Apply for International Experience Canada

International Experience Canada allows international youths to come to Canada and work for two years. Individuals between 18 and 35 years of age can apply for IEC. International Experience Canada offers applicants the opportunity to gain international work experience and improve their language proficiency in English or French.

Overview of International Experience Canada

International Experience Canada is a program for international youth. It offers applicants the opportunity to temporarily work in Canada. 

Youths from more than 30 countries are authorized an open work permit that allows them to work for any Canadian employer. IEC aims to build social, economic, and cultural ties between Canada and the participating countries.

Eligibility Requirements for the IEC Program

To be eligible for International Experience Canada, the candidate must be between 18 and 35 years of age and a citizen of a country that has a Youth Mobility Agreement with Canada.  

What is International Experience Canada?

International Experience Canada is a series of programs that enables international youth to work in Canada. Candidates participating in the IEC programs can apply for a Canadian work permit without requiring a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) report. IEC allows candidates to stay temporarily in Canada through valid work permits for up to 1 year.

There are three types of work and travel experiences available for IEC candidates:

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

The processing fee for International Experience Canada is approximately CAD 180, and the application's processing time is 56 days.

Working Holiday

The Working Holiday work permit is meant for candidates who:

• Do not have a job offer in Canada
• Want to work for more than one Canadian employer
• Want to work in more than one location in Canada
• Want to earn money for traveling

The Working Holiday is an open work permit that allows applicants to work for any designated employer in Canada. Applicants are required to provide a medical certificate for jobs in healthcare, child care, elderly care, or primary and secondary education.

Young Professionals

The Young Professionals visa is aimed at candidates who have a:

• Job offer in Canada that contributes to the applicant's professional development
• Work offer from the same employer in one location for the entire duration of stay in Canada
• Under this category, work must be
• Paid job offer

International Co-op

If the applicant is a citizen of one of the countries listed in the Youth Mobility Agreement, they are eligible to apply for more than 3 categories.

Candidates can apply for IEC themselves or through a recognized organization (RO) to sponsor their trip to Canada. In some cases, specific ROs help youths from non-partner countries apply for IEC.

Employer-specific Work Permits

A Canadian employer-specific work permit lets an IEC candidate work only for a single designated employer in Canada.

Countries with Bilateral Youth Mobility Agreements with Canada

Thirty countries have partnered with Canada for Bilateral Youth Mobility Agreements. The countries are: 

• Andorra
• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Chile
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• France*
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• San Marino
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom

Eligibility Requirements for the IEC Program

The eligibility requirements for International Experience Canada are given in the table below.

Country	Working Holiday	Young Professionals	International Co-op	Age Limit
Andorra	Up to 12 months	NA	NA	18-30
Australia	Up to 24 months	Up to 24 months	Up to 12 months (unless it is the applicant’s second participation since 2015, in which case, 12 months)	18-35
Austria	Up to 12 months	Up to 12 months	Up to 6 months (internship or work placement must be in forestry, agriculture, or tourism)	18-35
Belgium	Up to 12 months	NA	NA	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	NA	NA	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	NA	NA	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	NA	NA	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	NA	18-30
New Zealand	Up to 23 months	NA	NA	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	NA	NA	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	NA	NA	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	N/A	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	NA	NA	18-30

 

IEC Application Procedure

The step-by-step procedure to apply for International Experience Canada is given below:

Step 1: Meet the eligibility criteria of IEC.

Step 2: Submit the profile, Canada work permit application, and biometric details.

Step 3: Pay the required fees

Step 4: Wait for the IEC Work Permit Assessment

Step 5: Travel to Canada

After Receiving IEC

After the application for IEC is approved, candidates receive a POE or Port of Entry letter. This letter is a document for introduction to the account. It is not a work permit. To activate your permit, you need to leave Canada and re-enter.

Extending your IEC Canada work permit

The IEC work permit can only be extended to the validity mentioned by each country participating in the Youth Mobility Arrangement.

If the work permit has expired and a renewal application can be submitted, the candidate must be eligible for an extension.