Visit and Work in Canada

International Experience Canada (IEC) provides youth between 18 – 35,  with the opportunity to travel and work in Canada.

Eligibility

To participate either your country  of citizenship must have an agreement with Canada that allows you to apply for an International experience Canada work permit or  you may be able to use a recognized organization (RO)

To be eligible for the IEC program  you must:

  • Citizen of a country  which have a  agreement with Canada that allows you to apply for an International experience Canada work permit or  you may be able to use a recognized organization (RO)
  • have a valid  passport for the duration of your stay in Canada—your work permit in Canada will not be longer than the validity of your passport
  • be between the ages of 18 and 35 (inclusive)
  • have a minimum of CAN$2,500 to help cover your expenses in Canada
  • have health insurance for the duration of your stay—you may have to present evidence of this insurance when you enter Canada
  • be admissible to Canada
  • travelling without dependents as dependents are not allowed.
  • have, before departure, a round-trip ticket or demonstrate that you will have the financial resources to purchase a departure ticket at the end of your authorized stay in Canada
  • pay the fees

List of Recognized Organizations

AIESEC Canada is a non-profit organization that helps develop leadership in youth.

Types of work permits:
Young Professionals (employer-specific) for career development
Target market: Youth aged 18–30
Eligible to: IEC countries/territories, Brazil, India

GO International is a Canadian organization that offers work and travel opportunities.

Types of work permits:
Working Holiday (open work permit),
Young Professionals (employer-specific) for career development
International Co-op (employer-specific) for students
Target market: Youth aged 18–35
Eligible to: IEC countries/territories, Brazil, Ecuador, the U.S.

IAESTE offers opportunities in technical career-related jobs.

Types of work permits:
Young Professionals (employer-specific) for career development
International Co-op (employer-specific) for students
Target market: Youth aged 18–35
Eligible to: IEC countries and other IAESTE country partners

IRE is a Canadian organization that offers paid placements to youth with education or experience in farming, gardening, landscaping and other jobs related to agriculture and horticulture.

Types of work permits:

Working Holiday (open work permit)
Young Professionals (employer-specific) for career development
International Co-op (employer-specific) for students
Target Market: Youth aged 18–35
Eligible to: IEC countries/territories only

Memorial University offers internships for students and recent graduates.

Types of work permits: International Co-op (employer-specific) for students
Target market: Youth aged 18-35
Eligible to: IEC countries/territories only

Stepwest offers work experiences ranging from paid ski resort jobs to industry-specific student internships.

Types of work permits:

Working Holiday (open work permit)
Young Professionals (employer-specific) for career development
International Co-op (employer-specific) for students
Target market: Youth aged 18–35
Eligible to: IEC countries/territories only

SWAP Working Holidays helps with working holidays and young professional work and travel opportunities.

Types of work permits:
Working Holiday (open work permit)
Young Professionals (employer-specific) for career development
Target market: Youth aged 18–35
Eligible to: IEC countries/territories, the U.S.

The University of British Columbia offers internship opportunities for students and recent graduates.

Types of work permits:
Young Professionals (employer-specific) for career development
International Co-op (employer-specific) for students
Target market: Youth aged 18–35
Eligible to: IEC countries/territories, Brazil, China, Iceland, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Uganda, the U.S.

Through Student Abroad Programs, the University of New Brunswick helps with academic placements, internships and research opportunities.

Types of work permits:
Young Professionals (employer-specific) for career development
International Co-op (employer-specific) for students
Target market: Youth aged 18–30
Eligible to: IEC countries/territories only

You must also meet the eligibility requirements for your country or territory of citizenship and the pool you’re applying for.

Some countries only allow you to participate once. Others allow you to participate twice, but in different pools. Because each country is different, it’s important that you check to see if you’re eligible to apply.

Even if you’re issued an invitation to apply (ITA), you can’t participate more times than your country allows. Make sure you read and understand all the requirements before you submit an application.

In this category your dependants aren’t eligible to accompany you to Canada.

Depending on which country you’re from, you can choose  categories  of travel and work experiences:

Working Holiday

Fund your vacation with temporary work in Canada.

This category is for you if:

  • You don’t have a job offer yet
  • 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 some money so that you can travel

The type of work permit you get for Working Holiday is an open work permit.

An open work permit lets you work at most jobs in Canada. However, there are some jobs where you’ll have to get a medical exam first.

Young Professionals

Gain Canadian professional work experience to better compete in a global economy.

This category is for you if:

  • You have a job offer in Canada that contributes to your professional development
  • You’ll work for the same employer in the same location during your stay in Canada

Under this category, work must be:

  • paid
  • not self-employed

The type of work permit you get in the Young Professionals category is an employer-specific work permit.

Your employer must meet all labour laws in the province or territory you plan to work including meeting minimum wage requirements.

The job you are offered in Canada must be classified as a National Occupational Classification (NOC) Code Skill Type Level 0, A or B to be considered as contributing to your “professional development.” A NOC C job might be accepted if you can submit a post-secondary diploma, certificate or degree, with your work permit application. Your diploma, certificate or degree must be translated to English or French.

International Co-op (Internship)

Get valuable overseas work experience related to your field of study.

This category is for you if:

  • you’re a student registered at a post-secondary institution
  • you have a job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada
  • you need to do this work placement or internship to complete your studies
  • you’ll work for the same employer in the same location during your stay in Canada

The type of work permit you get in the International Co-op (Internship) category is an employer-specific work permit. The internship you are offered in Canada must be directly linked to your field of studies.

If you want to apply under this Category We can help you. Please remember if your visa application gets refused then you may have to wait one year before you can apply again.

Citizens from these countries are eligible for the IEC program.  Specific conditions for each country are outlined in the table below:

Sr.noCountryWorking HolidayYoung ProfessionalsInternational Co-opAge Limit2018/2019 Opening Date
1AustraliaUp to 24 monthsUp to 24 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
2AustriaUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 6 months18-35November 3, 2018
3BelgiumUp to 12 monthsN/AN/A18-30November 3, 2018
4ChileUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
5Costa RicaUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
6CroatiaUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
7Czech RepublicUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
8DenmarkUp to 12 monthsN/AN/A18-35November 3, 2018
9EstoniaUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
10France*Up to 24 monthsUp to 24 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
11GermanyUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
12GreeceUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
13Hong KongUp to 12 monthsN/AN/A18-30November 3, 2018
14IrelandUp to 24 monthsUp to 24 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
15ItalyUp to 12 months (of which up to six months may be paid employment)N/AN/A18-35November 3, 2018
16JapanUp to 12 monthsN/AN/A18-30November 3, 2018
17KoreaUp to 12 monthsN/AN/A18-30November 3, 2018
18LatviaUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
19LithuaniaUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
20MexicoUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-29The youth mobility agreement between Canada and Mexico is currently under review. As a result, the pools are not open
21NetherlandsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsN/A18-30November 3, 2018
22New ZealandUp to 23 monthsN/AN/A18-35November 3, 2018
23NorwayUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
24PolandUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
25PortugalUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
26San MarinoUp to 12 monthsN/AN/A18-35November 3, 2018
27SlovakiaUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
28SloveniaUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
29SpainUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
30SwedenUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-30November 3, 2018
31SwitzerlandN/AUp to 18 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
32TaiwanUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35November 3, 2018
33UkraineUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 monthsUp to 12 months18-35The youth mobility agreement between Canada and Ukraine is currently under review. As a result, the pools are not open
34United KingdomUp to 24 monthsN/AN/A18-30November 3, 2018
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