Latest IEC Working Holiday Canada News

2,989 IEC Invitations Issued The Week of April 17, 2025

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 2,989 invitations to International Experience Canada candidates this week, sharing the results one day early due to this weekend being a long weekend across Canada for Easter.

The total number of IEC invitations issued this year now sits at 60,865.

Note that we had a formula error in our tracking spreadsheet that meant the figures we provided for the last few weeks had minor errors. This has been updated and the data should be updated and correct going forward.

Everything You Need for Your IEC Adventure

Key Trends from the April 17 Invitation Data

We saw almost 3,000 invitations issued this week. Given that we are getting close to the quota in issued invitations (62,530 spots this year, 60,865 invitations sent), we would be surprised if the invitation allocations didn’t drop to around 1,000 each week in the near future.

But remember: the number of invitations issued each year will not equal the quota. IRCC knows that a proportion of candidates won’t accept the invitation, and a further amount won’t use their POE in 2025 or at all. So the number of invitations issued tends to be higher than the quota for the year. This is important to keep in mind!

The working holiday programs in France, UK, Korea, Japan and Australia saw the highest numbers of invitations this round.

Another key trend in this week’s data is that the number of candidates in the French working holiday pool saw an overall decrease. There are 451 fewer candidates in the French working holiday pool on April 17, 2025 than there were on April 11. This is actually relatively rare for this pool, which has been enormous over the past 16 months.

Very Low Odds of Receiving An Invitation Next Round

There have been no additional programs added to the list of programs with very low odds of receiving an invitation next round. Helpfully, most programs have excellent odds of receiving an invitation in the next round. This is broadly good news for candidates in the pool.

However, there are some programs that have very low odds of receiving an invitation in next week’s round:

• Costa Rica — Young Professionals
• Chile — Young Professionals
• Chile — Working Holiday
• Costa Rica — Working Holiday
• France — Working Holiday
• Taiwan — Working Holiday
• Netherlands – Young Professional
• Netherlands – Working Holiday.

The working holiday programs for Chile and Costa Rica have thousands of candidates waiting for an invitation, while the working holiday pool for France has over 14,000 candidates in the pool.

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:

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.

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!

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.

• Learn more about these risks and less risky options for activating IEC your work permit without flagpoling.

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

• Health insurance is a mandatory requirement for IEC — compare prices for IEC health insurance options with a free quote comparison from BestQuote

Articles

• Read our FAQ guide for IEC permits
• Find out which documents you need for your IEC application
• Learn about 5 avoidable mistakes IEC applicants make
• Visit our full IEC portal for more articles
• Where to buy your health insurance for Canada (note: this is a mandatory IEC requirement).
• What are your alternatives when you can’t immigrate through IEC? 

Facebook

• Join our IEC Working Holiday group on Facebook
• Get updates on our Moving2Canada Facebook page

Employment tips

• For construction and engineering jobs, visit our Outpost Recruitment agency
• How to adapt to the resume format in Canada (or ‘CV’)