Field Notes
Long-form pieces written for Irish citizens, with Irish-specific context (NMBI, Engineers Ireland, Solas, Garda Vetting). Every piece cites its primary government sources and lists the date it was last verified against the Department of Home Affairs.
Vol. IPathways
No. 01
Subclass 417 · The starter visa
What the 417 looks like for Irish passport holders in 2026: age 35 cap, three-year framework, specified work, fees, RHCA Medicare access.
Department · 01
Visa subclasses and the routes between them.
Vol. IPathways
No. 02
Subclass 417 · Year two
How to log the 88 days of regional specified work that unlock a second-year 417, postcodes, evidence, common reasons applications get refused.
Vol. IPathways
No. 07
Skilled migration · The points test
Skilled migration points test mapped to a typical Irish engineer profile: degree, experience, English, age, state nomination.
Vol. IPathways
No. 09
Dual citizenship · Strategy
Many Irish citizens also hold a UK passport. For Australian migration, which one to lodge under can matter.
Department · 02
Trade licensing, AHPRA, Engineers Australia, TRA.
Vol. IICredentials
No. 03
AHPRA · Stream A
From 23 April 2025 most NMBI-registered Irish nurses with 1,800+ hours since 2017 qualify for AHPRA Stream A, no NCLEX, no OSCE. Here is the actual paperwork.
Vol. IICredentials
No. 04
Nursing · First twelve months
Stream A registration, employer sponsorship, 482 visa, settling in, what an Irish RN's first 12 months actually look like.
Vol. IICredentials
No. 05
Electrical trades · Licensing
The trade qualification is recognised, the licence to legally work as an electrician is not. Here is how Irish electricians sequence TRA, state licensing and visas.
Vol. IICredentials
No. 06
Trades · TRA
The Job Ready Program is for international students who studied a trade in Australia, not for Irish-qualified tradies arriving on a WHV. Here is what to use instead.
Department · 03
Forms, character checks, paperwork that slows people down.
Vol. IIIProcess
No. 08
Form 80 · Character checks
Form 80 (Personal Particulars for Assessment Including Character) is the form most likely to delay an Irish visa. Here is what trips people up.
Department · 04
Real costs of relocating, with itemised receipts.
Vol. IVMoney
No. 10
Landed cost · 2026 numbers
Visa fees, flights, settling-in costs, first month rent and bond, what an Irish citizen actually spends to land in Australia in 2026.
Legal scope
Paper Trail Visas organises information, reminders, document notes and preparation tasks. It is software and general education under s.276 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), not migration advice. For advice about a specific application (refusal history, health conditions, character disclosures, unusual work history), speak with a MARA-registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner with an unrestricted practising certificate.
