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By Hugo O'Doherty
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Check if you’re eligible for IEC by taking our free Canadian Immigration Quiz.
IEC candidates will be relieved to see a return to weekly rounds of invitations, after multiple missed rounds prior to last week.
The Taiwan Working Holiday program again saw the largest number of invitations, with 1,205 invitations. The Costa Rica Working Holiday program saw the second largest round, with 501 invitations, following a reallocation of its quota last week. The UK, Australia, and Japan Working Holiday programs rounded out the top five recipients of invitations for this week.
The working holiday programs for France, Chile, South Korea, and Costa Rica, each have more than 1,000 candidates in the pool. Candidates targeting these programs should consider reading our article about alternatives to the working holiday program.
Our data shows that there have been more than 92,482 IEC invitations issued to date, with 24,446 spots remaining for the 2024 season.
The good news, the odds for receiving an invitation remain Excellent for the vast majority of countries and programs. This includes for the Taiwan Working Holiday, which previously had low odds of receiving an invitation.
For the not-so-good news, the following programs saw their odds decrease:
If you received an invitation to one of the IEC programs in a previous round, make sure you read our guides:
If you’re concerned about the impact of the temporary resident target on the IEC program, we have published an article about how the changes may impact the IEC program.
We cover the following questions:
The IEC 2024 season officially opened on December 11, 2023. International youth from eligible countries have been able to submit profiles to the IEC pool since then. Back in December, the Canadian government announced that the first round of invitations would begin the week of January 8, 2024. Read the full story here.
Updates for 2024 IEC season
Get the latest IEC news straight to your inbox! To receive alerts and updates about the 2024 IEC Working Holiday Canada season, make sure you sign up for the Moving2Canada newsletter.
Rachel walks us through how to come to Canada through IEC in 2024.
Canada has announced that the IEC fees for all participants in the IEC 2024 season is $172 CAD.
The fees you pay for IEC differ depending on which program you are using to come to Canada. Working Holiday candidates must pay a $100 CAD fee. Young Professionals and International Co-op candidates do not have to pay additional fees, but their employers must pay a $230 CAD employer compliance fee.
Those who need to give biometrics will also need to pay the $85 CAD biometric fee when you pay the IEC fee.
The IEC fee, open work permit holder fee, and employer compliance fees are refundable if you withdraw your work permit application before you receive your Port of Entry (POE) letter of introduction, or your employer withdraws their offer of employment before your work permit is issued. You will also receive a refund if your work permit application is refused.
Read more: How much does it cost to move to Canada through IEC?
In order to come to Canada on an IEC work permit, such as the Working Holiday Visa, you need to get health insurance for the duration of your stay.
Every year, we hear stories of people who make major errors when it comes to insurance for their IEC adventure in Canada, leading to shorter-than-expect work permit durations and unnecessary medical bills. That’s why we released a video on all things health insurance. Check it out!
The 2024 International Experience Canada (IEC) season opened on January 8, 2024.
Since Dec. 11, 2023, eligible candidates are able to complete these steps:
Invitation rounds typically begin in the weeks following the season opening.
If you’re hoping to snag an invitation through IEC, the best thing to do is plan ahead. You can start by checking your eligibility for IEC — take our free Canadian Immigration Quiz to see if you’re eligible.
First, make sure you’re eligible for one of the three IEC programs: the Working Holiday program (the most popular option), Young Professionals, and International Co-op.
If you meet the eligibility for one of the programs, the next step is to submit yourself to the pools. Submitting your profile as early as possible will guarantee that you’re considered for all invitation rounds. Invitations are issued randomly, so you want to be in the pools as early as possible.
You can also begin preparing yourself for the work permit application you’ll have to submit if you receive an invitation.
For free personalized guidance, make sure to sign up for a Moving2Canada account. Your account gives you access to tons of resources, including checklists with step-by-step instructions for your immigration process, job openings from Canadian employers looking to hire IEC participants, and much more!
The 2025 IEC Season closed in the week of October 20, 2025. If you had an active profile, it will be removed from the pool. You can create a new profile when the pools reopen for the 2026 season. Sign up to be the first to know when the 2026 program opens.
Many IEC Working Holiday participants may want to start looking for jobs in Canada before they arrive. Thankfully, we have partnered with several Canadian employers who are looking to hire 2024 IEC participants.
Check out the Moving2Canada Jobs Board.
If you’re looking for a physically demanding job with a great crew, we recommend taking a look at our partner, Young Guns Container Crew. They’re hiring labourers to help unload shipping containers in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Cornwall, Ontario (among others!). They love IECers and can offer you a job before you arrive. Apply here — or get more information by watching this video:
If you’re physically fit and looking to live in Toronto or the GTA, consider applying to work at our partner Skyscapes. They pay well, and offer team-wide profit sharing. They also have a track record of securing LMIAs for valuable team members, so it’s a good fit for those authorized to work in Canada on an IEC or other open temporary work permit.
Skyscapes is hiring general labourers and construction workers who are authorized to work in Canada or who will be soon. Learn more and apply here.
The IEC program allows international youth from more than 30 countries aged 18 to 35 (or in some cases, 18 to 30) to live and work in Canada for up to 24 months.
Please explore our many resources to help you plan your application. Research is crucial as you plan for success on your Working Holiday Canada permit.
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