The 2024 IEC pool is your ticket to gaining valuable experience.

Canada is offering a chance for young people from over 30 countries to live and work there through the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. The program, run by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), has just opened for 2024. Nearly 90,000 applicants can apply for a work permit to gain Canadian work experience. If you’re eligible and interested, you can now submit your profile to IRCC.

HOW DOES THE IEC FUNCTION?

If you’re a citizen of a country that has a special agreement with Canada and you’re between 18 and 35 years old, you might be eligible for a work permit through the International Experience Canada (IEC) program.

The IEC works like this: First, interested individuals create a profile to become candidates. If Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) likes a candidate’s profile, they’re invited to apply for a work permit. Once the application is submitted, candidates become applicants and are one step closer to getting their work permits.

Under the program, applicants may receive a work permit under one of three streams:

• The Working Holiday stream, which grants an Open Work Permit (OWP) for up to two years, allowing holders to work for most employers in Canada, in most industries;
• The Young Professionals stream, which issues an employer-specific (or LMIA-based) work permit for individuals who have a job offer, and plan to work with a single employer in Canada; and
• The International Co-op Internship stream, which allows citizens of participating countries, who are enrolled in a post-secondary program (in their country of citizenship), to enter Canada and intern/work for a specific Canadian company. Applicants must already have arranged co-op placements before applying.

ELIGIBILITY.

• Citizen/passport holder of one of the 35+ partner countries that have Youth Mobility Agreements with Canada.
• Valid passport.
• Eligible age range (18-29, 18-30, or 18-35, (all-inclusive), depending on the applicant’s nationality) at the time of their application.
• The equivalent of $2,500 CAD upon landing in Canada.
• Health insurance for the duration of their stay.
• Be admissible to Canada.
• Have (prior to departure) a round-trip ticket or the financial resources to purchase a departure ticket at the end of their authorized stay in Canada.
• Not be accompanied by dependents.
• Pay the appropriate fees.

HOW DOES THE IEC BENEFIT CANADA?

The International Experience Canada (IEC) program is helping Canada fill job gaps in various industries like retail, manufacturing, and construction. By making agreements with other countries, Canada gets access to young workers, and these workers get a chance to work in Canada. After gaining enough work experience, these workers might even have the opportunity to become permanent residents in Canada. This year, the IEC is staying consistent with last year’s expansion, and Finland is expected to join as a new partner country in 2024, creating more opportunities for international work experience.