The International Experience Canada IEC 2024 season is now open, starting on December 11, 2023. If you’re from one of the 36 eligible countries, you can now register for a working holiday visa.
The first round of invitations will be announced around January 8, 2024. So, you have about 4 weeks to submit your profile for the chance to be part of the first draw of IEC 2024.
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Draws will continue until the IEC season ends or all slots are filled. The IEC 2023 season ended on October 13, and a similar closure period can be expected for IEC 2024.
Though specific quotas for each country are not disclosed, candidates from all eligible nations will likely have a good chance of receiving an invitation in the early rounds.
The 2023 IEC season had a quota of 90,000, and a similar number is expected for this year.
Participation Of Finland And Iceland
Starting in 2024, Iceland is set to become part of the IEC countries. On August 4, Canada and Iceland agreed to let young people, aged 18-30, work and travel between the two nations.
Finland is also joining the list in 2024, and young people from South Korea can take part in programs like Young Professionals and International Co-Op.
Automation tools will be used extensively for faster processing of IEC applications.
IEC 2024 Fees
The IEC fee is now $172 CAD, and Canada invites qualified applicants from the IEC pools to apply for a Canadian work permit every week.
The cost of your IEC (International Experience Canada) application depends on the program you’re applying for to come to Canada.
- If you’re applying for the Working Holiday program, you’ll need to pay a fee of $100 CAD.
- For Young Professionals and International Co-op candidates, there are no additional fees. However, employers of these candidates need to pay a $230 CAD employer compliance fee.
If you have to provide biometrics, there’s an additional fee of $85 CAD when you pay the IEC fee.
You can get a refund for the IEC fee, open work permit holder fee, and employer compliance fees in certain situations.
If you withdraw your work permit application before receiving your Port of Entry (POE) letter of introduction, or if your employer withdraws their job offer before your work permit is issued, you can get a refund. Also, if your work permit application is refused, you’ll receive a refund.
IEC 2024 Categories
IEC has three main categories. The biggest one is the Working Holiday Visas, which sent out 116,030 invitations last year.
The other two categories are Young Professionals and International Co-op. In IEC 2023, Young Professionals sent 8,056 invitations, and International Co-op sent 4,488 invitations.
Here’s a breakdown of each category:
- Working Holiday Visa: This is the largest group. It lets young people from certain countries apply for a visa that allows them to work anywhere in the country.
- Young Professionals: This group offers young people from qualifying countries a visa to work for one specific company. It gives them a chance to gain experience and advance in their careers.
- International Co-op (Internship): After finishing their education, graduates from certain countries can apply for work placements to do internships in Canada.
List Of Countries Eligible For IEC 2024 Season
Here’s the list of countries eligible for Working Holiday Visas in IEC 2024:
- Andorra
- Australia
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Germany
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Korea Republic
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- Austria
- Belgium
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- France
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Slovakia
- Taiwan
Updates for IEC 2024 season
Some changes have been made for the IEC 2024 season. Young Britons (18-35 years old) can now participate twice for a total of 36 months.
They can spend 24 months in any IEC category for the first participation and 12 months for the second.
Young people from Korea (18-35 years old) can apply for the Young Professionals and International Co-op categories, and they may participate twice.
Reapplication in Canada is allowed for the Working Holiday and Young Professionals categories, but the International Co-op category is limited to one participation per candidate.
How To Apply For IEC 2024 Season
The 2024 IEC season is starting on January 8, 2024. Canada has yet to announce how many people they’ll accept this season.
If you’re eligible, you can follow these steps since December 11, 2023:
- Submit a profile: Create a profile on your IRCC account to be considered for an invitation. If you made one in past years, use the same account, but make a new profile.
- Receive an invitation: To apply for a work permit, you need an invitation. They give out invitations each week through a random lottery. The sooner you enter, the more chances you have.
- Submit a work permit application: If you get an invitation, you have 10 days to decide and 20 more days to send in your application.
Invitation rounds usually start a few weeks after the season opens.
Processing Time For IEC
The processing time for IEC is 4 weeks, according to the most recent update from the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
