Canada’s working holiday program is extremely popular with young foreigners coming into the country, but less so with Canadians moving the other way.
Numbers show Canadians are not very enthusiastic about going to another country to work. It seems they prefer the tourist option, or backpacking, when visiting new places.
Canada has reciprocal Working Holiday Youth Mobility Arrangements with 33 countries as part of the International Experience Canada program.
Countries Part of International Experience Canada Program
| Australia | Greece | Norway |
| Austria | Hong Kong | Poland |
| Belgium | Ireland | San Marino |
| Chile | Italy | Slovakia |
| Costa Rica | Japan | Slovenia |
| Croatia | South Korea | Spain |
| Czech Republic | Latvia | Sweden |
| Denmark | Lithuania | Switzerland |
| Estonia | Mexico | Taiwan |
| France | Netherlands | Ukraine |
| Germany | New Zealand | United Kingdom |
Canadians aged 18 to 35 have the freedom to experience other cultures, other ways of doing business and to learn new languages, with foreigners afforded the same freedom here.
Taiwan consistently fills its annual allocation of 940 slots in Canada, but less than 100 Canadians go the other way. In South Korea, 4,000 slots are snapped up very quickly, but there is little interest from Canadians.
French figures are similar, with more than 6,000 coming here, but less than 1,000 Canadians choosing the option of a working holiday in the European country.
The latest state to be added to the program was San Marino, located within the Italian peninsula.
“This arrangement will make it easier for Canadian and San Marino youth to broaden their horizons through valuable international travel and work experience, which will allow them to enhance their personal and professional development, giving them a competitive edge in today’s job market,” said Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs when the agreement was announced in September.
For more information on the International Experience Canada program, click here.
