On July 14, 2023, Canada and the United Kingdom signed a new Youth Mobility Arrangement to expand reciprocal work opportunities for their youth. The arrangement builds on an existing partnership that began in 2008 and includes improvements such as:
- expanding the age eligibility from 18 to 30 to 18 to 35,
- adding two new streams (International Co-op and Young Professionals) to complement the existing Working Holiday category for UK nationals visiting Canada, and
- increasing the total stay period from 2 to 3 years.
The new arrangement is expected to be implemented in 2024.
What is Canada & UK Youth Mobility Arrangement?
The new Canada-United Kingdom (UK) Youth Mobility Arrangement was officially signed on July 14, 2023, according to the honorable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, and the right honorable Robert Jenrick, UK Minister of State for Immigration. Both Minister Fraser and Her Excellency Susannah Goshko, the British High Commissioner to Canada, signed the agreement.
The youth mobility pact, which was first introduced in 2008, intends to encourage reciprocal work opportunities in each country. Canada has youth mobility agreements with 37 countries. The International Experience Canada (IEC) program of the Canadian government oversees youth mobility agreements. IEC provides three sections:
- Open work permits are available to Working Holiday participants, enabling them to work for any employer in Canada.
- Participants in international Co-op (internships) may be eligible for an employer-specific work visa that enables students to gain experience related to their studies.
- Young Professional participants can obtain a work permit that corresponds to their workplace in order to earn specific work experience related to their course of study or intended profession.
Canada is going to offer IEC for approximately 90,000 youth worldwide in 2023. IEC represents a way the Canadian government is using to address the labor shortages in the country.
Want to know more details about the “New Canada & UK Youth Mobility Arrangement announced” you can contact one of our immigration specialists at Gunness & Associates.
Tel: (416) 604-2669
Email: info@immigrationmatters.info
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