Canada and Luxembourg Youth Mobility for Work and Travel

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, today signed a new bilateral Youth Mobility Arrangement between Canada and Luxembourg.

This new arrangement on youth mobility will open further channels of exchange between Canadian and Luxembourg. It will allow youth aged 18 to 30 to work and travel for up to 12 months through the Working Holiday, International Co-op (Internship), and Young Professionals categories of the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. This new arrangement will provide an opportunity for Luxembourgish youth to travel and work in Canada, while Canadian youth may travel and work in Luxembourg.

The IEC program facilitates the process for young people to gain valuable international work experience and travel abroad. With the addition of Luxembourg, there are now 35 partner countries and territories available to young Canadians looking for an international experience.

Quotes

“I am pleased that we are able to reach this arrangement with Luxembourg and further strengthen the great relationship between our 2 countries. This new arrangement will give Canadian and Luxembourgish youth the opportunity to broaden their perspective of the world and gain a better understanding of each other’s cultures, languages and societies while travelling and working abroad.”

– The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“Giving youth the opportunity of international travel and work experience allows them to immerse themselves in a different culture and develop life skills, all while improving their employability back at home. Young Canadians can now enjoy such opportunities in 35 countries and territories around the world through the International Experience Canada program.”

– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

Each year, Canada and partner governments negotiate a reciprocal quota that sets the maximum number for participants that can be approved under the Youth Mobility Arrangement. The initial annual quota with Luxembourg will be 100 (up to 100 youth from each country may participate).
Luxembourg, known as the “Green Heart of Europe”, is a prosperous country bordering France, Germany, and Belgium with highly developed banking, steel, and industrial sectors.
Canada enjoys strong bilateral relations with Luxembourg rooted in shared values and membership in the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, La Francophonie, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
More than 200,000 Canadians have participated in the International Experience Canada program, and many have returned to Canada with life-changing experiences valuable to both their personal and professional lives.
There are 3 categories of participation under the program:
1. Working Holiday: participants receive open work permits that allow them to work anywhere in the host country, to support their travels.
2. International Co-op (Internship): participants receive employer-specific work permits that allow students to gain targeted experience in their field of study.
3. 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.