International Experience Canada (IEC) 2023 Season is Open

The International Experience Canada (IEC) season is open, offering about 90,000 international youths work and travel opportunities in Canada.

On January 9, 2023, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that the International Experience Canada (IEC) season is now open to international youth who want to gain work and travel experience in Canada. And the applicants who are already in the IEC pool will start receiving invitations to apply for their work permits.

International Experience Canada (IEC) aids youth in discovering other societies, cultures, and languages while enhancing their future employment opportunities and life skills. When international youth move to Canada to experience meaningful work and living, they bring valuable and diverse skills that benefit the country's economy. Similar benefits accrue to Canadian youth who work, travel and return home with a global perspective.

As of December 1, 2022, Canada will open up this opportunity to approximately 90,000 young people from other countries. This expansion will make it easier for Canadian firms to recruit personnel to address the nation's widespread labour shortages.

Youths can travel and work in Canada for up to two years through International Experience Canada (IEC).

Three different kinds of work and travel experiences are available:

Working Holiday (open work permit)
You can apply for this category if you don’t have a job offer but want to work for more than one employer, work in more than one location and earn some money for travelling. This allows you to work for almost any employer in Canada.
Young Professionals (employer-specific work permit)
You can apply for this category if you have a job offer in Canada that counts toward your professional development. You’ll work for the same employer in the same location during your stay. Your work must be paid and not self-employed.
Professional development means that the job must be classified under Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC. A TEER 4 job may also qualify if it’s in your field of study.
International Co-op/Internship (employer-specific work permit)
You can apply for this category if you’re a student registered at a post-secondary institution, you have a job offer for a co-op or internship in Canada, and you need to do this co-op or internship to complete your studies. You will need to work for the same employer in the same location during your stay in Canada.

If you’re a citizen of a partner country, you may be eligible to apply to one or more of these three categories. Here is the list of partner countries:

If you're an international youth looking for work and travel experience in Canada, the time is now! Talk to us and find out about your chance of getting invited for an IEC work permit.

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