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The Youth Mobility Program in Canada is very unique and gives an opportunity for foreign youth to travel from their country of origin to Canada on a foreign exchange program. The advantages of this particular program are many and foreign youth are able to travel and work abroad, particularly in Canada, with support from a number of organizations. Therefore, in this article, I will explain in detail, what the youth mobility program is, the countries that are a part of the youth mobility program, how to apply for a start-up visa, and more.
The Youth Mobility Program is facilitated by the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. The IEC program has a variety of organizations that provide substantial support for travel and work abroad services between Canada and other countries, for a fee, specifically for either Canadians going abroad and/or foreign nationals coming to Canada. In this particular circumstance, the foreign nationals coming to Canada would be youths. The services that are offered may include support in securing accommodations, arranging transportation, or assisting with finding employment, for instance. The organizations that participate in this program can either be Canadian organizations that have partners overseas or they may be international organizations that have an office within Canada.
Within the IEC program, there are three categories of participation through agreements between Canada and another foreign country. The three specific categories are:
Working Holiday: This consists of travel and work. Applicants under this category are eligible to apply for an open work permit that allows them to work for any employer in Canada to subsidize their stay as they travel and discover the country.
Young Professionals: This consists of career development. Applicants under this category are eligible to apply for an employer-specific work permit in order to assist them with gaining professional work experience within Canada.
International Co-op: This consists of internships for students only. Applicants under this category are eligible to apply for an employer-specific work permit in order to assist them with gaining professional work experience within Canada.
It is important to note that the requirements for this program differ depending on the country. Additionally, some countries offer more than others. The age of eligibility, the type of work permit, the validity period, the frequency of participation, the discontinuance requirement and the residence requirement, are all different factors that most countries have. However, this does vary from country to country.
The countries that participate in this program are:
I will explain some of the requirements for Australia as an example. If you are coming to Canada on a working holiday through this program, you will need to be between the ages of 18 and 30. The work permit would be an open work permit for a validity period of 24 months (2 years). Additionally, the frequency of participation would be a maximum of two participations. Specifically, a participation of 2 years in either a working holiday or young professionals and a second participation of 1 year in international co-op. However, these two participations can be executed in whichever order the applicant would like. Lastly, for the working holiday in Australia, there is no specific requirement for discontinuance or residence.
Keep in mind, if you are eligible to apply under one of these categories, then you will be placed in a pool of eligible candidates. The candidates are different per category per country.
In order to become a candidate in any category of the Youth Mobility Program, you must first answer some questions and then create an online IEC profile. The questions that you will need to answer come in the form of a questionnaire and include questions pertaining to your country of citizenship; country of permanent residence; country of residence; if applicable, student status; and lastly, if applicable, a valid job offer. When completing this questionnaire, you may do so by going onto the online portal for IEC or you may complete the questionnaire without signing in; it’s entirely your choice.
Furthermore, if you receive a positive result from the questionnaire and determine that you are eligible for this program, then you may proceed to create an online IEC profile. Lastly, you will have to fill out the appropriate forms in order to apply. Once the forms are complete, you will then submit your profile and ensure that you know which category you are eligible for and would like to apply for. At this point, you will wait to see if you are invited to apply.
If you would like to apply for the Youth Mobility Program facilitated by the International Experience Canada (IEC) program, it is important to take all of the aforementioned information into consideration before submitting your profile. Keep in mind, immigration applications are difficult to pursue on your own and the process can be overwhelming, especially if you are unfamiliar. It is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to apply. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients come to Canada for study or work through the Youth Mobility Program. If you believe that you may be eligible to apply, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.
With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!
