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Working Holiday Canada News

March 24: +800 invitations and Costa Rica gets a bigger quota

Canada sent a total of 866 IEC invitations during the week of March 24.

Costa Rica received an additional 320 spots for its Working Holiday Visa, plus 80 toward its Young Professionals quota.

So far, 64,107 invitations have been issued since the 2023 IEC season opened on January 9.

In 2023, Canada will accept up to 90,000 newcomers under 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 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.

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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 – WH2510019021Excellent
Australia – WHUnlimited364690Unlimitedn/a472183Excellent
Australia – YPUnlimited673Unlimitedn/a31Excellent
Australia – ICUnlimited00Unlimitedn/a00Excellent
Austria - WH100154000256Very Low
Austria - YP607160010Excellent
Austria - IC201019000Excellent
Belgium - WH750682828206931Low
Chile - WH147522920006195103Very Low
Chile - YP2703091914898-8Excellent
Chile - IC5405011Excellent
Costa Rica - WH400630355-319120032Very low
Costa Rica - YP95136736-330-3Excellent
Costa Rica - IC5005000Excellent
Croatia - WH275802225210Excellent
Croatia - YP206-12117500-6Excellent
Croatia - IC5005000Excellent
Czech Republic - WH1000624859364913Low
Czech Republic - YP14513313621071Excellent
Czech Republic - IC5005010Excellent
Denmark – WH350182421233315Low
Estonia - WH1108026415-2Excellent
Estonia - YP10308000Excellent
Estonia - IC5005000Excellent
France - WH7000168840004285633Very Low
France - YP220016449812186370-2Excellent
France - VIE550203113621038-3Excellent
France - IC42502683127233072933Excellent
Germany – WH4490251740270634316113Low
Germany – YP35020615229129-1Excellent
Germany – IC160514134242Excellent
Greece - WH18022831591175Excellent
Greece - YP1095311420-2Excellent
Greece - IC100010000Excellent
Hong Kong - WH200240390-2163Low
Ireland – WH10500467650762511474148Low
Ireland – YP15069813652-4Excellent
Ireland – IC5010343131Excellent
Italy - WH10001242209951314156Low
Japan - WH6500311130404927415176Low
Latvia - WH407200054Very low
Latvia - YP8606000Excellent
Latvia - IC2002000Excellent
Lithuania - WH17530952134311Excellent
Lithuania - YP2015012100Excellent
Lithuania - IC5005000Excellent
Luxembourg - WH802126520-2Excellent
Luxembourg - YP100010000Excellent
Luxembourg - IC10309000Excellent
Netherlands - WH4306771033577124Excellent
Netherlands - YP170901118265Excellent
New Zealand – WH250012434015893111634Low
Norway - WH13049399265Excellent
Norway - YP155010000Excellent
Norway - IC5005000Excellent
Poland - WH6354795359-35322Excellent
Poland - YP11039692422Excellent
Poland - IC5302000Excellent
Portugal - WH1750532151368106517Low
Portugal - YP20018019100-1Excellent
Portugal - IC503049000Excellent
San Marino - WH254025-300Excellent
Slovakia - WH3153294110-2234Excellent
Slovakia - YP3031116440-1Excellent
Slovakia - IC5005000Excellent
Slovenia - WH802816700-1Excellent
Slovenia - YP15411310-1Excellent
Slovenia - IC5005000Excellent
South Korea - WH650075561001696441281187Low
Spain – WH18001169010810770Very Good
Spain – YP150955109151Excellent
Spain — IECX Vives50n/aExcellent
Spain – IC502049000Excellent
Sweden - WH580204234661211-3Excellent
Sweden - YP10016095011Excellent
Sweden - IC205118010Excellent
Switzerland - YP200154993483Excellent
Switzerland - IC5019037000Excellent
Taiwan - WH237526519888573116448Low
Taiwan - YP11592481051Excellent
Taiwan - IC101219010Excellent
UK – WH10000583480646615746253Low

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.

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