Canada To Increase IEC Visas For Irish In 2014

07 Mar 2014

According to some new agreements signed between the Canadian and Irish governments, there will be an increase in Canadian working holiday visas to young Irish people by nearly 70% this year.

International Experience Canada (IEC) allows young Irish nationals aged between 18-35 years along with their dependants permission to work and live in Canada for up to 2 years. A total of 10,700 IEC visas will be issued in the year 2014.

Initially, the IEC program was started as a cultural exchange program between Ireland and Canada. But, this has now grown as Canada started looking at Ireland for highly skilled people for its own work force and has started making use of Ireland’s underemployed workers to fill deficiencies in its economy since some years now.

The increase in the number of IEC visas is being welcomed by thousands of young Irish nationals who are looking for jobs. This is very good news for thousands of people who are waiting for the new dates of release from Canada for IEC visas, since the 2013 allocation were snapped up within 48 hours. The IEC visas are better visas when compared to similar types of visa programs in New Zeland and Australia.

The IEC visas will open for applications on March 11^th. The visas will be allocated on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis and applicants were advised to ready their documentation and go in advance of the opening of applications. Anyone who has been waiting since 2013 to apply for IEC visas can apply now and it is expected that there will be a huge demand even this year.

Canada is now a choice of destination for young Irish nationals. The IEC visas are working holidays program only on paper, but in reality they have been transformed into an opportunity for migration, and it is the first step in the process of obtaining permanent residency.

Chris Alexander, Citizenship and Immigration Minister of Canada said in a statement that “Canada has a very long history of Irish Immigration, and this new agreement would strengthen the existing relations between Ireland and Canada. The Irish do well, and Canada is impressed by their performance.”

Canada offers good employment opportunities in tourism, IT, advanced manufacturing, service industry, natural resources and health care.