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Working Holiday Canada News

Canada has now invited 118,838 IEC candidates in 2023

As of September 15, Canada has issued a total of 118,838 invitations to IEC candidates for the 2023 IEC season.

The IEC 2023 season began on January 9. This year, Canada will accept up to 90,000 newcomers under IEC. Although more than 100,000 have been invited, not all will apply and not all will be accepted.

In 2024, Iceland will be joining the list of participating IEC countries. Canada and Iceland signed a reciprocal agreement on August 4 that will allow youth ages 18-30 to work and travel between the two countries. Finland will also be joining in 2024, and South Korean youth will be able to participate in Young Professionals and International Co-Op programs.

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 just released a new video on all things health insurance. Check it out!

The 2023 IEC season

The 2023 International Experience Canada (IEC) season opened on January 9, 2023. During the 2023 season, Canada expects to admit 90,000 youth from more than 30 countries to work and travel. With overall quotas for IEC increasing by 20 percent, 2023 is shaping up to be a great year for the program.

Since January 9, 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.

Quotas & invitations for the 2023 IEC season

Updates for 2023 IEC season

PoolQuotaInvitations to dateInvitations since last weekSpots availableSpots filled last roundEligible candidates in poolCandidate changeChances of invite in next round
Andorra – WH2526214100Excellent
Australia – WHUnlimited10,028475Unlimitedn/a108-35Excellent
Australia – YPUnlimited1868Unlimitedn/a31Excellent
Australia – ICUnlimited11Unlimitedn/a00Excellent
Austria - WH10027760031-3Very Low
Austria - YP601407-100Excellent
Austria - IC20200000Excellent
Belgium - WH7501,457872848745Very Low
Chile - WH14754,6909011,4596008,518234Very Low
Chile - YP2705174667811-13Excellent
Chile - IC5701000Excellent
Costa Rica - WH4002,05422-2924198Very low
Costa Rica - YP95218110044Excellent
Costa Rica - IC5202000Excellent
Croatia - WH27517713168621Excellent
Croatia - YP2013116-122Excellent
Croatia - IC5005000Excellent
Czech Republic - WH1,0001,171623013019-7Excellent
Czech Republic - YP14527405050Excellent
Czech Republic - IC5104000Excellent
Denmark – WH3504382337155-2Low
Estonia - WH110141112970-3Excellent
Estonia - YP101610100Excellent
Estonia - IC5005000Excellent
France - WH7,00016,885-176-7614,1671,249Very Low
France - YP2,2003,5451524958033-21Excellent
France - VIE5505343311632553Excellent
France - IC4,2504,033694894016-4Excellent
Germany – WH44905,65025481912656-14Excellent
Germany – YP35055930741490Excellent
Germany – IC16012059941-1Excellent
Greece - WH1804152110497-1Excellent
Greece - YP10161113641-1Excellent
Greece - IC10111100Excellent
Hong Kong - WH200473116-317228Very Low
Ireland – WH10,5008,0842645,88712874-8Low
Ireland – YP1501479123263Excellent
Ireland – IC5018038-100Excellent
Italy - WH1,0002,94220930910852-2Low
Japan - WH6,5008,238298100181332185Excellent
Latvia - WH4079100332Very low
Latvia - YP81016100Excellent
Latvia - IC2002000Excellent
Lithuania - WH1753980008613Excellent
Lithuania - YP202523000Excellent
Lithuania - IC5002000Excellent
Luxembourg - WH805054320-2Excellent
Luxembourg - YP10308000Excellent
Luxembourg - IC10309000Excellent
Netherlands - WH4301,269566727120Excellent
Netherlands - YP17017072052-1Excellent
New Zealand – WH2,5002,8789959544387Low
Norway - WH130163838443Excellent
Norway - YP151109000Excellent
Norway - IC500500-1Excellent
Poland - WH6351,004279911147Excellent
Poland - YP11090274111Excellent
Poland - IC5203000Excellent
Portugal - WH1,7501,2826992841283Low
Portugal - YP200443186200Excellent
Portugal - IC503049000Excellent
San Marino - WH254022000Excellent
Slovakia - WH31555516692414Excellent
Slovakia - YP305913-233Excellent
Slovakia - IC5002000Excellent
Slovenia - WH8062253020Excellent
Slovenia - YP151506000Excellent
Slovenia - IC5005000Excellent
South Korea - WH6,50012,9374751,064275102-64Excellent
Spain – WH18002,59016245966438Very Good
Spain – YP150188-2461-165Excellent
Spain — IECX Vives50100440Excellent
Spain – IC50503000Excellent
Sweden - WH58052937306176-1Excellent
Sweden - YP10041485300Excellent
Sweden - IC2016019000Excellent
Switzerland - YP20028785331Excellent
Switzerland - IC505351821-2Excellent
Taiwan - WH23755,9515835274061,494-378Very Low
Taiwan - YP11517121103-1Excellent
Taiwan - IC101902000Excellent
UK – WH10,00014,3477812,27333921515Low

Get the latest IEC news straight to your inbox! To receive alerts and updates about the 2023 IEC Working Holiday Canada season, make sure you sign up for the Moving2Canada newsletter.

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What to do to prepare yourself for IEC?

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!

Finding a job for the 2023 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 2023 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 (with more locations to come in 2023). They love IECers and can offer you a job before you arrive. Apply here — or get more information by watching this video:

Pursuit

Pursuit provides awe-inspiring experiences for guests and team members alike in locations such as Banff, Jasper, Golden, and Waterton. Don’t take our word for it, check out this spectacular video!

Pursuit is hiring for a bunch of seasonal and year-round positions. Send in your application here.

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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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