International Experience Canada (IEC): Working Holiday and Youth Mobility Visas

TL;DR — International Experience Canada (IEC) lets youth aged 18 to 30 or 18 to 35 (depending on country) from over 35 partner countries with Youth Mobility Agreements work and travel in Canada under three streams: Working Holiday (open work permit, typically 12 to 24 months), Young Professionals (employer-specific work permit for skilled professional work), and International Co-op Internship (employer-specific permit for student internships in fields of study). The 2026 IEC season is open. Most pools have lottery-style invitations to apply.

What IEC is

IEC is a federal program managed by IRCC under the International Mobility Program (IMP) framework. It is built on bilateral Youth Mobility Agreements (YMAs) Canada has signed with partner countries. Each agreement specifies which streams are open, age limits, maximum duration, and quota for citizens of that country.

IEC permits are LMIA-exempt — Canadian employers do not need a Labour Market Impact Assessment to hire IEC participants.

The three streams

Working Holiday

Permit type: Open work permit (work for any employer in Canada, with limited restrictions).
Duration: Typically 12 months (1-year for most countries) or 24 months (some countries — Australia, France, Ireland, UK, etc.).
Best for: Travellers who want flexibility to work multiple jobs, travel between cities, or take a working sabbatical.
Job offer: Not required.

Young Professionals

Permit type: Employer-specific work permit (must work for the same employer in Canada).
Duration: Up to 12 or 24 months.
Best for: Career development in a specific role; resume-building skilled work.
Job offer: Required, in TEER 0/1/2/3 occupations (managerial, professional, technical, or trades). Must be paid at prevailing wage.

International Co-op Internship

Permit type: Employer-specific work permit.
Duration: Up to 12 months (or matching program length).
Best for: Post-secondary students completing a required internship as part of their study program.
Job offer: Required. Internship must contribute to academic credit.

Eligibility

Country and age

Applicants must:

Hold a passport from one of the IEC partner countries.
Meet the age requirement for that country (18 to 30 OR 18 to 35).
Apply through the IEC pool from outside Canada.

Major partner countries (2026 list, partial): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (with HKSAR or BNO passport), Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom (British citizens).

The age cap is 30 for many countries (Australia, France, etc.), 35 for the youth-mobility-expanded agreements (Italy, South Korea, others updated since 2023).

Other requirements

Valid travel document (passport).
Sufficient funds (typically CAD $2,500 in proof-of-funds at port of entry).
Health insurance covering the entire stay.
No dependents accompanying (dependents apply separately under their own status).
Not be inadmissible (criminal, medical, security).

How to apply

Step 1 — Create an IEC profile

Applicants create a profile in the IRCC IEC online pool. The profile collects citizenship, age, work plans, and stream preference. There is no fee at this stage.

Step 2 — Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)

IRCC conducts periodic rounds of invitations from each country's pool. Each round selects a target number of profiles. Selection is randomized within each pool (lottery), with rounds running every 1-4 weeks during the active season.

Step 3 — Apply for a work permit

Invited applicants have 20 days to accept the invitation, then 20 more days to submit a complete work-permit application:

Application form.
Police certificates (where requested).
Medical exam (if required).
Biometrics fee.
Application fees: CAD $100 (IEC participation fee) + CAD $155 (work permit fee) + CAD $100 (open work permit holder fee, if applicable) + CAD $85 (biometrics).
Recognized Organization fee, if going through a Recognized Organization (some streams).

Step 4 — Travel to Canada

After approval, applicants receive a Port of Entry letter. The actual work permit is issued at the Canadian port of entry. Applicants must arrive within 12 months of the letter date.

Recognized Organizations

Some streams require applicants to go through a Recognized Organization (RO) — a third-party service provider that helps with job placement, transportation, and integration. Examples: SWAP Working Holidays, GO International, BUNAC. ROs charge a service fee on top of the IRCC application fees.

ROs are mandatory for some Young Professionals and Co-op Internship streams; optional for most Working Holiday streams.

After arrival

IEC participants can:

Travel and work freely (Working Holiday) or for the named employer (Young Professionals / Co-op).
Get a Social Insurance Number (SIN) at any Service Canada office.
Open a bank account with a newcomer-friendly Canadian bank.
Get provincial health insurance (with a 3-month wait in some provinces — keep private travel insurance for that period).

IEC participants cannot bring dependents under IEC; family members must apply for their own status.

Multiple participations

Most IEC partners allow citizens to participate twice — once in any stream, once again in another stream (or same stream depending on agreement). Notable: Australians can participate up to 3 times; UK and Italy youth can participate twice for up to 24 months each.

Pathway to PR

IEC work experience counts for Express Entry's Canadian Experience Class (CEC) — IEC participants who accumulate 1 year of skilled (TEER 0/1/2/3) Canadian work experience qualify for CEC and can submit an Express Entry profile.

IEC also gives candidates exposure to Canadian employers, which can lead to LMIA-supported job offers, PNP nominations, or company-sponsored work permit transfers.

Key facts at a glance

Partner countries: 35+.
Three streams: Working Holiday, Young Professionals, International Co-op Internship.
Age range: 18 to 30 or 18 to 35 (depending on country).
Duration: 12 to 24 months.
Application channel: IRCC online IEC portal.
Selection: Random invitation rounds.
Fees: Approximately CAD $400 to $500 total (IEC participation, work permit, open work permit holder fee, biometrics).
Recognized Organizations: optional or mandatory depending on stream.
Multiple participation: Allowed (2 to 3 times for most countries).
Pathway to PR: Counts for CEC under Express Entry.

Source attribution

This article rewrites public information published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/iec.html. The original Government of Canada content is licensed under the Open Government Licence — Canada.

Verify on canada.ca

IEC partner countries, age limits, and stream availability change. Verify on canada.ca before applying: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/iec.html.

IRCC.com is an independent news and information aggregator. We are not affiliated with the Government of Canada and do not provide immigration services or advice. For personalized help, contact a CICC-licensed RCIC or a Canadian immigration lawyer.

IRCC.com is independent and not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Verify all details on canada.ca/immigration.