Irish take up last 3,850 Canadian work visas in half an hour

Any more Irish people hoping to move to Canada on a working holiday visa will have to wait until next year to apply after the second round of 3,850 visas available were snapped up in about 30 minutes yesterday evening.

The application system for the remaining permits available for Irish working holidaymakers this year opened at 9pm last night, but by 9.45pm a note had been posted on the government of Canada’s website to say the quota had been filled.

The first allocation of 3,850 International Experience Canada (IEC) visas, which allow Irish people aged 18-35 and their children to live in Canada for two years, was taken up in just seven minutes earlier this month.

Although the quota of 7,700 working holiday permits available under the IEC programme this year is higher than the 6,350 available in 2013, it was decided to split it into two rounds after high demand caused the online application system to crash in the past.

Applicants who were unsuccessful will be placed on a waiting list and notified if a place becomes available due to refusals or withdrawals.

A further 3,000 visas are available under the IEC scheme this year under the new “young professionals” and “international co-op” streams for applicants who have a job offer or internship arranged in advance.

Uptake of these visas has been slow so far, with more than 2,000 still available, according to the government of Canada’s website.