A new youth mobility work permit expansion agreement between Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) was signed today. A number of modifications will be made to the current youth mobility agreement between the two countries as part of the new agreement, which is expected to come into effect in 2024:
- Increasing the eligibility age to 18-35.
- For UK nationals moving to Canada, two new streams have been added.
- Visas will be granted for three years instead of two.
Participants in the existing arrangement must be between the ages of 18 and 30, and a two-year visa is required.
It aims to encourage reciprocal employment opportunities between nations through its youth mobility pact, which was introduced in 2008.
Youth mobility agreements are overseen by the International Experience Canada (IEC) program of the Canadian government. IEC provides three divisions:
- Working Holiday participants in Canada can obtain open work permits, granting them the freedom to work for any employer.
- International Co-op (internship) participants are eligible for employer-specific work permits, enabling them to acquire experience aligned with their studies.
- Young Professional participants can secure employer-specific work permits to gain targeted work experience relevant to their academic or career pursuits.
Work permit expansion – Canada’s global youth mobility agreements
Canada has agreements governing youth movement with 37 nations. Approximately 90,000 young people worldwide will receive IEC from Canada in 2023. In order to address the labor shortages in the country, the Canadian government is using IEC.
In addition, more than 240,000 Canadians have participated in IEC since 2008. As soon as young people arrive in Canada, they can apply for permanent residence.
A goal of 500,000 permanent residents a year is to be reached by 2025. Last year, there were over 437,000 new immigrants in Canada, an all-time record. A high immigration rate is necessary to maintain Canada’s economic and budgetary stability over the next ten years, when more than 9 million babies reach retirement age.
A majority of immigrants to Canada are accepted according to their economic standing.
Immigration is shared by the federal government and the provinces of Canada. It is the policy of both levels of government to provide incentives to people with Canadian work experience to consider moving to the country permanently. In part, this is due to Canadian government research that shows that a person’s domestic work experience increases their chances of finding a job once they move to the country permanently.
Human capital is a factor used to evaluate applicants for federal and provincial economic class programs, which includes factors such as age, education, language ability, work experience, as well as previous work and study experience in Canada as well as close family ties to the country.
Due to their youth, English fluency, and Canadian job experience, young British immigrants who immigrate to Canada through IEC have a good chance of becoming permanent residents.
