Ireland Working Holiday Visa
for Canadian citizens

Levy / extra cost

IRP registration EUR 300 after arrival.

Funds required

CAD 2,500 (an original stamped and signed bank letter or statement).

Work rights

You can take casual and temporary work without a separate employment permit, once you have registered your immigration permission and received your residence permit (IRP). Australian and New Zealand holders can work up to six months with any one employer; Canadian holders have no per-employer limit.

Study rights

Short courses and study are allowed alongside the authorisation.

Extensions

No extension

Reciprocal healthcare

No

Private health insurance needed

Quota / ballot

Not capped on the Irish side (no published WHA quota); Canadian-side intake is set by IEC.

No ballot

Health & insurance

No reciprocal public-health cover. Canadian applicants must hold a full year of comprehensive insurance at application; Australian and New Zealand applicants are not asked for it in the official application requirements, but going uninsured is a real risk.

Eligibility & conditions

Open to Canadian citizens aged 18 to 35. No maximum period with any one employer. Apply via the Embassy of Ireland, Ottawa, or through SWAP; the passport must be valid for 30 months from entry.

One Working Holiday Authorisation per person; activate it within 12 months of issue. After arrival, non-EEA nationals register their immigration permission and pay the residence-permit (IRP) fee, currently EUR 300.

Up to 24 months, twice the Australia and New Zealand duration and the standout of the Ireland set.

No maximum period with any one employer, unlike Australia's six-month cap.

Insurance proof is mandatory at application (12 months of cover plus a declaration for year two).

Reciprocal with International Experience Canada (IEC) on the Canadian side.

Apply via the Embassy of Ireland, Ottawa, or through SWAP; the passport must be valid for 30 months from entry.

Get set up for Ireland

More Ireland working holiday visas