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What to do to prepare yourself for IEC 2025?

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!

When Do We Expect the 2025 IEC Season To Open?

The pools for the 2024 IEC season opened on December 11, 2024. We expect the 2025 season to follow suit — and may open on December 9 or December 16. Most likely December 9, if we had to guess.

In the meantime, we suggest creating a Moving2Canada account and signing up for our newsletter so you can find out when the pools open and submit your profile.

There’s a chance the IEC quota may be smaller for the 2025 season, as Canada seeks to reduce the volume of temporary residents in Canada. So submitting your profile early may be key to getting an invitation to apply for IEC in 2025.

What Happened In IEC for 2024?

Our data shows that there were almost 125,000 IEC invitations issued in the 2024 IEC season.

Where did these invitations go? let’s take a look at the top 5 countries

  • South Korea Working Holiday Program – received 18,221 of these invitations,
  • United Kingdom Working Holiday Program – received 16,500 of these invitations,
  • France Working Holiday Program received 10,462 of these invitations, although this was the program that was in the highest demand with almost 25,000 applicants in the pool.
  • Australia Working Holiday Programreceived 9,868 of these invitations.
  • Japan Working Holiday Programreceived 8,500 of these invitations.

If you were hoping to be successful in the 2024 IEC program but did not receive an invite, apply early for the 2025 program to increase your chances of being selected.

If you received an invitation to one of the IEC programs in the 2024 season, make sure you read our guides:

Quotas & invitations for the 2024 IEC season

Updates for 2024 IEC season

PoolQuotaInvitations since last weekSpots availableSpots filled last roundEligible candidates in poolCandidate ChangeChances of invite in next round
Andorra - WH251not applicable8n/a0
Australia - WHunlimited180not applicable0n/a-92
Australia - YPunlimited4not applicable0n/a-1
Australia - ICunlimited0not applicable0n/a0
Austria - WH1711not applicable0n/a-54
Austria - YP74not applicable2n/a-2
Austria - IC20not applicable1n/a0
Belgium - WH10009not applicable4n/a-134
Chile - WH409553not applicable31n/a-7091
Chile - YP15028not applicable22n/a-15
Chile - IC50not applicable0n/a0
Costa Rica - WH112018not applicable12n/a-1409
Costa Rica - YP1288not applicable4n/a-3
Costa Rica - IC20not applicable0n/a0
Croatia - WH2754not applicable201n/a0
Croatia - YP200not applicable17n/a0
Croatia - IC50not applicable5n/a0
Czech Republic - WH97013not applicable382n/a-7
Czech Republic - YP1786not applicable4n/a-5
Czech Republic - IC20not applicable1n/a0
Denmark - WH3505not applicable59n/a-2
Estonia - WH1105not applicable29n/a-3
Estonia - YP100not applicable1n/a0
Estonia - IC50not applicable5n/a0
Finland - WHunlimited5not applicable0n/a-3
Finland - YPunlimited0not applicable0n/a0
Finland - ICunlimited0not applicable0n/a0
France - WH70001not applicable2n/a-24694
France - YP2200133not applicable315n/a-82
France - IC3800120not applicable1399n/a-56
France - VIE100071not applicable556n/a-134
Germany - WH4490138not applicable1037n/a-57
Germany - YP3506not applicable52n/a-4
Germany - IC1604not applicable87n/a-2
Greece - WH1381not applicable1n/a-48
Greece - YP606not applicable1n/a-19
Greece - IC20not applicable2n/a0
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - WH2004not applicable2n/a-55
Iceland - WH1200not applicable100n/a0
Ireland - WH10500171not applicable7232n/a-104
Ireland - YP1505not applicable119n/a-5
Ireland - IC500not applicable32n/a0
Italy - WH1915111not applicable60n/a-56
Italy - YP656not applicable4n/a-2
Italy - IC200not applicable8n/a0
Japan - WH65008not applicable4n/a-276
Korea, Republic - WH116250not applicable27n/a-2830
Korea, Republic - YP35024not applicable14n/a-14
Korea, Republic - IC251not applicable11n/a0
Latvia, Republic - WH453not applicable1n/a-34
Latvia, Republic - YP30not applicable0n/a0
Latvia, Republic - IC20not applicable2n/a0
Lithuania - WH1805not applicable0n/a-25
Lithuania - YP180not applicable0n/a0
Lithuania - IC20not applicable2n/a0
Luxembourg - WH801not applicable47n/a-1
Luxembourg - YP100not applicable10n/a0
Luxembourg - IC100not applicable10n/a0
Netherlands - WH90052not applicable173n/a-28
Netherlands - YP2006not applicable66n/a-2
New Zealand - WH250044not applicable691n/a-19
Norway - WH1302not applicable38n/a-1
Norway - YP150not applicable8n/a0
Norway - IC50not applicable4n/a0
Poland - WH63526not applicable193n/a-11
Poland - YP1103not applicable68n/a-2
Poland - IC50not applicable5n/a0
Portugal - WH175034not applicable1037n/a-18
Portugal - YP2000not applicable189n/a-1
Portugal - IC500not applicable49n/a0
San Marino - WH250not applicable24n/a0
Slovakia - WH30015not applicable16n/a-8
Slovakia - YP482not applicable7n/a-2
Slovakia - IC20not applicable2n/a0
Slovenia - WH801not applicable44n/a0
Slovenia - YP151not applicable10n/a0
Slovenia - IC50not applicable5n/a0
Spain - WH8758not applicable3n/a-438
Spain - YP1108not applicable5n/a-5
Spain - IC50not applicable3n/a0
Spain - IV100not applicable7n/a0
Sweden - WH5807not applicable323n/a-4
Sweden - YP1001not applicable69n/a-1
Sweden - IC201not applicable19n/a-1
Switzerland - YP2008not applicable18n/a-4
Switzerland - IC500not applicable13n/a0
Taiwan - WH3340191not applicable622n/a-96
Taiwan - YP1501not applicable81n/a-3
Taiwan - IC101not applicable0n/a-1
United Kingdom - WH958544not applicable41n/a-2447
United Kingdom - YP40043not applicable24n/a-24
United Kingdom - IC150not applicable6n/a0

Get the latest IEC news straight to your inbox! To receive alerts and updates about the 2025 IEC Working Holiday Canada season, make sure you sign up for the Moving2Canada newsletter.

How to move to Canada through IEC: VIDEO

Rachel walks us through how to come to Canada through IEC in 2024.

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!

More About The IEC 2024 Season

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.

The 2024 IEC season

The 2024 International Experience Canada (IEC) season opened on January 8, 2024.

Since Dec. 11, 2023, eligible candidates are able to complete these steps:

  1. Submit a profile: Submit a profile through your IRCC account in order to be considered for an invitation. If you submitted a profile in previous years, you can use the same account, but you have to create a new profile.
  2. Receive an invitation: In order to apply for a work permit, first you have to be invited. Invitations are issued each week through a randomized lottery system. The earlier you’re in the pool, the more invitation rounds you’ll be considered for.
  3. Submit a work permit application: If you receive an invitation, you then have 10 days to accept or decline the invitation. If you accept, you have 20 days from that moment to prepare and submit your application.

Invitation rounds typically begin in the weeks following the season opening.

Once quotas for each country are announced, they will be posted on this page along with regular updates on spots remaining and chances of receiving an invitation.

Finding a job for the 2024 IEC season

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.

Young Guns Container Crew

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:

Skyscapes Balcony and Patio Flooring

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.

What is the IEC program?

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.

Further help with your Working Holiday Canada application

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.

Other IEC Working Holiday Canada Resources

IEC Health Insurance

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About the author

Stephanie Ford profile picture

Stephanie Ford

She/Her
Finance, Law and Immigration Writer
Stephanie is a content creator who writes on legal and personal finance topics, specializing in immigration and legal topics. She earned a Bachelor of Laws and a Diploma in Financial Planning in Australia. Stephanie is now a permanent resident of Canada and a full-time writer at Moving2Canada.
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