Canada seeks partnerships for the IEC program’s expansion from other organizations and new countries. The country looks forward to welcoming new participants and bridging the labor shortage gap in a few sectors. In light of the newly revealed IEC program quotas, there are more details about the program’s prognosis for 2023 from an internal IRCC communication dated September 26, 2022. Also, the global quotas for IEC admissions in 2023 have increased to over 90,000 participants. Sean Fraser revealed in January that the document offers more details on how IRCC reached this conclusion.
IEC and its details
The International Experience Canada program caters to youth between the age group of 18 and 35 years. Furthermore, this program enables them to arrive in Canada, discover it through travel funding, and even work there locally. IEC oversees the Youth Mobility Agreements with collaborating countries and organizations. The memo revealed that Canada comprises 36 country and territory partners in Oceania, the Americas, Europe, and East Asia.
Canada seeks partnerships for the IEC program’s expansion
IEC admissions in 2022 did not reach levels seen before the outbreak. The International Revenue Corporation (IRCC) attributes this to several issues, including increased travel expenses, hesitation because of health hazards, and severe labor shortages in partner nations.
These factors prompted IRCC to suggest that the global quota be increased by 20% to 88,500 while the 2023 partner quotas are left at the 2022 levels. Applicants must meet the partner quota by using a recognized organization from a partner nation. For anyone who applies to IRCC directly, there is a global quota.
The federal government is actively evaluating potential new country partners for the IEC. It is looking for the same in South America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East to support the program long-term. This contributes to a portion of the global quota increase. The possibility of receiving more immigrants to Canada’s francophone areas is now possible through partnership expansion with other nations.
IRCC stated that the rise of the global quota is due to its inability to reach its former maximum level. This accounts for 73,655 active work permits. Hence, the increase in global allocation will only help manage the wastage. Moreover, foreign nationals in their youth have a work permit but don’t arrive in Canada to use it.
Conversely, IRCC doesn’t suggest a rise in partner quotas. It believes that organizations and other collaborating countries will not accept the changes. It is specifically true for Europe because of the current challenges due to the disoriented Ukraine nationals.
The department further claims that increasing the quotas this year will set the standard for high quotas going forward. It will further potentially decrease program flexibility if IRCC reduces the allocations in case Canada has a high unemployment rate.
Who are IEC participants in Canada?
French (14,000), Irish (10,700), Japanese (6,500), and British (14,000) partners have the most significant quotas (5,000). The number of licenses given to Australians is flexible and without a cap.
Almost 40% of IEC participants settled in British Columbia’s lower mainland, followed by 19% who chose Ontario, 18% who opted for Alberta, 14% who decided on Quebec, and less than 5% who chose other provinces or territories.
Canada heavily depends upon an increased number of IEC participants to enable Canada to reduce the labor force gap. Usually, IEC participants fill vacant job positions in services sectors, retail, food, and accommodation services. The memo even revealed that most Service Sector employers rely on IEC to fill vacant positions.
The 2019 data displays a time when 58,186 IEC participants had active work permits. Per IRCC, due to the length of the visa, there were, in fact, 87,816 foreign youngsters in Canada that year, making the total number of participants considerably higher.
Nonetheless, a lot of people with IEC permits decide to work while they are in Canada. According to income tax, returns participants filed between 2009 and 2017, the average income was just over $10,000 for 59% of the participants.
IEC program’s work process
IEC participants will be able to acquire work permits through any of the three streams. The Working Holiday Stream is pre-dominant and authorizes an Open Work Permit for at least up to 2 years. Furthermore, it will enable holders to work for any Canadian employer. According to reports, 88 percent of IEC participants will receive permits under this specific stream.
Contrarily, the Young Professionals Stream offers work permits that are employer-specific. These are specifically for the youth with employment offers and those willing to work under one employer.
The International Co-op Internship Stream enables post-secondary students from associate nations to intern for a particular Canadian business.
Before applying for the program, a candidate must first meet the following qualifying requirements:
- Holding citizenship and passport of any of the 36 partner countries with which Canada has Youth Mobility Agreements.
- Possess a valid for their Canadian stay.
- They must belong to the eligible age groups, including 18-29, 18-30, or 18-35 at the time when they apply. This will also depend upon the applicant’s nationality.
- Hold an amount equivalent to $CAD 2,500 when they arrive in Canada.
- Gain Canadian admissibility.
- Health insurance coverage for their stay duration.
- Either display round-trip tickets or possess the finances to buy their departure ticket after their authorized stay gets over.
- Dependents must not accompany them.
- Payment of the right amount of fees.
Candidates with eligibility must apply to the IEC pool with their profiles. Further, if selected, they will receive an ITA to apply for a work permit in Canada. After receiving an ITA, they shall submit the complete application within 30 days.
