International Experience Canada Program: travel and work in Canada
Canada opened the rounds of invitations for the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. For those who are not familiar, IEC gives youth the opportunity to travel and work in Canada for up to 2 years.
In this article, we’ll provide information about the International Experience Canada program and a list of the countries with the highest chances of an invitation
Table of contents
About the International Experience Canada program
International Experience Canada (IEC) has 3 different categories available: working holiday; international co-op; and young professionals.
- Working Holiday:
This category is for people who don’t have a job offer, want to work for more than one employer in Canada, and want to work in more than one location.
Moreover, the type of work permit that candidates get in this category is an open work permit, which lets them work for any employer in Canada. Of course, some exceptions could apply.
- Young Professionals:
This category is for people who have a job offer (NOC 0, A or B) in Canada and are going to work for the same employer during their stay in the country. Please be aware that work must be paid and not self-employed.
The type of work permit that candidates obtain in this category is an employer-specific work permit. Some exemptions apply to employers and candidates with a NOC C job.
- International Co-op (Internship)
This category is for students who are registered at a post-secondary institution, and:
– have a job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada,
– need to do their work placement or internship to complete their studies. Also, these students need to work for the same employer in the same location during their stay in Canada. If the student is selected, they will get an employer-specific work permit.
Of course, these are just some general requirements, you can find more information about the requirements on Canada’s website.
The countries with the highest chances of an invitation
Category: Working Holiday
| Country | Invitations issued (August) | Candidates In Pool | Available Spots |
| Ireland | 11,017 | 137 | 4,983 |
| Japan | 6,672 | 124 | 2,014 |
| New Zealand | 2,464 | 48 | 1,009 |
| Portugal | 1,234 | 27 | 992 |
| Germany | 6,188 | 81 | 965 |
Category: Young Professionals
| Country | Invitations issued (August) | Candidates In Pool | Available Spots |
| Australia | 199 | 5 | Unlimited |
| France | 4,091 | 92 | 495 |
| Germany | 320 | 10 | 198 |
| Portugal | 51 | 0 | 179 |
| Ireland | 186 | 2 | 109 |
Category: International Co-op (Internship)
| Country | Invitations issued (August) | Candidates In Pool | Available Spots |
| Australia | 5 | 0 | Unlimited |
| France | 2,987 | 26 | 495 |
| Germany | 139 | 5 | 95 |
| Ireland | 11 | 0 | 44 |
| Portugal | 9 | 0 | 44 |
Other Countries
As you may have noted, in the article we mentioned the countries with the highest chances of an invitation. Nevertheless, to identify the quota, the round of invitations, and the spots available for other countries, please visit the IRCC website.
Also, please be aware that IRCC plans to invite enough candidates to meet the quota for the 2022 season. However, sometimes, a large number of candidates:
- decline their Invitations to Apply,
- let their Invitations to Apply expire, or
- their work permit applications are refused.
To meet the quota in these cases, IRCC may issue a very small number of Invitations to Apply after the final round takes place.
2022 Update
According to IRCC only fully vaccinated IEC participants can come to Canada right now. Also, this year, IRCC is reminding applicants to the program that any profiles they created during or after the season last year are still valid if they have not yet received an ITA. “You do not need to create a new profile for the 2022 season,” IRCC said.
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