Opening of IEC profiles for 2026

Profiles International Experience Canada (IEC) programme have officially reopened, allowing eligible foreign youth to submit candidate profiles for the 2026 season.

Under the programme, citizens from 36 selected countries (aged 18–30 or 18–35 depending on the country) can live and work in Canada for up to 2 years with an IEC-specific work permit.

Throughout the year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) organises rounds of invitations for candidates from at least one IEC profile to apply for a work permit.

Those who had a 2025 profile but were not selected will need to create a new profile to be considered for the 2026 season.

IEC participation requirements

Citizens of countries with a Youth Mobility Arrangement (YMA) with Canada may be eligible for an IEC work permit, subject to age requirements and other eligibility criteria.

The table below lists eligible nationalities, the maximum age limit for each country, and the number of times a person from that country can participate in the IEC programme.

Country	Maximum age limit	Number of times one can participate
Andorra	30	1
Australia	35	3
Austria	35	3
Belgium	30	1
Chile	35	2
Costa Rica	35	2
Croatia	35	2
Czech Republic	35	2
Denmark	35	1
Estonia	35	2
Finland	35	3
France	35	3
Germany	35	2
Greece	35	2
Hong Kong	30	1
Iceland	30	1
Ireland	35	3
Italy	35	2
Japan	30	2
South Korea	35	2
Latvia	35	2
Lithuania	35	2
Luxembourg	35	1
Netherlands	30	2
New Zealand	35	1
Norway	35	2
Poland	35	2
Portugal	35	1
San Marino	35	2
Slovakia	35	2
Slovenia	35	2
Spain	35	2
Sweden	30	2
Switzerland	35	2
Taiwan	35	1
United Kingdom	35	2

• Each country has its own IEC rules and participation limits, which may include restrictions such as only applying once per category.
  In addition to having citizenship from a participating country and meeting country-specific age requirements, all candidates must also meet the eligibility requirements below:
• At least 18 years old
• Have valid private health insurance for the entire duration of stay;
• Have a valid passport for the entire duration of stay;
• Have at least 2,500 CAD in available funds to cover costs in Canada;
• Have a return ticket, or sufficient funds to purchase a ticket to leave Canada at the end of the stay

Some candidates will also be required to provide proof of a job offer.

All candidates must meet general entry requirements for Canada and must not be accompanied by any dependants.

Which work permits are available

The Canada IEC programme provides special work permits for eligible foreign youth from selected countries, under three distinct categories:

• Working Holiday.
• Young Professionals.
• International Co-op (Internship).

These permits are available under bilateral agreements between Canada and participating countries, promoting youth mobility by allowing eligible participants to live and work in Canada for a limited period.

Note that work permit eligibility is based on each country’s agreement with Canada – some candidates may not be eligible for all work permit streams.

IEC work permits are exempt from the process A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Each work permit differs in eligibility, accessibility and work authorisation.

Work permit category	Open or closed work permit?	Job offer required?	Competitiveness level	Category-specific requirements
Working Holiday	Open	No	Highly competitive	Not applicable
Young Professionals	Closed	Yes	Not highly competitive	– The job offer must fall under TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, and contribute to professional development.* – Self-employment is not permitted.
International Co-operation (Internship)	Closed	Yes	Least competitive	– Must be studying at a post-secondary educational institution (outside Canada). – The job offer must be for a job or internship placement in Canada and required to complete studies. – Internships may need to be paid (depending on provincial or territorial labour laws).

• A TEER 4 job offer can count if it falls within the applicant’s field of study.

How to be considered for a work permit

The first step towards an IEC work permit is to submit a candidate profile and enter one or more IEC pools.

IRCC will let you know which pools you are eligible for based on what you include in your profile.
Once in a pool, you may be selected in an upcoming invitation round and receive Invitation to Apply (ITA).

If invited, you have 10 days to accept the ITA, and then 20 days to submit your work permit application. Note that deadlines are provided in UTC time.

The following must be done to submit an IEC work permit application:

• Complete the online application form through your secure IRCC account;
• Upload all required documents listed in the personalised document checklist generated by IRCC;
• Pay the applicable fees
  • All participants need to pay a work permit processing fee of CAD 184.75.
  • Working Holiday participants need to pay an additional open work permit fee of CAD 100.
  • Young Professionals and International Co-operation (Internship) participants need their employer to pay an employer compliance fee of CAD 230.
  • A biometrics fee of CAD 85 is required for those who have not provided biometrics in a previous application.
• Submit the completed work permit application.
• If biometrics have not been provided previously, IRCC will send a biometrics instruction letter, and you will have 30 days to provide biometrics.

If the work permit application is approved, IRCC will send a Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction to your online account. This letter will be valid for one year.

IRCC notes that having a POE Letter does not guarantee entry to Canada or receipt of a work permit.
IEC applicants already in Canada may be eligible for a mailed work permit. You can read more about this here.

Chance of being selected

Selection for an IEC work permit operates on a lottery system due to high demand.

Each participating country has a quota per category, and selection rounds take place until no spaces are available – or until the 2026 season closes.

Rounds typically take place weekly or bi-weekly, depending on factors such as the number of candidates in the pool and the national quota. The number of candidates invited each round varies.
Notably, IRCC only publishes specific selection dates for the first and last invitation rounds, but candidates can be invited at any time in between.

On the the IRCC website, candidates can check their chances of receiving an ITA for a work permit under a specific work permit category “in the next selection round”.

To view the chances of receiving an invitation, candidates need to select their country or territory of citizenship and the category of interest.

IRCC classifies the likelihood of a candidate receiving an ITA in the next selection round as follows, for each country and category:

• Excellent (80%–90%).
• Very good (60%–70%).
• Fair (40%–50%).
• Low (20%–39%).
• Very low (1% to 19%).

These assessments are influenced by factors such as how many candidates accept or decline invitations, fail to respond to invitations or let them expire, or withdraw their profiles – as well as each country’s work permit quota under agreements with Canada.

The Young Professionals category is often prioritised in IEC invitation rounds, so candidates generally have a higher likelihood of receiving an invitation through that category compared to Working Holiday.

IRCC notes that it may hold small selection rounds even after the final invitation round stated to meet season quotas if a significant number of candidates decline or let ITAs expire, or due to work permit application refusals.