To all young people between the ages of 18 and 35, remember the date of January 9, 2023The International Experience Canada (IEC) program will open for a new season, with a 20% increase in available spots. This program allows talented young people from countries that have signed mobility agreements with Canada to benefit from facilitating procedures to obtain a work permit for a period of 12 to 24 months.
The Working Holiday Permit (WHP) is EIC's best known permit. It is an open work permit, requiring no involvement from a Canadian employer. Accessible by lottery, the WHP does not offer any guarantee to its holder.
The IEC program includes three categories of work permits:
- The working vacation permit, which is an open work permit that allows the holder to work for several Canadian employers.
- The closed work permits, namely the Young Professional permit and the International Coop permit, require a job offer from a Canadian employer.
Each year, a good number of participants are French, German, Belgian or Italian nationals, but they are far from being the only nationals who can participate!
In total, 36 nationalities are eligible to participate in EIC. And, Croatian, Taiwanese, New Zealanders and Koreans.
The conditions for participation in the program, as well as the categories of work permits available, vary from country to country, depending on the agreement concluded with Canada. While candidates between the ages of 30 and 35 are generally eligible to participate in the program, the length of the permit obtained, as well as the possibilities of renewal, may differ.
The International Experience Canada program allows for:
- The issuance of work permits exempt from Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMI).
- For the Young Professionals and International Co-op work permits, an electronic offer on the employer's portal is sufficient, thus reducing the steps on the employer's side and the government fees to $230.
- Processing times are relatively short, ranging from 5 to 8 weeks from the date the biometric data is taken..
So, if you are between 18 and 35 years old and you are looking for an international experience, you are in the right place.
Do not hesitate to contact us, Canada is waiting for you!
