October 15, 2012

Minister Kenney in Ireland to promote Canada as international talent hot spot

OTTAWA

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney was in Ireland last week to promote Canada as a destination for international talent.

“The Government of Canada is committed to building an immigration system that actively recruits talent rather than passively processing all applications that we receive,” said Kenney.

He was expected to visit Dublin’s Working Abroad Expo recruitment fair, where he will promote Canada’s strong economy and encourage talent from Ireland to apply for jobs to work in Canada.

The Construction Sector Council forecasts that Canada will need an estimated 319,000 new construction workers between 2012 and 2020 as resource projects peak and retirements continue to rise across the country.

The forecast estimates a need for 100,000 jobs due to expansion demands in the mining, oil and gas, electricity and transportation sectors.

The Government of Canada is building a fast and flexible economic immigration system whose primary focus is on meeting Canada’s labour market needs.

The government is exploring with provinces, territories and employers approaches to developing a pool of skilled workers who could be selected to immigrate to Canada and who are ready to begin employment here.

“This is the next frontier in Canadian immigration: looking at opportunities to attract the best talent and going out there and getting it,” said Kenney.

During his trip, Kenney was expected to discuss opportunities for young people from Ireland to work in Canada as part of the International Experience Canada (IEC) program.

Beginning in 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will increase the number of spaces available for Irish youth in the program by 1,000 to 6,350 and will seek to nearly double the current quota to 10,000 beginning in 2014. The IEC provides opportunities for Irish citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to travel and work in Canada for up to one year.

In exchange, young Canadians can likewise travel to and work in Ireland. Young people who come to Canada as part of their working holiday are given an open work permit, allowing them to work for any Canadian employer.

Kenney also announced changes to how the working holiday category is structured. Currently, Irish citizens can participate twice in the IEC for a maximum of 12 months each time.

Beginning in 2013, Irish youth will be eligible to participate in the IEC only once but for a period of up to two years.

DCN NEWS SERVICES

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