If you are thinking about a working holiday to Canada then its worth spending some time becoming familiar with eligibility and application process. The visas are available to 31 different nationalities although specific conditions vary among them. In some cases there aren’t as many visas available as there are people applying. In this case, to improve your chances you should submit your Profile as soon as you can.
The links and visa information further down the page provide a useful introduction.
If you’ve already got your IEC visa and are about to set off then the following links offer essential information to help you plan your trip.
Canada Winter Season Employment Guide.
With great tips, links and ideas to help prepare for the job hunt.
IEC Insurance.
Travel insurance is a compulsory aspect of the IEC visa. Don’t underestimate the importance of this. Check out our insurance guide to help you choose the right policy. Get an Insurance Quick Quote here.
Transferring money.
How to transfer your support funds to or from Canada.
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International Experience Canada application in 15 seconds
- Check you meet the eligibility requirements using CIC “Come to Canada” online guide
- Complete your online profile with MyCIC and join a “pool” of applicants
- CIC will regularly issue invitations to candidates from the IEC pools during the year
- Working Holiday invitations are selected at random
- International Co-op and Young Professional invitations will be issued as long as there are places available
- Once you are invited to continue with your application you have 10 days to respond and 20 days to complete the online application including all supporting documents
- There is a CAN$150 participation fee, CAN$85 biometric fee (certain countries only) and CAN$100 permit holder fee for Working Holiday category applicants
- Your passport must be valid for at least one day beyond the date of your departure from Canada and you need at least one blank page available in your passport
- There are three categories of IEC for Irish applicants, see below for an outline of each
- IEC information for Irish nationals
- IEC information for British nationals
- Quick reference table for IEC options, quotas and availability
IEC Application Process
In summary; there are four key stages:
Check your eligibility using the CIC “Come to Canada” online guide and receive a reference number
- Create a GCKey – this is an online, password secured, log-in for the CIC website. Once you’ve created your GCKey you’ll be able to log-in to MyCIC and create your Profile.
- Create an IEC Profile – the Profile is an expression of interest and places you in a Pool of similar candidates wishing to apply via the IEC programme. At this stage you do not have a visa but CIC know that you want one! You should receive notification that your Profile has been accepted.
- Receive an invitation from CIC to progress from the Pool stage to complete the full permit application including supporting documents and fees
NOTE FOR UK APPLICANTS: When doing the Come to Canada guide, answer your questions carefully, you’ll have options for GBR-UK (for UK British nationality) and England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland for country of residence.
2019-iec-online-application info graphic
What Happens Next?
CIC will contact applicants through a series of Rounds – these are dates spread across the calendar year when CIC will contact applicants in the Pool and invite them to proceed with the official IEC permit application.
IMPORTANT: once you are invited to continue with your application you have 10 days to respond (accept) and 20 days to complete the online application and include all supporting documents. If you fail to meet either of the deadlines then you could jeopardise your place.
What else do I need to know?
For certain nationalities (including UK and Ireland) it is expected that there will be more people in the Pool than there are available visas. This means that there’s a chance some people won’t get invited to continue with the application.
Some nationalities (including Irish nationals) have the option to apply for one of three types of IEC: Young Professional (YP), Internship/Co-op (Internship) or Working Holiday. The YP and Internships aren’t always as competitive as the Working Holiday and can provide a more assured way to get a permit (subject to eligibility).
Biometrics (fingerprints and photo) are required for applicants from certain countries (including EU) and are being phased in for other countries. Find out more about how to get your biometrics here:
IEC Biometrics
See below for more details.
Eligibility and useful links
British Nationals
The Working Holiday category is designed for British citizens, who intend to travel in Canada and who wish to find temporary paid employment to help pay for their trip (up to 24 months).
Note: As a British citizen you may participate in IEC once. (If you participated in IEC before 2015 for a period of up to 12 months, you are eligible for a second participation of up to 24 months. Those who participated in IEC more than once before 2015 are no longer eligible to apply.)
To be eligible for the International Experience Canada category visa you must:
- be a British citizen from the following territories: the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey,
- have a valid UK passport with British citizenship or a valid Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey) passport for the duration of your stay in Canada – your work permit in Canada will not be longer than the validity of your passport,
- be between the ages of 18 and 30 (inclusive) when you submit your application to the pool,
- have the equivalent of C$2,500 to help cover your expenses in Canada,
- be able to take out health insurance for the duration of your stay – you may have to present evidence of this insurance when you enter Canada, (Endsleigh and True Traveller policies are acceptable; make sure you select cover including North America and choose a level appropriate to the activities you will be doing. See Insurance for more details.)
- be admissible to Canada,
- have, prior to departure, a round-trip ticket or demonstrate that you will have the financial resources to purchase a departure ticket at the end of your authorized stay in Canada,
- not be accompanied by dependents and
- pay the participation fees (CAN$150) and permit holder fees of CAN$100.
Successful applications are authorised for a stay of 24 months or until the expiry of your passport, whichever is sooner.
The information above is correct at the time of publication. However, eligibility, fees and availability are subject to change and you should always check details with Immigration Canada before submitting a visa application.
Note: in 2016 a total of 6,000 permits were issued. However, there were over 9,000 applicants. Some people didn’t get invited to apply for a visa.
Useful links to Canadian Immigration:
IEC application process
CIC “Come to Canada” guide
Explanation of how the “pools” will work
Canadian Immigration provides very comprehensive information about all aspects of the programme (including your arrival in Canada and job hunting) on their website. Read through the website carefully, finding the answers online is likely to be quicker than seeking an answer through the High Commission.
Irish Nationals
There are three categories of IEC for Irish applicants. They are as follows:
Young Professionals
Gain Canadian professional work experience to better compete in a global economy.
The type of work permit you get in the Young Professionals category is an employer-specific work permit.
This category is for you if:
- You have a job offer in Canada that contributes to your professional development
- You’ll work for the same employer in the same location during your stay in Canada
Under this category work must be paid and it doesn’t permit self-employment. Your employer must meet all labour laws in the province or territory you plan to work.
The job you are offered in Canada must be classified as a National Occupational Classification (NOC) Code Skill Type Level 0, A or B to be considered as contributing to your “professional development.” A NOC C job might be accepted if you can submit a post-secondary diploma, certificate or degree, with your work permit application. Your diploma, certificate or degree must be translated to English or French.
The Young Professionals category is designed for Irish citizens, particularly post-secondary graduates, who wish to further their careers by gaining professional work experience in Canada. Participants must have a signed letter of offer or contract of employment (up to 24 months) before submitting a profile to the pool.
If you participated in IEC before 2013 for a period of up to 12 months, you are eligible for a second participation of up to 24 months in the category of your choice. Those who participated in IEC more than once before 2013 are no longer eligible to apply.
In addition to the standard eligibility conditions you will need:
- to have a signed letter of offer or contract of employment in Canada—the employment offer must be in your field of expertise (through schooling or work experience) and contribute to your professional development,
- the job you are offered in Canada must be classified as a National Occupational Classification (NOC) Code Skill Type Level 0, A or B to be considered as contributing to your “professional development.”
- your employer to complete the CIC online forms and pay the employer fee
Note: As an Irish citizen, you may participate in the Young Professionals category only once. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may participate one more time in IEC through the International Co-op (Internship) category.
International Co-op (Internship)
The International Co-op (Internship) category is designed for Irish citizens who are enrolled at a post-secondary institution in Ireland. Participants must be registered students for the duration of the internship. Participants must want to complete a work placement or internship in Canada to fulfil part of their academic curriculum (up to 12 months).
If you participated in IEC before 2013 for a period of up to 12 months, you are eligible for a second participation of up to 24 months in the category of your choice. Those who participated in IEC more than once before 2013 are no longer eligible to apply.
Participants must have a signed letter of offer or a signed contract of employment before submitting their profile to the pool.
In addition to the standard eligibility conditions you will need:
- be registered as a student in a post-secondary institution in Ireland,
- have a signed letter of offer or a signed contract for a work placement, or an internship in Canada that meets the requirements of your academic curriculum in Ireland,
- to be registered as a student
- your employer to complete the CIC online forms and pay the employer fee
As an Irish citizen, you may participate in the International Co-op (Internship) category only once. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may participate one more time in IEC through the Working Holiday category or the Young Professionals category.
Working Holiday
The Working Holiday category is designed for Irish citizens, who intend to travel in Canada and who wish to find temporary paid employment to help pay for their stay (maximum 24 months).
As an Irish citizen, you may participate in the Working Holiday category only once. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may participate in IEC one more time through the International Co-op (Internship) category.
If you participated in IEC before 2013 for a period of up to 12 months, you are eligible for a second participation of up to 24 months in the category of your choice. Those who participated in IEC more than once before 2013 are no longer eligible to apply.
In addition to the standard eligibility conditions you will need:
- to pay the additional Working Holiday permit holder fees (CAN$100)
Note: in general terms the programme for Irish nationals was not oversubscribed whereas the equivalent UK programme was.
Standard eligibility required for all of the International Experience Canada categories are as follows. You must:
- be between the ages of 18 and 35 (inclusive) when you submit your profile to the pool,
- be an Irish citizen,
- have a valid Irish passport for the duration of your stay in Canada—your work permit in Canada will not be longer than the validity of your passport,
- have, prior to departure, a round-trip ticket or demonstrate that you will have the financial resources to purchase a departure ticket at the end of your authorized stay in Canada,
- have the equivalent of CAN$2,500 to help cover your expenses in Canada,
- be able to take out health insurance for the duration of your stay – you may have to present evidence of this insurance when you enter Canada, (True Traveller policies are acceptable; make sure you select cover including North America and choose a level appropriate to the activities you will be doing. See Insurance for more details.)
- be admissible to Canada,
- not be accompanied by dependents and
- pay the participation fees (CAN$150)
The information above is correct at the time of publication. However, eligibility, fees and availability are subject to change and you should always check details with Immigration Canada for submitting a visa application.
Useful links to Canadian Immigration:
IEC application process
CIC “Come to Canada” guide
Explanation of how the “pools” will work
Canadian Immigration provides very comprehensive information about all aspects of the programme on their website. Read through the website carefully, finding the answers online is likely to be quicker than seeking an answer through the High Commission of CIC.