INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE CANADA

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INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE CANADA

International Experience Canada (IEC) provides young individuals the opportunity to travel and work in Canada for temporary periods. IEC is available for citizens of countries and territories that have a bilateral youth mobility agreement with Canada and who are between the ages of 18 and 35. If your country of citizenship does not have an agreement with Canada, you may be able to use a Recognized Organization to come to Canada under IEC.

The IEC program is composed of three categories. Depending on where you are from, participants can choose from up to three travel and work experiences:

A) WORKING HOLIDAY

Working holiday program is designed for people who want to fund their vacation with a temporary work in Canada. Furthermore, the work portion of their trips let them earn money so that they can fund their travels during their stay. Participants can receive an open work permit, valid for one to two years. Open work permits allow foreign national to work anywhere in Canada.

B) YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

This program allows foreign national to gain professional work experience and new approaches to better compete in a global economy. A signed job offer letter or a contract with a Canadian employer is required before applying to the program. The job offered must be within one of the National Occupation Code (NOC) Skills Levels 0, A or B.

C) INTERNATIONAL CO-OP

This program is designed for people who want to acquire valuable overseas work experience related to their fields of study. In order to spend a period of time interning for Canadian companies, participants must be enrolled at a post-secondary institution in their home country. Furthermore, they must arrange co-op placements with Canadian employers before applying and be registered students for the duration of the internship.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE IEC PROGRAM

In order to be eligible for the IEC program, candidates must:

Be a citizen of one of the 32 countries that have a bilateral youth mobility agreement with Canada;
Have a valid passport for the duration of their stay in Canada
Be between the ages of 18 and 35 at the time of application
Have the equivalent of $2,500 CAN upon landing to help cover initial expenses;
Be able to take out health insurance for the duration of their stay
Be admissible to Canada;
Have, prior to departure, a round-trip ticket or the financial resources to purchase a departure ticket for the end of their authorized stay in Canada,
Not be accompanied by dependents; and
Oay the appropriate fees.

Note: In some cases, specific age and eligibility requirements may vary by country.

IEC CHANGES

Few significant changes to the IEC and its categories have come into effect as of November 21, 2015. There is a new application process to become an IEC participant. Eligible candidates can create an IEC profile on MyCIC account, but must receive an Invitation to apply (ITA) before they may submit an application for an open work permit. If candidates receive an Invitation to Apply via MyCIC, they will have 10 days to accept/decline their invitation. After the invitation has been accepted, candidates must complete, pay and submit the work permit application in 20 days.

Regardless the category, every candidate must pay participation fee of CAD $150 with a credit card through the online payment system in MyCIC. Also, candidates under the Working Holiday Category will have to pay open work permit holder fee of CAD $100. For those who are applying under Young Professional and International Coop categories, the employer needs to pay the CAD $230 Employer Compliance Fee through the Employer Portal.

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