Canada/Finland/South Korea: Bilateral Youth Mobility Agreements Signed

Under a new Canada-Finland Youth Mobility Agreement that will come into effect in 2024, Canadian and Finnish nationals aged 18 to 35 will be able to travel and work for up to 12 months initially in each other’s countries. Eligible individuals will be able to apply in Canada through the International Experience Canada Program (IEC), and in Finland through the Finnish equivalent. There will be three categories of participation under the program: Working Holiday participants will receive a permit of stay that allows working activities; International Co-op (internship) participants will receive an employer-specific work permit that allows students to gain experience in their field of study; and Young Professional participants will receive an employer-specific work permit to gain professional work experience within their field of study or career path. Eligible individuals will be able to participate in the program for up to 12 months per category. With this latest agreement with Finland, Canada now has youth mobility agreements with 36 countries and territories. The government of Canada has also signed a new Canada-South Korea Youth Mobility Arrangement that will come into effect in 2024. It features several improvements over the existing Canada-South Korea program memorandum of understanding originally signed in 1995, including: the eligibility age will increase from 18-30 to 18-35; two new streams - International Co-op (Internship) and Young Professionals—will be added to complement the existing Working Holiday category; and most applicants will have the option to participate twice in the program, each time for up to 24 months.