Young Irish people are flocking in droves to Canada in the hopes of better job prospects, thanks to a new extended visa that provides a pathway to longer term residency.
Many Irish citizens have previously availed of one-year working holiday visas to find jobs in Canada, primarily in the hospitality and tourism industries but also in science, law, health, education, commerce and communications.
But Cathy Murphy, executive director for the Irish Canadian Immigration Centre (ICIC) in Toronto, credits a new two-year open permit for people under 36 now offered by Canadian immigration with the latest influx of young Irish to the North American country.
The permit allows for Irish youth to travel to Canada with the status of a temporary foreign worker, although many can later apply for permanent residency.
“Those in the trades are finding an abundance of work, especially if they are willing to go to northern Alberta, Newfoundland, and Saskatch-ewan,” says Murphy.
International Experience Canada is also helping Irish citizens aged 18 to 35 to emigrate to Canada on short-term work visas. In 2011 they gave out 5,000 working holiday visas to Irish youth. In 2012 that number jumped to 5,350, with 744 of those people becoming permanent residents after their visas expired.
This year, IEC made a quota of 6,350 visas, but after its Work Abroad Expo in February none remain. In light of such heavy interest in visas to Canada, IEC says it will have a quota of 10,000 for 2014.
The ICIC, located in downtown Toronto, helps recent immigrants adjust to their new lives. Other Irish Canadian organisations, including the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce, the Irish Benevolent Society of Toronto, the Ireland Fund of Canada and Irish Connections Canada, all work to bridge the gap for Irish immigrants living in the country.
Canada is an appealing destination for young Irish people, and with the increase of immigrants from Ireland and similar weather patterns, many Irish feel at home there. Canadian employers have also begun to depend on Irish workers coming in and are more willing to provide jobs, at least on a short-term basis.
However, while certain places in Canada – specifically Calgary – are in need of more workers, with the rapid influx of Irish immigrants it can sometimes be difficult to find a job.
Indeed, Murphy warns that those “in the professions will find the competition a bit tougher and will need to consider a variety of work before landing the ideal position”.
