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By Rebecca Major
Updated on July 18, 2025
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Key Takeaways
Watch our detailed video guide.
It provides temporary work permits under the International Mobility Program to young foreign nationals from over 36 countries, so they can legally live and get a job in Canada. The permits are usually valid for either 12 or 24 months, depending on your country of citizenship (unless you have inadequate health insurance, more on that later).
Candidates must first create a profile, which notifies Canadian authorities of their desire to receive a working holiday visa in Canada. Successful candidates will receive an invitation to formally complete their application for a work permit, however this success is subject to eligibility and availability.
A free Moving2Canada account gives you access to tons of free resources, including checklists with step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a working holiday visa, job matches from Canadian employers looking to hire IEC participants, guides on how to make a Canadian-style resume and killer cover letter, and much more!
Once you sign up for free, we’ll show you exactly where and how to create your IEC profile, plus a bunch of other important tasks to help you along the way.
Sign up for a free account here.
To be eligible to apply for an IEC Working Holiday Visa in Canada, candidates must:
Check out this guide about all the documents you need for your IEC work permit application
Rachel from the Moving2Canada team guides you step-by-step through creating your IEC profile in this video.
If your application is a success, congratulations! But you’re not quite there yet.
Next, a letter of introduction (LOI) will be sent to your account. At this point, you can book your travel to Canada (or organize to leave Canada and re-enter).
To successfully enter Canada on your IEC work permit, you will need to bring all of the documents required for your arrival in Canada:
For more detailed information, check our article on the necessary documents and requirements for a Successful Working Holiday arrival in Canada.
After providing all the documents to an immigration office at a Port of Entry (POE), such as an airport or border crossing. This is where you will receive your work permit.
Mandatory Insurance for Working Holiday participants
We do really want to stress the importance of adequate health insurance coverage at this point. If you are not adequately insured, you may not receive your IEC work permit at all. If you don’t have health insurance for the entire period, your IEC work permit duration may be shortened. In other words, if you only have insurance for 6 months but you want to stay for 2 years (and that’s what your country’s IEC agreement allows), you will only be able to stay on an IEC work permit for 6 months.
Health insurance is mandatory for Working Holiday participants. Not sure where to start?
Want the Full Picture? Check Out the Detailed Infographic
We broke down the IEC Working Holiday application into three main steps to help you get started with confidence. But if you want to see the entire process at a glance—from eligibility to receiving your Port of Entry letter—be sure to check out the detailed infographic below. It’s your visual guide to every step of the journey!
Your chances of getting a Working Holiday visa depend on your country of citizenship, as each country has a limited number of spots available under the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. The selection process works like a lottery—once you submit your profile, you’re placed into a pool, and draws happen at random. The more people in the pool for your country, the lower your chances of being picked. Some countries have larger quotas, meaning more opportunities to be selected, while others have fewer spots, making it trickier to get an invitation. Since selection isn’t guaranteed, it’s a good idea to apply early and keep an eye on the draw rounds to see how many spots are left.
To help with your planning, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides updates on your chances of being selected with each draw. IRCC ranks countries based on the probability of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the next round:
✅ Excellent = 80% – 99% chance of being selected 👍 Very good = 60% – 79% chance of being selected 🤞 Fair = 40% – 59% chance of being selected ⚠️ Very low = 20% – 39% chance of being selected 🔴 Low = 1% – 19% chance of being selected
Keeping an eye on these rankings can give you a better idea of where you stand and help you plan your next steps!
If you’re hoping to secure a Working Holiday visa, there are a few ways to improve your chances and maximize your opportunities:
✅ Enter the pool as early as possible – Even if you’re not planning to move right away, submitting your profile as soon as you’re eligible gives you more chances to be selected in multiple rounds of invitations. The longer you’re in the pool, the better your odds.
✅ Keep an eye on your country’s selection odds – Check Immigration, IRCC updates on selection probabilities. If your country’s odds are low, you might want to explore alternative pathways.
✅ Consider applying through the Young Professionals Program – If your country has an agreement for the Young Professionals stream, this can be a less competitive route compared to the Working Holiday visa. The catch? You’ll need a job offer from a Canadian employer before applying. Start job searching early, network through LinkedIn, and explore job boards like Job Bank Canada and Moving2Canada’s own job board.
✅ Expand your job search beyond major cities – If you’re applying through the Young Professionals program, looking for jobs outside of popular hubs like Toronto and Vancouver can boost your chances. Smaller cities and rural areas often have less competition and may be more open to hiring international workers.
✅ Ensure your documents are ready – If selected, you’ll need to accept your invitation quickly and submit all required documents on time. Delays or missing paperwork can result in losing your spot.
✅ Stay flexible – If your country has a low quota or high competition, consider other immigration pathways, such as student visas, employer-sponsored work permits, or applying through a provincial program if you meet the criteria. A great example of this is alternative options for French citizens.
The age limit for the Working Holiday visa depends on your country of citizenship, with most countries setting the limit at either 30 or 35 years old (inclusive).
To be eligible, your IEC profile must be selected from the pool while you are still within the age limit for your country’s program. Once you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), your age is locked in, meaning you remain eligible even if you turn older before completing the application process.
A prerequisite to qualify for the IEC program is to be able to show at least $2500 CAD in funds. There is no need to show these funds as part of your work permit application however when you land in Canada with your port of entry letter to activate your work permit, you must present a bank statement no older than 7 days which shows you have the equivalent of $2500CAD. If you are unable to show this, you will not be issued your Working Holiday permit.
It does not cost anything to enter the IEC working holiday pool.
You only pay if you are selected and go on to submit a work permit application, at which point you will need to pay the appropriate processing fees.
To get a Working Holiday Visa in Canada, it will be necessary to pay a processing fees of CAD$179.75, and an open work permit holder fee of CAD$100. In addition to this, applicants will need to pay an $85 biometrics fee unless they have given biometrics in the 10 years preceding their application. Learn more about biometrics for IEC.
The documents you need to provide for your Working Holiday permit are quite straightforward. To make it even easier for you, we have come up with a handy guide on what documents you need to have ready for your IEC application.
It’s important that you get adequate insurance for the entire duration of your IEC work permit. Start by comparing prices for IEC health insurance options with a free quote comparison from BestQuote.
Since the IEC program is quota-based, each participating country has a set number of work permits available each year.The total quota for the 2025 program 63,535. Some countries, like Australia and Finland, have no cap on the number of permits issued, while others have fixed quotas. For example, in 2025, the United Kingdom has a quota of 9,000 permits, whereas Italy is limited to 1,750.
Yes! The Working Holiday permit is an open work permit, meaning you can work for almost any employer in Canada and gain valuable Canadian work experience—which can help support a permanent residency (PR) application. However, the type of work you do matters.
If you’re aiming for Express Entry, you’ll need skilled work experience in a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 job under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. If your work falls under a lower TEER level, you may need to explore Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), which sometimes accept candidates with less specialized work experience.
Regardless of the path you choose, Canadian work experience boosts your chances of PR. Just keep in mind that self-employed work experience does not count toward eligibility for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) under Express Entry. So, if PR is your goal, choosing the right job while on a Working Holiday visa is key!
Finding a job in Canada as an IEC Working Holiday participant can be easier with the right approach. If you’re looking for opportunities in construction or engineering, consider checking out Outpost Recruitment, a specialized agency that connects job seekers with employers in these fields. To improve your chances of landing a job, it’s also important to adapt your resume (or ‘CV’) to Canadian standards, which often emphasizes concise formatting and clear, results-oriented descriptions. If you’re open to different job options, exploring alternative roles suited for Working Holiday visa holders—such as hospitality, tourism, or seasonal work—can help you secure employment quickly and gain valuable Canadian work experience.
As part of the eligibility criteria, applicants must not be accompanied by a dependant, including spouse or common law partner. however, there are ways your spouse/ common-law partner can join you in Canada.
In countries where it is available, the Working Holiday Visa in Canada category is popular as it provides participants with an open work permit, which they can use to work with any employer. You may be eligible for, and interested in, these other categories:
The Young Professionals category is designed for foreign youth, particularly post-secondary graduates, who wish to further their careers by gaining professional work experience in Canada.
Participants must have a signed employment offer letter or contract of employment with a Canadian employer before applying. If successful, they will be issued an employee- specific work permit.
Read our full guide to IEC Young Professionals Canada work permits.
The International Co-op (Internship) category is designed for foreign youth who are enrolled at a post-secondary institution in their country of citizenship.
Applicants must want to complete a work placement or internship in Canada to fulfill part of their academic curriculum and be registered students for the duration of the internship. Permits issued under this category are generally valid for up to 12 months, though some participants may be issued a longer validity due to their citizenship.
Applicants must have a signed job offer letter or contract for a work placement or internship in Canada that meets the requirements of their academic curriculum in their country of citizenship. The eligibility requirements for the Working Holiday Visa in Canada, listed above, also apply to the International Co-op category.
Read our full guide to IEC International Co-op work permits.
Please explore our many resources to help you plan your application. Research is crucial as you plan for success in Canada.
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