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By Stephanie Ford
Updated 3 days ago
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This week’s in-depth coverage of the latest IEC news is made possible by the support of Outpost Recruitment.
This page is for International Experience Canada (IEC) applicants waiting for an invitation to apply or planning their next steps. On this page, you can track all key IEC updates in one place.
You can join our community to receive weekly updates covering invitation activity, key information about the IEC pool, and tips to make your season run smoothly.
Follow the latest IEC rounds of invitations for 2026 and see how each country is performing inside the Canada IEC pool. This table breaks down weekly invitation numbers, total invites issued, current IEC pools size, quotas, and your odds of being selected in the next round. Select a country below to track draw history and monitor your chances in real time.
Canada invited 574 UK nationals in this week’s IEC draw, the second highest of any country.
This is a definite improvement over last week’s 0 invitations. The total of invitations issued so far in 2026 is 9,159.
With only 395 candidates currently in the UK Working Holiday pool, UK nationals should still have an excellent chance of being selected during the next round.
Keep in mind thought that the UK program is among the most popular and spots will fill quickly. If you’re not already in the pool, now is the time to enter.
This week 301 IEC invitations went to Australian nationals. It’s the first round of invitations since February 20.
Since the season started, 3,534 Australian candidate’s have been invited out of a quota of 5,670. This means Australian nationals have an excellent chance of being selected, especially since there are just 234 profiles in the pool.
That being said, things are little different this year. This is the first year Australian nationals are subject to a cap, meaning that while your chances are excellent right now, it can always change. Applying early is the best way to secure your spot.
This week, March 6, 219 Irish working holiday makers received invitations.
However, this isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. With just 158 candidates in the pool as of March 6 and 819 spots remaining, there are still excellent odds of receiving an invitation next week.
New Zealanders are finally seeing some invitations. 70 invitations went out on March 6.
New Zealanders should now have more clarity on what the 2026 season will look like, with last week’s quota of 1,537 being released.
Although this update shows that 0 invitations were issued last week, 804 have been issued so far bringing the total invitations up to 874
With only 70 candidates in the pool, the odds of receiving an invitation are excellent.
With fewer spaces available in 2026, any New Zealander considering entering the pool should do so now, before competition intensifies.
IRCC issued 32 invitations to French candidates on March 6. However, the total number of invitations issued this year is now 6,355 – officially exceeding the French quota of 5,661.
This means that French candidates hoping to secure a Working Holiday spot in Canada in 2026 are facing a challenging season and might be interested in looking at another IEC program such as the Young Professionals or International Co-op.
IRCC issued 385 invitations to South Korean Working Holiday candidates on March 6.
South Korea has the largest IEC quota among participating countries, with 10,239 spots available in 2026 and IRCC has issued 5,892 invitations so far.
The chances of receiving an invitation are excellent as there are just 307 candidates currently in the pool.
However, last year’s numbers suggest strong demand. The Korean program issued more than 5,000 invitations above the quota, highlighting significant national interest in the program, which may continue into 2026.
Japan has finally had its first round of IEC invitations! 2,438 Japanese nationals were invited, the most of any IEC country this week.
After last week’s update, Japan has a quota of 6,283 spots available for 2026.
There are now 3, 432 candidates in the pool so while the chances of an invitation are very good, competition could move quickly once invitations start, and spots may fill fast..
Germany saw a small round of 144 invitations this week, which is better than the 0 on March 2, but still far short of the 1,644 on February 13.
However, with only 142 candidates currently in the pool and a quota of 3,030, German nationals are still in a very strong position – and interest will likely taper off further as the 2026 season progresses.
108 Italian working holiday hopefuls received invitations on March 6.
This is more or less in line with recent draws. Last week no one was invited but 117 invitations went out of February 20 and the week before 121, and the week before that, 207 invitations went out.
Italy has a quota of 1,565 invitations and there are only 88 profiles currently in the Italian Working Holiday pool. So, those in the pool have excellent chances of receiving an invitation next week.
Date of the latest update: March 6
Invitations issued since last update: 4,986
Total IEC applicants invited so far: 46,646
IRCC’s latest IEC update, published on March 6, confirms that since the previous update on March 2, 4,986 additional invitations were issued across all countries.
The total is now 46,646 invitations issued since January 19.
The United Kingdom’s Working Holiday program remains the highest number of total invitations at 9,159 (out of a 9,330 quota).
France came in second again for the highest number of total invitations issued, although only 35 invitations were issued this week. France’s Working Holiday quota is maxed out at 6,355, which exceeds the country’s 5,661 quota (the pool is still open, but chances of receiving an invitation are now very low).
As of the latest IEC update, the following pool-open countries have not yet received invitations this season for the following programs, despite candidates already being in the pools.
IRCC has also now announced the chances of receiving an invitation in the next round for many countries.
At the moment, almost all IEC programs show “Excellent” chances of receiving an invitation. The exceptions are the following programs, which currently have lower chances:
Date of the IEC Pools update: March 6, 2026 March 2, 2026
Total of candidates on the IEC Pools: 28,404
As of March 6, there were 28,404 candidates in the IEC pools, down from 29,672 in last week’s update. That decrease likely reflects the 4,986 invitations issued over the past week, even as some new candidates continued entering the pools. Overall, the pools remain well below the first update of 43,005 candidates, suggesting the initial surge when the pools opened has continued to ease.
The programs with the highest number of candidates in the pool, as of March 6, 2026 are:
Between February 28 and March 6, Japan’s Working Holiday pool saw the largest change, dropping sharply from 5,509 to 3,432 (–2,077 candidates) following the first round of invitations for Japanese candidates this season. France recorded the largest increase, rising from 12,289 to 12,780 (+491). Chile also grew modestly, climbing from 6,239 to 6,368 (+129).
Most other pools saw relatively small changes, with Costa Rica (+34), Taiwan (+51), and Korea (+18) increasing slightly, while the United Kingdom pool declined from 430 to 395 (–35).
Remember: IEC is not a first-come, first-served program. Entering the pool early allows you to participate in more invitation rounds, increasing your chances of receiving an invitation. So, don’t let the number of people in the pool already put you off submitting your profile. If anything, it’s more important than ever to get into the IEC pool early
Remember: IEC is not a first-come, first-served program. Entering the pool early allows you to participate in more invitation rounds, increasing your chances of receiving an invitation. So, don’t let the number of people in the pool already put you off submitting your profile. If anything, it’s more important than ever to get into the IEC pool early.
All quotas have now been released. While invitations have been rolling out since the week of January 19, several countries/categories with open pools are still waiting for their first invitation rounds.
Here’s the data from the most recent IRCC update. To check your country’s odds for receiving an invitation, check out our IEC tracker.
Keen to see how the round sizes have been trending over time? Here are all the details:
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 2026 IEC participants.
Check out the Moving2Canada Jobs Board and join our IEC Talent Pool.
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:
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.
An IEC pool is a group of candidates who have submitted a profile for the International Experience Canada (IEC) program and are waiting to receive an invitation to apply for a work permit. Each country and category, such as Working Holiday or Young Professionals, has its own separate pool. During each IEC round of invitations, candidates are randomly selected from the pool until the quota for that round is filled.
Join 170,000+ adventurers and get insider tips, visa updates, and job resources to make the most of your International Experience Canada (IEC) adventure.
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