Skip to content

Advertisement

Rate article
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars
4.30/5 - 54 votes
Share article

Stay up to date with the latest Working Holiday and IEC news, updates, and draw results from the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. Whether you're waiting for your invitation or planning your next steps

IEC Draw: 1,062 Invitations Issued The Week of September 26, 2025

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued only 1,062 invitations to International Experience Canada candidates this week, slightly higher than last week’s number.

The total number of IEC invitations issued this year now sits at 97,262 according to our calculations.

Check below our analysis of the key trends from this week’s data!

Everything You Need for Your IEC Adventure

This week saw 1,062 invitations issued. South Korea’s Working Holiday program led the way with 239 invitations, followed by Australia with 177.

Rounding out the top five were the Working Holiday programs for Germany, Ireland, and a tie between France and Italy.

With major programs like the UK and France issuing limited invitations, the number of candidates in the IEC pool has been slowly increasing, now sitting at 38,484 compared to 30,106 back in July. Since both of these programs are listed as having a very low chance of success (with the France Working Holiday being oversubscribed from the start), and many more programs have been added to the very low odds list, it is safe to say that competition for spots in the 2026 season is building in some core countries.

We expect the 2025 season to close in late October.

Who Has Very Low Odds of Receiving An IEC Invitation in the week of September 26, 2025?

Although there are 38,484 candidates in the pool, over three times the 9,443 spots available, most programs still show excellent chances of receiving an invitation in the next round. Overall, that’s encouraging news for candidates currently in the pool.

However, some programs have low or very low odds of receiving an invitation in next week’s round (programs added this week are in bold):

  • Austria – Working Holiday
  • Belgium – Working Holiday
  • Chile – Working Holiday
  • Chile – Young Professional
  • Costa Rica – Working Holiday
  • Costa Rica – Young Professional
  • France – Working Holiday
  • Japan – Working Holiday 
  • Latvia – Working Holiday
  • Netherlands – Working Holiday
  • Netherlands – Young Professional
  • Spain – Working Holiday
  • Spain – International Co-op
  • Spain – Young Professional
  • Taiwan – Working Holiday
  • United Kingdom – Working Holiday
  • United Kingdom – Young Professional

All other programs currently show excellent odds of receiving an invitation next week. However, please note that last week’s chance ratings contained an error. As a result, some programs now appearing in the “very low” category were not, in fact, rated as “excellent” last week.

Important Update
Until December 1, 2025, eligible in-Canada IEC applicants who have received a POE (Port of Entry) letter can now have their new IEC work permit mailed to a Canadian address.

To qualify, you must meet all of the following:

  • Were Canada with a valid IEC work permit when you submitted your application for another participation.
  • Have a valid Port of Entry (POE) Letter.
  • Have valid legal status in Canada.
  • Submit your mail request via webform before your POE expires.
If you do not meet these requirements, you have to leave Canada and re-enter to activate your new IEC work permit (but not via the U.S. or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon).

Learn more

Quotas & invitations for the 2025 IEC season

Updates for 2025 IEC season- what we know so far

The first round of invitations took place in the week of January 13, with the quota for this year’s IEC season sitting at 63,555.

Here’s the data from the most recent round of IEC invitations:

PoolQuotaInvitations issued last weekSpots availableSpots filled last roundEligible candidates in poolCandidate ChangeChances of invite in next round
Andorra - WH2511910-1Excellent
Australia - WHunlimited177unlimitedn/a94-40Excellent
Australia - YPunlimited6unlimitedn/a6-1Excellent
Australia - ICunlimited0unlimitedn/a00Excellent
Austria - WH170011612Very low
Austria - YP73100-2Excellent
Austria - IC301000Excellent
Belgium - WH75005516225Very low
Chile - WH725000893649Very low
Chile - YP230003481Very low
Chile - IC21110-1Excellent
Costa Rica - WH80000225117Very low
Costa Rica - YP18200194-2Very low
Costa Rica - IC202000Excellent
Croatia - WH85429485Excellent
Croatia - YP1008000Excellent
Croatia - IC505000Excellent
Czech Republic - WH700212191711-6Excellent
Czech Republic - YP14554041Excellent
Czech Republic - IC505000Excellent
Denmark - WH3505103172Excellent
Estonia - WH105135021Excellent
Estonia - YP181810-1Excellent
Estonia - IC202000Excellent
Finland - WHUnlimited3unlimitedn/a30Excellent
Finland - YPUnlimited1unlimitedn/a0-1Excellent
Finland - ICUnlimited0unlimitedn/a00Excellent
France - WH661513219738269Very low
France - YP208070553356912Excellent
France - IC3590471273334613Excellent
France - VIE9451454913642Excellent
Germany - WH349088610488514Excellent
Germany - YP35015564141Excellent
Germany - IC1601122143Excellent
Greece - WH13583382Fair
Greece - YP6212121Excellent
Greece - IC302000Excellent
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - WH20057102-2Excellent
Iceland - WH120210310-2Excellent
Ireland - WH3800811221357611Excellent
Ireland - YP150510814-2Excellent
Ireland - IC5013710-1Excellent
Italy - WH191570251316913Excellent
Italy - YP6059172Excellent
Italy - IC2538220Excellent
Japan - WH650027774422Very low
Korea, Republic - WH115702391667154154-29Excellent
Korea, Republic - YP4003215031Excellent
Korea, Republic - IC30013200Excellent
Latvia, Republic - WH44102181Very low
Latvia, Republic - YP400400Excellent
Latvia, Republic - IC202000Excellent
Lithuania - WH175822550Excellent
Lithuania - YP20014000Excellent
Lithuania - IC505000Excellent
Luxembourg - WH80050111Excellent
Luxembourg - YP1009011Excellent
Luxembourg - IC1009000Excellent
Netherlands - WH515000190-6Very low
Netherlands - YP85000430Very low
New Zealand - WH25005210302635-6Excellent
Norway - WH130447263Excellent
Norway - YP1516110Excellent
Norway - IC505000Excellent
Poland - WH43520951314-3Excellent
Poland - YP11025601-1Excellent
Poland - IC505000Excellent
Portugal - WH750332811710-17Excellent
Portugal - YP4022910-2Excellent
Portugal - IC1007000Excellent
San Marino - WH2512410-1Excellent
Slovakia - WH30561161261Excellent
Slovakia - YP430111033Excellent
Slovakia - IC202000Excellent
Slovenia - WH80159010Excellent
Slovenia - YP153820-3Excellent
Slovenia - IC505000Excellent
Spain - WH89025347224Very low
Spain - YP100100135Very low
Spain - IC500000Very low
Spain - IV5051n/a0Excellent
Sweden - WH350810954-2Excellent
Sweden - YP40115122Excellent
Sweden - IC1007000Excellent
Switzerland - YP210426130Excellent
Switzerland - IC40010000Excellent
Taiwan - WH940110187744Very low
Taiwan - YP553111-1Excellent
Taiwan - IC501400Excellent
United Kingdom - WH9660518122477208Very low
United Kingdom - YP3208711207Very low
United Kingdom - IC2031002-1Excellent

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.

What’s New For 2025?

For the 2025 season, applicants are required to pay an increased IEC fee of CAN $179.75, up from the 2024 fee of CAN $172.

Here are some notable changes we saw to quotas this year:

France: The Working Holiday and Young Professionals quota decreased by over 2,000 combined.

United Kingdom: The International Co-op program and Young Professionals quota increased however the quota for the Working Holiday program decreased by  500.

Ireland: The Working Holiday quota has been significantly reduced from 10,500 in 2024 to 3,800 in 2025. While this might seem concerning at first glance, it reflects a practical adjustment. In 2024, only 5,746 invitations were issued, indicating a lower level of interest in this pool. The new quota aligns more closely with the current demand.

Australia: This year, Australians will continue to enjoy unlimited quotas.

South Korea: The Working Holiday decreased by 1,625 spots however the quota for the Young Professionals and the International Co-op program increased by 1,625 spots showing that the overall spots available for South Koreans remain the same as in 2024.

Taiwan: The Working Holiday decreased by 2,240 spots.

You can read more about this in our IEC Quota comparison.

Haven’t entered the pool yet? Here’s what to do (ASAP)

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 and will be sent starting January 13 (for select countries), 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.

The Ban on Flagpoling and How It Could Affect Your IEC Status

Effective December 23, flagpoling is no longer permitted for those in Canada as workers or students.

According to the IRCC, if you’re in Canada when you receive your POE letter of introduction, you must leave the country and re-enter to activate your work permit.

On 19 February, 2025, IRCC updated its guidance to note that “You may not be able to activate your work permit if you re-enter from the US or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.”

In other words, if you intend to travel to the US to activate your approved work permit, there is a high risk that such a request will be refused due to the confusion around the flagpoling issue and it’s impact on IEC workers.

How to move to Canada through IEC: VIDEO

Rachel walks us through how to come to Canada through IEC in 2025.

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 2025 IEC season

The 2025 International Experience Canada (IEC) season opened on December 16, 2024.

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.

Finding a job for the 2025 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 2025 IEC participants.

Check out the Moving2Canada Jobs Board and join our IEC Talent Pool.

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:

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

Articles

Facebook

Employment tips

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.
Read more about Stephanie Ford
Citation "Latest Working Holiday Canada News and IEC Draws." Moving2Canada. . Copy for Citation