Depending on your country of citizenship, as well as your age (usually under 30 or under 35 years), you may be eligible for an International Experience Class visa. General Information is at Become a candidate – International Experience Canada. The program is also known colloquially as the Working Holiday Program. Such a visa allows you to legally work in Canada and also explore Canada. The existence of such a program emphasizes the hierarchy of the world’s passports in terms of utility. Countries deemed by Canada to not produce many persons who would violate Canada’s immigration laws (for example, by working illegally or overstaying past the validity of a visa) are often associated with those countries that are eligible for the IEC.
The IEC allows a qualified person to work in Canada for one (in some cases more than one) year. After one year of work experience in a skilled job in Canada, the person may be able to put up an Express Entry profile. Such a profile is the initial step towards lodging an application to reside in Canada permanently. An Express Entry profile that is deemed competitive in relation to other Express Entry profiles may lead to an Invitation To Apply – being invited to lodge a formal application for permanent residence in Canada.
Competition for a visa under the IEC class is at times high due to the limited number of such visas for a given country. For example, Ireland has a quota that during less prosperous economic times filled their allotted IEC visas in a matter of a few minutes.
The broader distinction between preferred passports and less enviable ones is apparent in the fact that holders of passports from certain (usually more economically developed) countries need not apply for a visa prior to boarding a plane to Canada. By contrast, passport holders from other countries must submit an application for a visa prior to attempting to enter Canada. It can thus be seen that the level of scrutiny by Canada’s immigration department varies depending on the country of citizenship of the person seeking entry to Canada. With IEC class work permit holders, the Canadian government is generally certain that such work permit holders will depart Canada once their visa status has expired. Alternatively, the Canadian government is certain that such work permit holders will regularize their status either by entering into a spousal or common law relationship with a Canadian, or via the above-mentioned Express Entry category.
That being said, the Canada aspires to the Rule of Law and where possible, Canadian immigration law would apply to ban a person from entering Canada for one year if it was determined that said person, for example, worked without permission, or overstayed the duration of their permitted visit to Canada, no matter what passport they possess.
If you have questions about the International Experience Class or any other Canadian immigration services, contact Max Chaudhary today at 416-447-6118. If you’re looking for the best Toronto immigration lawyer, look no further than Max Chaudhary at Chaudhary Law.
