Interested in moving to and working in Canada? The International Experience Canada (IEC) pool is now open and accepting candidate profiles for the 2025 season.
Under the IEC program, youth from certain countries can receive work permits.
In contrast to many other work permit-issuing programs, applicants to the IEC candidates are provided significantly more certainty about their chances of success.
Work experience gained on IEC work permits can help foreign nationals build eligibility for Canadian permanent residence: Canadian work experience is necessary to qualify for the Canadian Experience Class pathway, and also increases a candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.
The following article will cover
- What the IEC is;
- Who is eligible; and
- How to apply to the program
Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm
What is the IEC?
The IEC is a temporary residence program to Canada that issues work permits under three categories.
The program functions as part of Canada’s international commitments with other countries. Canada is a partner to a number of bilateral youth mobility agreements that facilitate pathways for youth from these countries to live and work temporarily in Canada (Canadian youth are granted similar mobility options to partner countries).
Youth who are citizens of countries that have these youth mobility agreements with Canada can therefore apply for Canadian work permits under one of the following IEC categories:
Each stream has a slightly different function:
| Work permit category | When candidates should use this category | Type of work permit issued |
|---|---|---|
| Working Holiday | – You don’t have a job offer.
– You want to work for more than one employer in Canada. – You want to work in more than one location. – You’d like to earn money to travel. |
Open work permit (OWP) |
| Young Professionals | – You have a job offer in Canada that counts toward your professional development.
– You will work for the same employer and location. – The job is paid and not self-employed. |
Employer-specific work permit |
| International Co-op (Internship) | – You are a student registered at a post-secondary institution
– You have a job offer for a required work placement/internship in Canada. – The work placement is required to complete your studies. – You will work for the same employer and location. |
Employer-specific work permit |
Employer-specific work permits are usually tied to a single employer, limiting where holders can work in Canada. These work permits indicate the name and location of the employer, as well as the occupation the foreign national has been hired for, and the duration of work. These work permit holders can apply to change their employer but must present all needed documentation when doing so. The decision to approve this request is up to the reviewing immigration officer.
Open Work Permits (OWPs) on the other hand allow holders to work for most employers in most industries in Canada. These work permits are not tied to any specific employer and generally allow holders a much greater degree of freedom when compared to employer-specific work permits.
Who is eligible under these programs?
Youth from countries that have signed mobility agreements with Canada are eligible to apply under the IEC, provided they meet associated eligibility criteria.
Candidates must:
- Be a citizen (passport holder) of a country or a resident of a territory that has a youth mobility agreement with Canada;
- Have a valid passport for the duration of their stay;
- Be within the eligible age range based on the terms of the youth mobility agreement that their country has signed with Canada (either 18-35, or 18-30, depending on the country);
- Have the equivalent of $ 2,500 upon landing to cover expenses;
- Be able to take out health insurance for the duration of their stay (participants may have to present proof of this at a Canadian port of entry);
- Be admissible to Canada;
- Not be accompanied by any dependents;
- Have (before departing for Canada) a round-trip ticket, or the financial resources to purchase a departure ticket at the end of their stay in Canada; and
- Pay all appropriate fees.
To check if your country has a bilateral youth mobility agreement with Canada, and what the terms and age range of this agreement is, visit our dedicated webpage.
How can I apply to the IEC?
The IEC program works on a candidate/applicant system.
Before a newcomer can apply to the program for a work permit, they must first submit a candidate profile to the IEC, with basic information about themselves. Once their profiles are placed within the candidate pool, they can be selected for an invitation to apply (ITA) for a work permit in the next round of IEC invitations. IEC invitation rounds typically begin toward the start of the year. Candidates in the pool can receive an ITA any time after the first round of invitations, even after the final round of invitations is announced.
Note that from the day that an applicant receives an ITA they must either begin their work permit application within 10 days or decline the invitation outright.
A step-by-step process of submitting a profile and applying for a work permit under the IEC can be found on our website.
Candidates can also navigate to the “Rounds of invitations” page on the IEC website, where they can see their chances of receiving a work permit under one of the specific work permit categories.
This likelihood score is based on the applicant’s country’s quota, the number of works permits already issued to applicants from that country, the number of candidates in the pool, and the remaining spots available. Country quotas are typically announced before the first round of invitations begin.
Based on the percentage likelihood the webpage can deliver a likelihood rating ranging from “very low” to “excellent”:
| Likelihood rating | Corresponding chance of receiving a work permit |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 80-99% chance |
| Very good | 60-79% chance |
| Fair | 40-59% chance |
| Low | 20-39% chance |
| Very low | 1-19% chance |
The IEC program prioritizes invitations to the Young Professionals stream, so candidates are more likely to receive an invitation under this stream than under the Working Holiday stream.
Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm
