The International Experience Canada (IEC) program for 2022 is now open to citizens from more than 30 countries under bilateral agreements. Pursuant to section 205(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, the objective of IEC is to enhance key bilateral relationships between Canada and other countries. Currently, the IEC program administers Canada’s agreements and memorandum with 36 countries and territories.
The current participating countries include Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
IEC offers youth (age 18-35 years) from these countries, an opportunity to obtain a work permit for up to 2 years. IEC program includes three possible categories of participation – Working Holiday, Young Professionals, and lastly International Co-Op. An applicant for Working Holiday is able to apply for an “open” work permit for an employer in Canada to subsidize their stay as they work and travel in Canada. The Young Professional participants are eligible to apply for employer-specific work permit to gain professional work experience in Canada. The International Co-Op category is intended only for students who are eligible to apply for internships for an employer specific work permit to gain experience in their field of study.
The dynamic IEC electronic application (e-application) allows candidates to submit their profile to an IEC pool. The system assesses whether they meet basic IEC eligibility requirements before enabling them to submit their profile to the pool and become candidates for the IEC program. Through campaigns managed by IRCC, candidates are invited to submit their complete work permit e-application to IRCC. These work permit applications are always submitted outside of Canada. The dependents of the IEC applicants cannot come to Canada under this program.
Based on each individual’s education and experiential background along with participating country, we can assist with the best possible option for work permit, leading eventually to permanent residency in Canada. At NPZ Law Group, our U.S. and Canadian lawyers seek to assist clients with regard to employment and family immigration issues. If you or your friends or family should have any questions about any aspect of the Canadian Immigration Law, please feel free to contact us at info@visaserve.com or you can call our office at 201-670-0006 (ext. 104). We look forward to being able to assist you.