To cope with the demographic crisis, the island in Ireland is ready to pay residents of other countries to move.
The government is offering everyone who moves in with them a hefty compensation of between 60,000 and 84,000 euros. In this way, the authorities want to save local communities and encourage young people to move to live on the island. For this, a whole ten-year program for the development of the islands, Living Islands, has been developed.
One condition is that the money received must be used to restore empty or semi-abandoned houses. According to Minister for Rural and Community Development Geezer Humphreys, the program will initially target five communities – Sligo, Donegal, Mayo, Galway, and Cork. Now only 2,700 people live there. Over the past 27 years, the population of the country has decreased by 13%. The program is allocated 1.9 million euros.
Any citizen of another country who wishes to purchase housing on the island can receive compensation. The amount will depend on how neglected the condition of the building is. Since most of the houses are in a state of disrepair, the new owners may have to make a personal investment. To receive money and new citizenship, you must register and confirm that you plan to stay on the islands for a long time.
The authorities also promised to create comfortable conditions in the villages, including establishing fast Internet and installing special booths where residents can receive medical consultations.