Canada changes work visa rules for Irish

Canada has changed the rules for those applying for work visas as a result of a surge of interest from Irish citizens hoping to move there.

The Irish Ambassador to Canada, Ray Bassett, has confirmed that working visas for under-35s are to be extended from one to two years.

The doubling of the length of time someone under 35 can live and work in Canada will give those entering the country looking for work a better chance of securing a job as Canadian employers are often keen to have their job vacancies filled for longer than the current one-year visa permits.

The move has been introduced to lessen the chance of temporary residents staying in Canada illegally after their visa expired.

The number of visas that will be issued to Irish citizens is also to be raised.

The annual quota for all immigrants moving to Canada is 250,000. Irish citizens will be able to take visas from within this total allocation that are currently left over from the allocations given to other nations.

It is anticipated that around 30 per cent of people emigrating from Ireland in 2011 will move either to Canada or Australia.

The largest group of new Irish emigrants will, however, make the shorter move across the Irish Sea to Britain.

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