JENNYMG

hi
was wondering if anyone could perhaps give me their advise on the IEC visas just launched.

is it a possiblity worth considering for us as a family as a stepping stone or would you simply have to come home after a year?

also the UK one says 18-30 yr olds and the irish one says 18-35 so being from northern ireland i stand ??????????/ as a 31yr old

maybe its a crazy notion but wanted to run it by someone in know!

thanks
jennifer

ireland2canada

It seems that you are just out of luck with the UK program based on their age criteria. I would check out all the info here: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca....aspx?lang=eng

The rules state that you must:

1. Be an Irish citizen and be able to demonstrate permanent residency prior to your application to the IEC;

2. Be holding an Irish passport that remains valid throughout the period of stay in Canada.

In order to apply for the Irish program, you have to meet the residency requirements which say you must have habitual residence in "Ireland" for at least 3 years. I assume that they mean the Republic here. It's worth checking it out and contacting the program directly for a definitive answer.

I had the same problem when I was applying under the old Bunac scheme. The UK program would accept NI applicants with a British passport and the ROI program would accept NI applicants with an Irish passport, but not if you lived north of the border. So I have ended up with passports coming out of my ears