Irish workers to get second chance to apply for Canadian visas

Irish people hoping to move to Canada who failed to secure one of 3,750 working holiday visas this week are expected to be given a second chance to apply later this month.

Many potential emigrants were left disappointed after the first allocation of working holiday visas under the International Experience Canada (IEC) programme were snapped up within 10 minutes of the scheme opening on Wednesday night.

A total of 10,700 IEC permits, which allow Irish people aged 18-35 and their children to live in the country for up to two years, will be available in 2014 under an agreement signed last week between the Canadian and Irish governments.

Increase
This is up from a quota of just 6,350 visas in 2013, which was allocated within four days. Because of technical problems caused by the high demand last year, the IEC decided to release the 7,700 working holiday visas available under the scheme in two rounds this year.

Cathy Murphy of the Canadian Irish Immigration Centre in Toronto said the phone “has been ringing off the hook” since Wednesday with people calling with concerns about not getting a visa.

Frustration
"They are devastated. I was quite moved by the phone calls and emails and Facebook postings with people expressing frustration and disappointment," she said.

“But it is a fair, first-come-first-served process, and there were no technical glitches this year. The competition is just so fierce, because Canada has become such a popular destination for Irish people.”

Ms Murphy expects the second round of 3,850 working holiday visas to open within the next fortnight, but has warned the high demand is likely to exceed the number of visas available.

“If Wednesday is any indication, I think more people will be disappointed when the next round closes, despite the increase in numbers this year,” she said.

Separately, some 3,000 visas ringfenced for young Irish professionals and interns under the IEC programme were made available online on Tuesday, but just 49 had been taken up by yesterday morning, according to the IEC website.

Ms Murphy said workers with a Fetac Level 6 qualification or higher should contact potential employers in Canada, as a job offer in advance would make them eligible for the young professionals visas.

“There are a lot of Canadian employers who would make a job offer if they knew the individual was arriving with a work permit in hand. Especially in the trades, there is a real opportunity there,” she says.