International Experience Canada: Employer Time Limits

Summary#

These are proposed changes to the Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (International Experience Canada). The amendments would give the International Experience Canada program clearer authority to issue work permits under its youth mobility agreements and let officers limit how long a foreign youth can work for any one employer. This is a proposal open for comments for 30 days after publication on March 9, 2024.

What it does#

• Adds a specific rule that says Canada can issue work permits when someone is coming under a youth mobility agreement or arrangement with another country, foreign territory, or with an international or domestic organization.
• Lets an immigration officer put a limit on the duration of work for any single employer on a work permit.
• Groups the Program’s authority into a single subsection so the rules explicitly cover all Program partners and types of work.

Who's affected#

• Young people coming to Canada under International Experience Canada, especially those in the Working Holiday category (which makes up about 90% of inbound participants).
• Employers who hire those temporary workers. If a permit includes a limit, employers may need to plan for shorter hiring periods.
• The federal departments that run and enforce the Program: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
• Context and scale from the proposal:
  • Canada has YMAs with 38 countries/territories and MOUs with 8 organizations.
  • YMAs serve youth aged 18 to 35 and can allow stays of up to 24 months.
  • Currently 3 partner countries place limits on work per employer (Hong Kong: 3 months; Australia and San Marino: 6 months).
  • In 2019, 76,684 foreign nationals were approved under the Program; the department estimates up to 6,250 people per year from future partner countries could be affected if those partners insist on reciprocal limits.
  • The government estimates one-time implementation costs of $12,000.

Why it matters#

• These changes would let Canada negotiate more equal terms with other countries. If a partner country requires limits on how long Canadians can work for one employer abroad, Canada could match that requirement for that country’s youth in Canada.
• For some foreign youth, an open work permit could become limited in how long they can stay with a single employer. That could make it harder to keep a longer job and could raise hiring costs for employers.
• The rule is targeted and likely to affect relatively few people because only a small number of partner countries impose such limits today.
• This is still a proposed change, not law. Interested people or groups had 30 days from March 9, 2024 to send comments.