there were plenty of other parents scanning the seats at Otaga Stadium for a glimpse of their emigrant loved ones.

The stadium, 12,000 miles away in Dunedin, New Zealand, was full of a sea of Irish. I asked myself -- where in God's name did these 25,000 Irish fans come from? We had been told as late as July that just 500 supporters would make the trip from Ireland.

Take away those who travelled, and those based in New Zealand, it's estimated that around 20,000 fans travelled from Australia to watch the tournament.

This is the new Irish diaspora. The young people often described as "victims" of the economic crash here. As they roared on Brian O'Driscoll's men, I wondered do these young people see themselves like that? I doubt it.

Over the last number of years, a generation of young people have left our shores. And it seems that this entire generation has ended up Down Under.

This recent haemorrhage of our brightest and best is unlike the massive exodus from our shores that took place in the 1980s to the US, or the 1950s to Britain. I vividly remember the heart-rending scenes, the tearful farewells in airport departure lounges, the distraught parents, of the 1980s emigration.

Many of those earlier Irish spent their time abroad clinging to a sense of home, in Irish pubs and clubs.

But on this occasion our departing emigrants appear highly educated and confident. They are smart enough to realise that sitting on the dole in Ireland as we head into another frozen winter simply cannot compare to a decent lifestyle in the sun -- and a pay cheque.

They have no illusions, they are following a dream, and who can blame them? They are leaving a land, which is groaning under the dark clouds of the deepest recession since the foundation of the State.

The Australian press gang, in a working abroad expo at the RDS [Dublin] last weekend, offered jobs with wages of €45,000. Such posts are rare for twentysomethings here.

The young people at Otago Stadium and Eden Park did not appear in any way downtrodden or disheartened. The youngsters interviewed afterwards by the media were exuberant, full of optimism and hope for their future.

One young man summed it up, telling a reporter: "We're here, we love it and we ain't going back."

Why would they? Why should they? And why should they be upset about it? There is nothing here, now at least, for them to come back to.

Yes, it's sad that they are not with us at home. But they're Over There, they're Down Under and they're happy.

To read the article in full, click here.

If you want to learn more about migrating to Australia, contact us today to speak to one of our friendly Registered Migration Agents about the visa pathways available to you. Skilled overseas workers should also consider joining the Australian Migration & Visa Lawyers Employment Network, established to facilitate skilled workers seeking both sponsored visas and employment.

The Australian Government's Department of Immigraton & Citizenship (DIAC) has released details of its proposed new Skilled Migrant Selection Register (SkillSelect) which will be based on an Expression of Interest (EOI) and invitation to apply system. While the proposed system is still in its early stages of development, a number of key features have already been established which will become a huge reform of the way in which Australia selects skilled migrants.

As described by DIAC:

SkillSelect will be an electronic system based upon a two-stage process. Prospective applicants first submit claims for skilled migration through an online EOI and subsequently may be invited to make a visa application. This is a significant change from the current situation, as applicants for independent or state or territory sponsored migration will be required to receive an invitation in order to lodge a visa application.

The proposed commencement date of the new SkillSelect program is 1 July 2012.

According to DIAC, "as of this date, new applicants for independent, family or state/territory sponsored migration would need to submit an EOI and be issued with an invitation before lodging a visa application, unless eligible for transitional arrangements. The first round of invitations is expected to occur in January 2013."

"Transitional arrangements currently apply to certain people who, on 8 February 2010, held or had applied for a Skilled – Graduate (subclass 485) visa. This group is able to apply for a permanent skilled visa under the previous system, until the end of 2012. There are no additional transitional arrangements in relation to SkillSelect."

The visa subclasses that will be effected by SkillSelect are;

• Skilled – Independent (Migrant) subclass 175
• Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) subclass 176
• Skilled – Independent (Residence) subclass 885
• Skilled – Sponsored (Residence) subclass 886
• Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) subclass 475
• Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) subclass 487

To read more about the SkillSelect system being introduced by DIAC, click here.

To learn more about Skilled Migration and visa pathways, contact us and speak to one of Registered Migration Agents.