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Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Latvia concerning Exchanges of Young Citizens [2007] CATSer 6 (1 April 2007)

E105073

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA CONCERNING EXCHANGES OF YOUNG CITIZENS

THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA, hereinafter referred to as “the Parties”,

ANXIOUS to promote close co-operation between their countries;

WISHING to encourage the mobility and exchanges of young citizens; cooperation and partnership between the two countries; and the enhancement of excellence and competitiveness of post-secondary institutions and businesses, especially small and medium businesses, in the two countries;

WISHING to develop opportunities for their young citizens to complement their post-secondary education or training; to acquire work experience; and to improve their knowledge of the other country's languages, culture and society, and thus to promote mutual understanding between the two countries;

CONVINCED of the value of facilitating such exchanges of young citizens;

HAVE AGREED on the following provisions:

ARTICLE 1

The two Parties agree to foster and facilitate the administrative procedures applicable to young citizens of one Party who wish to enter and stay in the territory of the other Party to complement their post-secondary education or training; to acquire work experience; or to improve their knowledge of the other country's languages, culture and society.

ARTICLE 2

The following young citizens shall be eligible to benefit from the application of this Agreement:

(a) Young citizens, including post-secondary graduates, who wish to obtain further remunerated training in the host country under a pre-arranged contract of employment in support of their career development;

(b) Registered students of a post-secondary institution in their home country who wish to complete part of their academic curriculum in the host country by undertaking a pre-arranged, mandatory and remunerated internship, including in the context of an arrangement between post-secondary institutions;

(c) Young citizens, including registered students in their home country, who intend to travel in the host country and who wish to obtain paid employment on an occasional basis in order to supplement their financial resources.

ARTICLE 3

1. In order to qualify to benefit from the application of this Agreement, young citizens of either Party who fall under one of the categories referred to in Article 2 shall submit an application to the other Party's diplomatic mission or consular post responsible for the territory of the Party of which they are citizens, provided that they fulfill the following conditions:

(a) Be between the ages of 18 and 35 inclusively on the date the application is submitted;

(b) Be a Canadian or Latvian citizen and hold a valid Canadian or Latvian passport, and be in possession of a return ticket or sufficient financial resources to purchase such transportation;

(c) Reside in Canada or in the Republic of Latvia on the date the application is submitted;

(d) Have proof of the financial resources necessary to provide for their needs at the beginning of their stay;

(e) Prove that they have insurance for health care, including hospitalization and repatriation, for the duration of their authorized stay;

(f) Depending on the category in Article 2 under which the applicant falls:

i. Provide documentation proving pre-registration or registration at a post-secondary institution in their home country; or

ii. Show that they have obtained either a pre-arranged contract of employment or internship in the host country; or

iii. Confirm their intention to travel in the host country and obtain paid employment on an occasional basis in order to supplement their financial resources;

(g) Pay any applicable fees; and

(h) Meet any other requirements of the host country's immigration legislation and regulations, including admissibility.

2. Young citizens may qualify up to a maximum of two times to benefit from this Agreement, provided that it be under two different categories set out in Article 2. The stays shall be discontinuous and the duration of each stay shall not exceed one year.

ARTICLE 4

1. Subject to immigration laws and regulations, each Party shall issue to the other country's qualifying citizens pursuant to Article 3, a document granting access to its territory. The document shall be valid for a maximum of one year and shall specify the reason for the stay. For Canada, this document shall be a letter of introduction, and for the Republic of Latvia, this document shall be a Decision granted by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

2. The documents defined in the preceding paragraph of this Article shall be issued to qualifying citizens through the diplomatic mission or consular post where the application was submitted pursuant to Article 3.

ARTICLE 5

1. Canadian citizens who have been issued a Decision pursuant to Article 4 shall receive upon their arrival in the Republic of Latvia a residence permit and, without reference to the labor market situation, a work permit valid for the duration of their authorized stay.

2. Citizens of the Republic of Latvia who have been issued a letter of introduction pursuant to Article 4 shall receive, upon their arrival in Canada and without reference to the labour market situation, a work permit valid for the duration of their authorized stay.

ARTICLE 6

Work permits issued by the Government of Canada pursuant to a letter of introduction shall be valid throughout Canada; work permits issued by the Government of the Republic of Latvia pursuant to a Decision shall be valid throughout the Republic of Latvia .

ARTICLE 7

1. Young citizens from either country who are staying in the other country under this Agreement shall be required to obey the laws in force in the host country, particularly as regards the practice of regulated professions.

2. The laws and regulations of the host country relating to unemployment benefits, working conditions and wages shall apply; in the case of Canada, the laws and regulations relating to working conditions and wages primarily fall within the competence of the provinces and territories.

ARTICLE 8

The Parties shall encourage government institutions, non-governmental organizations, post-secondary institutions and the private sector to lend their support to the application of this Agreement, particularly by giving advice to young citizens so that they can obtain information and look for employment.

ARTICLE 9

1. The Parties shall determine on the basis of reciprocity, through an exchange of diplomatic notes, the number of citizens that will be allowed to benefit from the application of this Agreement.

2. The minimum amount of financial resources required under Article 3, paragraph 1(d) shall be determined by mutual consent of the Parties, through an exchange of diplomatic notes.

3. The number of citizens benefiting from this Agreement shall be tabulated from the date of entry into force of this Agreement to the end of the current calendar year, and then annually from January 1 to December 31. In the case of Canada, this tabulation shall be performed by the diplomatic mission or consular post where the application was submitted. In the case of the Republic of Latvia, this tabulation shall be performed by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

4. Subsequent administrative measures shall be decided upon by the Parties through diplomatic channels.

ARTICLE 10

1. Each of the Parties shall notify the other, through diplomatic channels, of the completion of the internal procedures required for this Agreement to come into force.

2. This Agreement shall come into force on the first day of the second month following the date of receipt of the last of the notifications referred to in the preceding paragraph and shall remain in force indefinitely.

3. Either Party may at any time terminate this Agreement or temporarily suspend its application in part or in whole by giving the other Party a written notice to that effect through diplomatic channels. Termination or suspension shall be effective 30 days after giving such notice. Termination or suspension of this Agreement shall not affect the right to stay of persons already admitted under the terms of this Agreement.

4. The provisions of this Agreement may be amended in such a manner as may be agreed in writing between the Parties. Such amendments shall enter into force in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 2 of this Article.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.

DONE at Ottawa, in two original copies, this 25^th day of September 2006, in the English, French and Latvian languages, each version being equally authentic.

Peter MacKay

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA

Ainars Baštiks

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA