International Experience Canada employer limits

Summary#

The government published proposed changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to clarify the rule for the International Experience Canada program and to allow limits on how long a foreign youth can work for a single employer. This is a proposal (not law yet) published on March 9, 2024 and the public may comment within 30 days of that publication.

What it does#

• Adds a specific regulatory authority to issue work permits under youth mobility agreements or arrangements between Canada and:
  • foreign states or territories, and
  • international or domestic organizations.
• Lets an immigration officer place a condition limiting the duration of work for any one employer on a temporary resident’s work permit.
• Intends to group the Program’s authorities in one place in the regulations so they clearly cover all partners and types of work under the Program.

Who's affected#

• Foreign youth who apply to the International Experience Canada program (typically aged 18 to 35) — especially those in the Working Holiday category (about 90% of inbound participants).
• Canadian employers who hire young temporary foreign workers under the Program.
• Program administrators: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
• The change would apply only to new youth mobility agreements (YMAs) with partners that demand or accept employer-duration limits. Canada currently has YMAs with 38 countries/territories and MOUs with 8 organizations. Only 3 existing partners impose employer-duration limits (Hong Kong: 3 months; Australia: 6 months; San Marino: 6 months).
• The government expects it might discuss YMAs with up to 20 countries in the next five years and estimates as many as 5 of them may raise employer-duration restrictions. In a scenario used in the analysis, up to 6,250 foreign nationals per year could be affected. For context, 76,684 people were approved for the Program in 2019.

Why it matters#

• Reciprocity: The change would let Canada negotiate more symmetrical agreements. If a partner country limits how long Canadians can work for one employer abroad, Canada could impose a similar limit on that country’s youth working here. That aims to protect opportunities for Canadians overseas.
• For some foreign participants, an open work permit could become limited by employer — making it harder to find or keep a long-term job with one employer. Employers may face slightly higher hiring costs or turnover if a worker must move after a set time.
• Expected scale and cost are small: only a small share of partners currently use these limits, the number of affected workers is projected to be modest, and the government estimates one-time implementation costs of $12,000 with minimal ongoing costs.
• This is a proposed regulation. Comments were invited for 30 days after publication; the rule would come into force only if and when the regulation is officially registered.