International Experience Canada (IEC) Requirements by Country
Posted on 13/01/2020
Are you under 35, fashionably dressed, fussy about your cappuccino, and stuck in an office in a city working for some company? Or lost in the maze of data bases in the basement of a molecular biology research centre at a university somewhere in Salzburg?
Be of good cheer! The world awaits you fine young professionals! For example, in Canada you may very well find your own country has signed a bilateral youth agreement with Canada which allows you to work for up to 24 months in Canada under 3 specific programs.
As we previously outlined here, International Experience Canada (IEC) allows younger professionals and/or post-secondary students to work in Canada on a temporary basis in order to expand their contacts and gain valuable experience in international work environments. The participating countries (see the table below) are ones that Canada has signed accords or agreements with that also allow young Canadian professionals and/or post-secondary students to work in those countries. There are 3 programs operating under IEC:
Working Holiday:
Participants apply for an open work permit enabling them to work for any employer in any location across Canada and gain some extra income as they travel in Canada and experience the scintillating scenery in the great northern climes.
Young Professionals:
This program allows participants to apply for employer-specific work permits in order to gain professional experience in their occupational areas.
International Co-op:
Post-secondary students apply for employer-specific work permits in order to gain experience in their area of academic study.
General Requirements
Applicants must meet both general and country-specific requirements in order to be eligible. The general requirements include the following:
- Medical examination: All IES applicants who are going to be working in a designated occupation (go here for more information) require a medical examination regardless of the length of their temporary work permit. As well, if you were a resident of or travelled in a country for which medical exams are required (go here) for more than 6 months, you must also undergo a medical exam.
- Police certificates: Even if you have not lived in or are not from a country for which Canada requires a police certificate, you may be asked for one by Canadian immigration authorities, so it’s best to assume you will need to get one from local police authorities to help ensure you are admissible to Canada.
- Residence requirements: If your country of residence is not your country of citizenship, you must provide a permanent mailing address in your country of citizenship.
- Discontinuance requirements: Don’t let the odd name confuse you. This just refers to the fact that under bilateral arrangements (Youth Mobility Arrangements) with Canada, some participating countries are not allowed continuous participations in one of the 3 IEC programs. In other words, you have to leave Canada and wait a certain period of time before applying to participate in the same or another of the 3 programs (Working Holiday or WH, Young Professionals or YP, and International Co-op, or IC).
- Please note, however, that if you are applying for another work permit outside (not involved with) the IEC-linked work permits, then you may apply while your IEC work permit is still valid.
Country-specific requirements
Discontinuance requirements differ depending on the country-specific youth mobility arrangements Canada has signed. As well, there are further differences between different countries, so that in addition to ages allowed and length of programs which you can find here in our previous blog, the following may also be different from one participating country to another:
- Discontinuance requirements
- Type of work permit
- Residence requirements
- Additional participations allowed for members who participated prior to 2015 or 2013
So, to guide you as to what options might be available for you, let’s dive in and detail the differences across each IEC participating country in the following table:
| Country & Program | Type of Work Permit | Discontinuance requirements | Residence requirements | Additional/Total participations |
| Australia | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 1 additional participation for participants prior to 2015
2 total participations |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Registered in school in Australia | |
| Austria | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 3 total participations |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | Working at Austrian company & will be working at subsidiary, partner, or parent company in Canada | |
| IC | Employer-specific OR agriculture, forestry, or tourism | None | Resident of Austria and registered as student in agriculture, forestry, or tourism or have recently graduated from these | |
| Belgium | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of Belgium | 1 total participation |
| Chile | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations repeat category permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| Costa Rica | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Registered at school in Costa Rica | |
| Croatia | ||||
| WH | Open | 3 months discontinuance | None | 2 total participations repeat category permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | 3 months discontinuance | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | 3 months discontinuance | Registered at school in Croatia | |
| Czech Republic | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of Czech Republic | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted
Must be paid internship |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | Resident of Czech Republic | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Resident of Czech Republic & registered at school in Czech Republic | |
| Denmark | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Must be citizen of Denmark & habitual resident of Denmark | 1 total participation |
| Estonia | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Registered at school in Estonia | |
| France | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations & 1 additional participations for those prior to 2015 |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| YP – VIE | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | None although enrolment in a training program in France acceptable | |
| Germany | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| Greece | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| Hong Kong | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of HK SAR with valid HK SAR passport or British National (overseas) passport | 1 total participation |
| Ireland | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations 1 of which must be in IC program
Those prior to 2013 have additional participation of up to 24 months |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Registered at school in Ireland | |
| Italy | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of Italy | 1 total participation |
| Japan | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of Japan | 1 total participation |
| Latvia | ||||
| WH | Open | 1-year discontinuance | Resident of Latvia | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | 1-year discontinuance | Resident of Latvia | |
| IC | Employer-specific | 1-year discontinuance | Resident of Latvia & registered at school in Latvia | |
| Lithuania | ||||
| WH | Open | 3-month discontinuance | None | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | 3-month discontinuance | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | 3-month discontinuance | Registered at a school in Lithuania | |
| Luxembourg | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 1 total participation |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| Mexico (the Youth Mobility arrangement with Mexico is currently under review) | ||||
| WH | Open | 3-years discontinuance | None | 2 total participations repeat category is permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | 3-years discontinuance | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | 3-years discontinuance | Registered at school in Mexico | |
| Netherlands (includes nationals of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, & Sint Maarten) | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of Netherlands | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | Resident of Netherlands | |
| New Zealand | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 1 total participation |
| Norway | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of Norway | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | Resident of Norway | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Resident of Norway | |
| Poland | ||||
| WH | Open | 6-month discontinuance | None | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | 6-month discontinuance | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | 6-month discontinuance | Registered at school in Poland | |
| Portugal | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 1 total participation |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| San Marino | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations |
| Slovakia | ||||
| WH | Open | 3-month discontinuance | Resident of Slovakia | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | 3-month discontinuance | Resident of Slovakia | |
| IC | Employer-specific | 3-month discontinuance | Resident of Slovakia & registered at school in Slovakia | |
| Slovenia | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Registered at school in Slovenia | |
| South Korea | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of South Korea | 1 total participation |
| Spain | ||||
| WH | Open | 3-month discontinuance | Resident of Spain | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | 3-month discontinuance | Resident of Spain | |
| IC | Employer-specific | 3-month discontinuance | Resident of Spain & registered at school in Spain | |
| Sweden | ||||
| WH | Open | None | Resident of Sweden | 2 total participations repeat category NOT permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | Resident of Sweden | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Resident of Sweden & registered at school in Sweden | |
| Switzerland | ||||
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | 2 total participations – repeat participations if within 18-month limit |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Registered at school in Switzerland | |
| Taiwan | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 1 total participation |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Registered at school in Taiwan | |
| Ukraine (Youth Mobility arrangement with Ukraine is currently under review) | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 2 total participations repeat category permitted |
| YP | Employer-specific | None | None | |
| IC | Employer-specific | None | Registered at school in Ukraine | |
| UK | ||||
| WH | Open | None | None | 1 total participation those who participated prior to 2015 may be eligible for 24 months extra participation |
Use the above chart along with the chart in our previous blog to get an overview of how International Experience Canada (IEC) works with regards to your country. If your country is not on this chart you may still be able to participate. Go here to our previous blog for more information or contact us directly!
Posted in Tips and tagged Work Permit
