Coming Home

Ireland has a long history of emigration, the most recent surge being during the recession when hundreds of thousands left our shores in search of a better life. They ranged from whole families who moved, lock stock and barrel, to young people ome of whom wanted to experience life and work abroad, but many of whom felt there was nothing here for them and went in search of work rather than go on the dole in Ireland.

More than 100,000 Irish moved to Australia between 2008 and 2014.

As the economy started to pick up here so did the possibility of at least some emigrants returning.  ‘The savage loves his native shore’ and many, although doing well abroad, would rather be back in Ireland and certainly their families in Ireland would rather have them back.

Many newly graduated or qualified people left in search of work creating a brain drain effect here in some areas and it was always the government’s intention to attract emigrants back to Ireland as a necessary part of sustaining the economic recovery.  At election time there was much talk of incentives to encourage the Irish abroad to come home.

Reducing or abolishing USC was talked of as an incentive but that is now a gradual process amid warnings that it will have to be paid for by other taxation, so that alone will hardly entice many to come back.

But people are returning and in their droves.  Young people who have spent a few years abroad would now like to come home to settle down and pursue a career here.  Many have started or are planning on starting families and see Ireland as a better place to rear children. They may have elderly family members they would rather be closer to. Whatever the reasons, there has been a 74% increase in the number of returning emigrants in recent times, but for many it is not the fairytale ending they expected or hoped for. Some of the issues and possible barriers facing people hoping to return are:

• Employment
• Accommodation
• Moving expenses
• Red tape

Employment

Employment has of course improved dramatically and there are now over 2m people working in Ireland for the first time since 2009.  An average of 1,000 jobs are being created every week so far this year, and long term unemployment has dropped below 100,000.  Immigration is now higher than emigration for the first time since the recession. So unemployment may no longer be driving people out but the prospect of a job may not be enough to bring people back.

Returning emigrants need to carefully assess the employment market and consider if their qualifications are valid here.

They need to know how wages here would compare with what they are currently earning and what lifestyle they might expect to attain here.

Taxation here is still very high and not likely to improve much in the next budget, which is a disincentive to emigrants thinking of returning and who would be looking forward to having a reasonably well-paid job.

Accommodation

Employment prospects may have improved but returning emigrants need somewhere to live and they are at the moment facing into a major housing crisis.

Rents have now reached boom time highs again and accommodation is in very short supply especially in towns and cities where at this time of the year there are thousands of students also competing for rentals.

The lack of emergency accommodation poses difficulties for those returning in crisis, or those without families willing or able to put them up until they get on their feet.

Expenses of moving

The most obvious expense is flights but that is only the tip of the iceberg.

People returning and intending to rent will need to have at least their first month’s rent and a deposit.

They may need to factor in shipping costs. For instance it can cost from €800 to €1500 to have heavy goods shipped from Australia.

They also have to consider health expenses.  Given the crisis in healthcare here at the moment they would need to consider if they could afford health insurance and the waiting times before certain conditions are covered.

Car insurance will probably be a lot higher than they remember, and all the more so as some companies will not accept ‘no claims bonuses’ from other countries.

If coming home with a partner who is not Irish there will be citizenship fees which can be €1,125 for an adult and €375 for minors.  Passport fees start at €80 for and adult and €16 for a child.

Red tape

All of the above involve red tape of course but further issues arise when a non Irish partner needs a visa, which can take up to six months to process, and during which time the partner cannot work putting further financial strain on the family.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has allocated €11.5m in funding for support services to help returning emigrants address administrative and financial challenges.  So there is some support out there from the likes of the Crosscare Migrant Project and on the Global Irish Hub section on the Department’s website.

For some it can be as simple as booking a flight and returning to their parents’ homes, but for others it can be much more complicated and a very daunting process.