IEC – International Experience Canada

International Experience Canada (IEC) is a programme designed to offer young people the opportunity to work in Canada for a temporary period.

Young people from more than 30 different countries can obtain an open work permit allowing them to work for any employer they choose in Canada. The programme aims to help build economic, social and cultural ties between Canada and partner countries.

Overview

Citizens of countries with a bilateral youth mobility agreement with Canada, aged between 18 and 35, may be eligible for a permit under International Experience Canada (IEC).Work permitsissued under this programme are exempt from the requirement for aLabour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

The Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is the labour market test the Canadian government normally uses to assess the impact of a prospective foreign worker’s arrival on workers in Canada.

International Experience Canada (IEC), however, exists to promote Canada’s economic, social and cultural ties with participating countries. Participants in the programme can therefore obtain a Canadian work permit through the options below.

Working Holiday

Participants in the Working Holiday category can obtain an open work permit valid for between 1 and 2 years. An open work permit allows the participant to work anywhere in Canada for almost any Canadian employer. Citizens of certain countries may be permitted to stay in Canada for longer or shorter than 1 year.

The Working Holiday category is for individuals who:

• Do not have a job offer.
• Want to work for several employers in Canada.
• Want to work in several locations.
• Want to earn extra money in order to travel.

Young Professionals

Under the Young Professionals category, citizens of participating countries can gain valuable international experience by working for a Canadian company. Applicants in this category receive an employer-specific work permit if approved.

This category is for individuals who:

• Have a valid job offer in Canada for a paid position that contributes to their professional development.
• Intend to work for the same employer throughout their stay in Canada.

A signed job offeror employment contract with a Canadian employer relevant to the applicant’s professional development is required before applying. The job offered must be classified atNational Occupational Classification (NOC)skill level 0, A or B.

International Co-op Internship

The International Co-op Internship category allows citizens of participating countries who are enrolled at a post-secondary institution in their home country to spend a period as an intern at a Canadian company. Applicants in this category receive an employer-specific work permit.

This category is for individuals who:

• Be enrolled at a post-secondary institution outside Canada.
• Have a job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada that is required to complete their studies.
• Intend to work for the same employer throughout their stay in Canada.

Participants must arrange their co-op placements with Canadian employers before applying.

Employer-specific work permits

An employer-specific work permit is a work permit that names the foreign worker’s employer, occupation and place of work, together with the period for which they are permitted to work.

International Experience Canada (IEC) may allow Young Professionals and International Co-op Internship applicants to work for the same employer at different locations.

For this to be possible, the different sites of the Canadian business must operate under the same Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number (tax number), and the addresses of the workplaces, together with the CRA number, must be provided at the time the job offer is submitted. It is also essential that the occupation, duties and wage are consistent from one location to another.

Young Professionals and International Co-op Internship applicants are required to remain in employment in Canada that is related to their studies, training or professional experience.

In some cases, a Young Professional or International Co-op Intern holding an employer-specific work permit may request a change of employer. Before applying for a new work permit, the participant must, as part of the request to change employer, provide the required documents relating to the new employer and occupation.

In addition, the participant must be prepared to give reasons, which may include grounds such as the company closing down. The decision to approve such a request rests with the processing officer.

If the change is requested after the original work permit has been issued and while the participant is in Canada, the period of work permitted under the bilateral agreement is reduced by the time already elapsed.

Countries with an agreement with Canada

The duration and validity of each visa type are set out in the 3 middle columns and depend on the applicant’s nationality and the type of visa applied for.

Country	Working Holiday	Young Professionals	International Co-op Internship	Age limit
Andorra	Up to 12 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-30
Australia	Up to 24 months	Up to 24 months	Up to 12 months (unless it is a second participation since 2015, in which case 12 months)	18-35
Austria	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 6 months (the internship or work placement must be in forestry, agriculture or tourism)	18-35
Belgium	Up to 12 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-30
Chile	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Costa Rica	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Croatia	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Czech Republic	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Denmark	Up to 12 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-35
Estonia	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
France*	Up to 24 months	Up to 24 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Germany	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Greece	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Hong Kong	Up to 12 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-30
Ireland	Up to 24 months	Up to 24 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Italy	Up to 12 months **	Up to 12 months **	Up to 12 months **	18-35
Japan	Up to 12 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-30
Latvia	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Lithuania	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Luxembourg	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-30
Mexico	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-29
Netherlands	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Not applicable	18-30
New Zealand	Up to 23 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-35
Norway	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Poland	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Portugal	Up to 24 months	Up to 24 months	Up to 24 months	18-35
San Marino	Up to 12 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-35
Slovakia	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Slovenia	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
South Korea	Up to 12 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-30
Spain	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Sweden	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-30
Switzerland	Not applicable	Up to 18 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Taiwan	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
Ukraine	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	18-35
United Kingdom	Up to 24 months	Not applicable	Not applicable	18-30

• *Citizens may take part in the student-only summer employment initiatives of International Experience Canada (IEC) reserved exclusively for their country.
• **Applicants may participate twice, for a total of 24 months.

Applicant requirements

Applicants must:

• Be a citizen (passport holder) of one of the countries listed above, or a resident of one of the territories with a bilateral Youth Mobility Agreement with Canada.
• Hold a passport valid for the whole of their stay in Canada (the work permit issued will be no longer than the validity of the passport).
• Be aged between 18 and 30 or 35 at the time of application (the upper age limit depends on the applicant’s nationality).
• Have the equivalent of CAD $2,500 on entry to help cover initial costs.
• Be able to purchase health insurance for the whole of their stay (participants may be asked to show proof of this insurance at the point of entry to Canada).
• Be admissible to Canada.
• Have, before departure, a return ticket or the funds to buy a departure ticket for the end of their authorised stay in Canada.
• Not be accompanied by dependants.
• Pay the applicable fees.

Note that specific age and eligibility requirements may vary from country to country.

How it works

International Experience Canada (IEC) operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI)/Invitation to Apply (ITA) model. Eligible candidates create a profile but must receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) before they can submit an application.

Below is a step-by-step, chronological overview of how the programme works:

• Complete thecome to Canada questionnaireand, if eligible, you will receive a personal reference code.
• Use this code to create youronline account.
• Complete the remaining steps in the profile builder.
• Submit your profile and select the pools you wish to enter.
• If you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in your account, you have 10 days to start your application or decline the invitation. If you accept, click the “Start” button in your account to begin the work permit application process.
• Once you have clicked “Start”, you have 20 days from that date — whether you accepted on day 1 or day 10 — to complete, pay for and submit your work permit application.
• For the Young Professionals and International Co-op Internship categories, your employer must pay the CAD $230 employer compliance fee through the employer portal before your 20 days expire. Ask your employer to send you the job offer number they receive once the fee has been paid. You need this number to apply for the work permit.
• Upload all supporting documents, including the police certificate and medical examination results (if applicable) (if you do not have the supporting documents, you may upload evidence that you have booked your medical examination and that the police certificate has been requested).
• Pay your CAD $153 participation fee by credit card through the online payment system in your account.
• For the Working Holiday category, applicants also pay the CAD $100 open work permit holder fee at this point.
• At this stage,Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)begins assessing the temporary work permit application. IRCC may ask you to provide further documents. This is the last opportunity to withdraw from the programme and obtain a refund. IRCC generally processes complete applications within 8 weeks.
• If the application is successful, a letter of introduction (LOI) is sent to your account. The formal name of the document is the Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction.
• This letter must be presented on arrival at a port of entry (such as an international airport) in Canada, where the work permit can be collected.

There are circumstances in which Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may allow a holder of a work permit under this programme to extend the validity of that permit up to the maximum period allowed in a particular category.

As a rule, no work permit extensions are allowed under this programme. Participants in International Experience Canada (IEC) may, however, extend the validity of their work permit beyond the period initially granted by the border services officer at the time they entered Canada.