International Experience Canada – work opportunities for youth

The International Experience Canada program is explicitly developed for the youth so that they can get the golden opportunity to work in Canada for a temporary period. This program allows for young people from at least thirty different countries to receive Open Work Permits to work under their chosen employer in Canada. The IEC program is exclusively designed to help create and maintain ties between countries based on economy, society, and culture.  

Introduction 

Certain countries and their citizens possess a Bilateral Youth Mobility Arrangement with Canada. Suppose these citizens of countries have this kind of arrangement and belong to the age group from 18 to 35; they will also become eligible for work permits issued under the IEC program. The IEC program doesn’t require the LMIA’s lengthy procedure to issue Work Permits. 

The Labor Market Impact Assessment is a process used mainly by the government of Canada to determine the kind of impact the foreign workers will have when they enter Canada. The primary purpose of the IEC is to strengthen Canada’s socio, economic and cultural relationships with other countries. The International Experience Canada program (IEC) and interested candidates applying under this program can obtain a work permit in Canada in the following ways: 

Category of Working Holiday 

Aspiring candidates applying through the Working Holiday category can access the Open Work Permit with a validity of one to two years. These types of work permits provide the authority to the individuals to join any Canadian employer of their choice in any chosen Canadian location. Foreign nationals might even get permission to stay in the country for either less or more than a year.  

The following individuals can access the category of Working Holiday: 

• Those who don’t possess an employment offer. 
• Those who seek to work for multiple Canadian employers. 
• Those who seek to work in various locations (typically more than one) 
• Those who seek a high salary for more travel.  

Category of Young Professionals  

The category of Young Professionals simply allows interested candidates from other countries to acquire a meaningful international experience by working for a company in Canada. This category comprises employer-specific work permits; applicants can hold the work permits only if they are approved. The Young Professionals category applies to individuals with the following: 

• A valid employment letter or offer in Canada with a reasonable salary. The job must also promise growth in terms of professional development.  
• They must strategically intend to work under the same Canadian employer for the rest of their stay in the country. 

Any interested candidate for the Young Professionals category must ensure that they have a signed letter of employment or job contract from their Canadian employer. Their letter must also demonstrate their professional development and their job profile must be listed under the NOC skill level O, A, or B.  

Category of International Co-op Internship 

The International Co-op Internship category applies to individuals with enrollment at a post-secondary institution to work as an intern for different companies in Canada. This category is prone to employer-specific work permits.  

The International Co-op Internship category benefits individuals with the following: 

• Prior registration at a Canadian post-secondary institution. 
• An employment letter demonstrating either a valid job or a Canadian internship is essential for completing their studies. 
• Intention to work for the same Canadian employer while they stay in the country. 

Those who wish to apply under this category will have to make arrangements with employers in Canada before applying. 

Category of Employer-Specific Work Permits  

An Employer-Specific Work Permit comprises the name of the Canadian employer under whom the foreign national is employed, the profession, the work location, and the designated work period. 

The International Experience Canada program permits candidates under the International Co-op Internship and the Young Professionals categories to be employed by the same employer in different locations.  

This situation is conditional and will require the Canadian businesses to operate in different locations holding the same CRA business number, the same address of the workplaces, and the same CRA number. All these documents must be submitted while applying for the Employment Letter. It is also crucial for the duties, occupations, and wages to have uniformity among them despite the two locations.  

Applicants under the International Co-op Interns and Young Professionals category will also need to prove their Canadian employment by maintaining its relevance with their education, internship, and professional experience.  

In some instances, specific applicants under the category of Employer-Specific Work Permits might be granted their request to replace their employer. Still, they must present accurate documentation concerning the occupation and new employer. To request this sort of change, the employee must also provide a concrete explanation for why. The reason could also depict the company being closed. Only the case processing agent will have the authority to provide approval for their request.  

Suppose an applicant asks for a change in the Employer after initiating the first work permit; he might be granted permission, but the work period will be well-aligned with the bilateral agreement, and the work period will also reduce in accordance with the time that has already passed. 

Countries possessing Bilateral Youth Mobility Agreements with Canada 

Each type of Visa, along with its length and validity, has been specified in the table. Also, the size and validity will undoubtedly depend upon the applicant’s nationality and the kind of Visa for which they have applied.   

IEC Program and its eligibility conditions 

The International Experience Canada program comprises several eligibility requirements. Therefore, the candidates must fulfill the following: 

• The candidate must hold a passport of any of the countries that have a Bilateral Youth Mobility agreement with Canada.  
• The candidate must present a valid passport to determine the stay duration in Canada. The work permit will be equivalent to the duration of the passport and will not exceed the validity.  
• The candidate must be of the age group 18 to 35 at the time of applying. The applicant’s citizenship country will decide the upper age limit. 
• He must have the potential to deal with the expenses in the initial phase. Therefore, he must have money equal in standard to $2,500 CAN.   
• The candidate must also prove that they have health insurance coverage for their stay. They will have to present the proof while they enter Canada. 
• They must be legally admissible to Canada. 
• The candidate must possess a ticket in advance for their departure or have proper finances to buy the departure tickets. 
• No number of dependents must be accompanying the candidate. 
• The candidate must be able to pay the required fee. 

However, it’s worth noting that the age and eligibility conditions may differ from one country to another. 

The complete working process of the IEC 

The International Experience Canada program functions primarily through an ITA and EOI structure. It is mandatory for all the interested candidates to receive the invitation before they start applying. 

The following is a detailed and step-by-step guide for candidates on the entire working process of the IEC program: 

• Firstly, you will need to complete the Questionnaire “Come to Canada”. If you are rendered eligible you will be receiving your personal reference code.  
• Utilize this code by creating an online account. 
• Consider the profile builder of IEC and follow the remaining steps as well. 
• Once you submit your profile, make sure you decide on the IEC pools. 
• Suppose you receive an ITA in your account, you will have a choice to either proceed with the application or reject it. 
• You will need to click on the option of “Start Application” to begin the application process for the work permit. 
• Once you click on the button, you will have to complete the entire application process within 20 days, irrespective of the day when you accept the application within the given time. You will need to complete everything from payment to submission of application within those twenty days only. 
• For the categories of Young Professionals and International Co-op, your employer must pay an amount of $230 via the Employer Portal well in advance of the expiry of twenty days. Once they make the payment, you must request them to provide you with the employment number which will help you in applying for the work permit. 
• You must ensure you upload all the supporting documents which are certificates related to Police and Medical Examinations. If you haven’t yet received these two documents you can even upload proof that you have given the medical test and also a copy of the request for the Police certificate.  
• You will also need to pay a fee amounting to $153CAD through an online payment portal with your credit card.  
• Applicants under the Working Holiday category must pay the fee for the Open Work Permit amounting to $100 CAD. 
• After you complete these steps, IRCC will also start evaluating your temporary work permit application and might even ask you to submit specific additional documents. At this point, you may still have a chance to withdraw your IEC application and even initiate a refund. IRCC will be able to process applications having all information within a timeframe of eight weeks.  
• Post your application’s success you will even receive a Letter of Introduction (LOI) in your account. The document will be officially termed as POE (Port of Entry Introduction Letter). 
• The POE letter needs to be demonstrated at the Canadian Port of Entry, for instance, the Canadian international airport. After this, you may obtain a work permit. 

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will grant permission to the participants of the IEC work permit to prolong their work permit and attain the level of maximum validity for specified categories. 

Conclusion 

The IEC program doesn’t regulate the extensions of work permits, but IEC applicants might be able to get their work permits extended beyond their initial validity during their time of entry at the border. However, these extensions will remain conditional only.  

With all the conditions outlined for you, you will be able to understand when you can prolong your work permit’s validity.