On November 14, 2022, Canada announced the coming into force of a new Canada-Italy Youth Mobility Agreement under which Canadian and Italian youth have more options when applying for international work and travel experience through the International Experience Canada Program.
Canada is at its best when diverse, engaged and empowered youth are able to gain meaningful work and life experiences. In presenting opportunities for Canadian and international youth to travel and work, the Government of Canada is supporting meaningful opportunities for young people to experience other cultures and form lasting relationships.
Youth, aged 18 to 35 years old, are allowed to work and travel for up to 12 months, and participate twice in the program, for a total of 24 months. The two new streams—International Co-op and Young Professionals—will help youth gain professional work experience abroad.
Canada and Italy are long-standing youth mobility partners that support international work and travel experiences. The program also helps youth explore new cultures, languages and societies, all while developing life skills and improving their job prospects for the future.
This agreement opens up new opportunities for future work and travel and further builds on our countries’ people-to-people ties while improving labour market access for Canadian and Italian youth.
There are 3 categories of participation under the program:
- Working Holiday participants receive an open work permit that allows them to work anywhere in the host country to support their travels.
- International Co-op (Internship) participants receive an employer-specific work permit that allows students to gain targeted experience in their field of study.
- Young Professionals participants receive an employer-specific work permit to gain targeted, professional work experience that is within their field of study or career path.
Interested in knowing more about these programs? We are here to help. You can contact us to confirm if you qualify.
Bakouni 