The number of Canadian working holiday visas, and the length of time they cover, is to be doubled under a new agreement signed in Dublin today.
Under the new deal, the number of Working Holiday Visas available to Irish people between the ages of 18 and 35 is to go from 5,350 this year to 10,700 in 2014.
The length of permitted stay under the visa is also to be doubled, from one year to two years.
The agreement was signed by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Canadian Citizenship Minister Jason Kenney.
Mr Kenney said the economic opportunities in Canada are "enormous".
He said that his country has the strongest economy in the G8.
Mr Kenney said that despite a relatively high unemployment, at around 7.2%, one of Canada's acute problems is that of labour shortages in many regions and industries.
Around 50 Canadaian employers will be offering employment at the Working Abroad Expo in the RDS in Dublin over the weekend.
As an Irish descendant himself, Mr Kenney said that he was very sensitive to the history of emigration in Ireland.
"It’s my hope that young people looking for opportunities to make a good living and to refine and improve their skills, will be able to do so in Canada, but will also choose to come home here to Ireland," he said.
