On 14 July 2023, Canada and the UK signed a new bilateral Youth Mobility Arrangement. This agreement will make it easier for young Canadians to come to the UK to experience the British way of living and working. It will also allow British youths to experience the same in Canada.
The new agreement expands on the initial partnership that was launched in 2008. The main improvements are:
- the expansion of the eligibility age from 18-30 to 18-35;
- two new streams to be added to complement the existing Working Holiday category for UK nationals visiting Canada; and
- that participants can now stay in the other country for three years rather than two.
These changes mirror similar new arrangements recently agreed with Australia and New Zealand.
While these changes are beneficial from a cultural experience perspective for the applicant, employers will be happy to hear that more Canadian nationals can now come to the UK for longer to fill some of the vacancies that have been difficult to recruit for. The Youth Mobility visa enables unrestricted work without a requirement to provide sponsorship and incurring the associated visa costs. This visa also offers a valuable pathway to the UK for freelance workers who otherwise would struggle to qualify under other sponsored immigration routes.
Originally published 29 August 2023
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