Irish people looking to secure Canadian working visas urged to act fast (really fast)

The Irish quota for the Canadian working holiday programme has nearly been reached.

Irish people seeking a Canadian working visa have been urged to get organised immediately after it was revealed that there are less than 500 places left on the working visa programme for 2017. Migration experts VisaFirst have reported that after a surge in demand for Canadian working holiday visas from Irish workers, there are less than 500 places left for the programme for this year and if you want one of the remaining places, you’re going to have to act fast. The 2017 figures for Irish workers applying for the Canadian working holiday programme have already surpassed the numbers for 2016 in its entirety, with only 488 places left for this year. The Irish quota for the programme for 2017 is 7,700 (for working holiday visas that will be issued without job offers). To date, 5,418 have been issued to Irish workers, and a further 1,794 applicants have applied and should be issued permits if their applications are eligible. The IEC (International Experience Canada) programme allows people from many countries up to the age of 35 (30 for some countries) to live and work in Canada for a period of 12 or 24 months. The applicant should hold a passport from an eligible country (of which Ireland is one) and the passport must be valid for the duration of their stay. They must have sufficient funds to support their stay (C$2500, approximately €1,740), have health insurance and a clean criminal record. Edwina Shanahan, Managing Director with www.visafirst.com commented, “This year’s work programme looks likely to fill the quota – perhaps before H1 2017 is out! So anyone who is hoping to be a part of this programme really needs to get organised now. “Before you can apply for the IEC working holiday visa, you need to register your interest under the various IEC streams that you want to be considered for. Invitations are then issued. If accepted for a particular stream, you have only 10 days to accept or reject the offer before it expires. “Once you accept your invitation from IEC, you must get your work permit documentation submitted and pay the required immigration fees. You have just 20 days for this stage so again you need to be really focused and ensure that you have your documents submitted on time. Note that some documents can take a few weeks to obtain. “If you are not prepared, it could result in you missing out on your opportunity for Canada’s working Holiday programme 2017 if you don’t get them submitted within the timeframe. “After reviewing your application, the CIC may request even more supporting documents. If you are approved, you will be sent a letter of introduction (LOI) which you need to present to immigration when entering the country in order to be granted the work permit. “The application process needs to be handled properly to ensure you get your IEC Working Holiday visa for Canada granted successfully. A mistake on any part of your application can cost you a few months of time or can result in the application being rejected.” For more information, check out visafirst.com and the Department of Foreign Affairs website.