Participation eligibility requirements – International Experience Canada (IEC) [R204(d) – C21] – Reciprocity – International Mobility Program (IMP)

In these instructions “officer” refers to employees of both Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency.

To apply under the International Experience Canada (IEC) Program, the eligibility requirements below must be satisfied.

On this page

• Citizenship and residency
• Age
• Passport validity
• Sufficient financial resources, including transportation to depart from Canada
• Travel or health care insurance
• Previous participation or discontinuous stay
• IEC family members
• Immigration medical examinations (IMEs)
• Police certificates

Citizenship and residency

A foreign national applying under a bilateral agreement or arrangement must be a citizen of one of the countries or a resident of one of the territories with which Canada holds a bilateral agreement or arrangement. Some bilateral agreements and arrangements require that the applicant be residing in said country or territory at the time of the application. When assessing this requirement, the processing agent should first consider the residency requirements as stipulated in the bilateral agreement or arrangement.

To determine residency, most candidates only need to provide an address in their country of citizenship. This could be either the mailing or residential address. Italian citizens must also provide a certified English or French translation of their residence certificate (certificato di residenza) to prove they live in Italy, as outlined in their country’s bilateral agreement with Canada. Clients participating again may reuse the residence certificate from their previous application, as Italian youth who have been in Canada under the Youth Mobility Agreement are not considered to have emigrated or become residents abroad.

Age

Applicants must meet the age requirement applicable to them as defined in the bilateral agreement or arrangement between Canada and their country or territory of citizenship on the date they receive an invitation to apply (ITA). Applicants are deemed eligible when they receive an ITA. Most countries and territories set the age requirement to be between 18 and 35, however, under certain bilateral agreements and arrangements, the age range may be limited to 18 to 30 years. Consult the program requirements specific to each country or territory for details.

Passport validity

Subsection 52(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) states that in order to become a temporary resident, a foreign national must hold a passport that remains valid throughout the period of their authorized stay in Canada. Exceptions to this are noted in subsection R52(2).

Each IEC application must include a legible copy of the identification pages (biodata pages) of the applicant’s passport. The copy must show the

• given and family names
• date of birth
• place of birth
• passport issuance date
• expiry date
• applicant’s signature

The validity of the work permit cannot exceed the passport’s expiry date. Therefore, applicants should ensure their passport is valid for the entire period they plan to stay in Canada. If the passport expires before the planned departure, the work permit will be limited accordingly.

Consult the eligibility and admissibility instructions, which describe how to take into account the passport validity period when issuing work permits.

Sufficient financial resources, including transportation to depart from Canada

IEC requires that participants have sufficient financial resources to cover their expenses at the beginning of their stay in Canada (minimum of CAN$2,500) to cover any expenses (for example, room and board) that may be incurred at the beginning of their stay. This requirement simply reflects the provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the IRPR respecting the admissibility of any foreign national into Canada for a temporary stay. A border services officer at a port of entry will not admit a foreign national into Canada unless they are satisfied that the foreign national will be able to support themselves while they are in Canada.

IEC applicants who intend to take an unpaid work placement in Canada under the International Co-op (Internship) category may be asked by a border services officer to prove that they have additional financial resources to cover their expenses for their entire stay.

Travel or health care insurance

At the time of application, IEC applicants do not have to provide proof of health care insurance (the only exception to the upfront proof of health care insurance is where applicants are applying from within Canada to extend an employer-specific work permit as described in scenario 4). They are, however, required to declare that they will purchase comprehensive health care insurance, including insurance for hospitalization and repatriation, for the entire duration of their authorized period of stay in Canada. Applicants should be advised that they should purchase their health care insurance only after they have received their port of entry letter of introduction.

It is imperative that IEC applicants have health care insurance during their stay in Canada so that they do not make an excessive demand on Canada’s health care system. Border services officers must verify that health care insurance has been obtained before issuing the work permit. Insurance must be valid for the entire period for which the work permit is sought. Participants can present 2 consecutive health care insurance policies if they were not able to purchase 1 policy to cover the entire length of their work permit.

If participants do not have the required insurance, they will not be eligible to receive the work permit and may be inadmissible to Canada. If their insurance is not valid for the entire period for which the work permit is sought, the duration of the work permit may be shortened accordingly. If they receive a shorter work permit due to the length of their insurance policy, they will not be eligible to apply for an extension at a later date.

Previous participation or discontinuous stay

Foreign nationals applying under a bilateral arrangement or agreement may be permitted to benefit from IEC more than once in their lifetime. Some bilateral agreements and arrangements require foreign nationals to apply under a different category (Working Holiday, International Co-op or Young Professionals) for their second participation. Some countries require that the 2 stays be discontinuous. Consult Bilateral agreements and arrangements for details. Foreign nationals may only participate once per IEC season.

For clients with dual citizenship, discontinuance only applies if the youth is participating consecutively under the same citizenship.

As of January 9, 2023, IEC counts participations when foreign nationals have their work permit issued at the port of entry. If foreign nationals could not come to Canada before their port of entry letter of introduction expired, it does not count as a participation. This policy is retroactive, and foreign nationals can reapply for an IEC work permit if they still meet the program eligibility criteria. Previously, IEC participations were counted when the port of entry letter of introduction was issued.

Foreign national youth are eligible to apply through an IEC recognized organization twice in their lifetime over and above the participations that the youth mobility arrangement allows. Repeat category participations through a recognized organization are allowed. The 2 participations are cumulative among all present, past or future recognized organizations. There is no discontinuity requirement for these individuals.

IEC family members

Under the IEC Program requirements, applicants may not include any dependants (that is, spouses, common-law partners or children) on their application to participate in the IEC Program. This means that an applicant and their family members may not benefit from the IEC Program as a family group under one IEC application. However, this does not prevent family members from submitting their own individual request to come to Canada (for example, a spouse may submit their own application to participate in the IEC Program).

IRCC has no specific policy prohibiting family members of IEC participants from joining them in Canada. However, the family members must be admissible to Canada on their own merits.

Family members of an IEC participant are not eligible to obtain an open work permit by virtue of the participant’s IEC application. However, family members may be eligible to apply separately for an open work permit once the IEC participant is employed in Canada if they meet the requirements of the open work permit category. Consult Overview of work designated by the Minister [R205(c)(ii) - C16, C41, C42, C43, C44, C45, C46, C47, C48, C49, C52, C88] for instructions on work permit eligibility for family members of workers.

As the IEC is an international experience wherein the applicant is expected to experience another country, Canada, and then return to their home country, the processing officer or border services officer must be satisfied that the participant and family members will depart Canada at the end of their authorized stay.

For more information about eligibility requirements such as passport validity, health care insurance, and sufficient financial resources, consult Apply – International Experience Canada.

Immigration medical examinations (IMEs)

Consult Who must submit to an immigration medical examination?

Important: An immigration medical examination (IME) is only required if the IEC participant

• has lived or travelled in a designated country for 6 months within the last year and plans to work or reside in Canada for more than 6 months
• will work in a designated occupation in which protection of public health is essential

For more information about IMEs, including who requires a medical certificate on entry, consult Who must submit to an immigration medical examination.

Police certificates

Guidelines for submitting a police certificate

• Applicants that have lived in another country or territory for 6 months or more since age 18, must provide a police certificate from each of those countries.
• If an applicant is from a country or territory that does not require a police certificate, the IRCC officer may still request one.
• U.S. citizens and permanent residents applying under a recognized organization with only U.S. residence do not need an upfront police certificate. However, if they have lived in other countries for 6 months or more since age 18, they must provide certificates from those countries.
• If a police certificate is in a language other than English or French, the original must be accompanied with a translation from a certified translator.
• If the applicant cannot obtain the certificate before the deadline, they may upload a request receipt or email confirmation showing they applied for it and they may submit an additional request for a further extension before the due date indicated in the IRCC document request letter.

Guidelines for delays in obtaining a police certificate

• If the applicant cannot obtain the police certificate upfront, the IRCC officer may send a letter granting an extension. The applicant must provide the police certificate, or one of the following, before the due date indicated in that letter:
  • A receipt or email confirmation showing they requested the certificate online, along with a letter explaining the delay and efforts made to obtain it.
  • A letter describing difficult country conditions that prevent them from obtaining the police certificate.
  • An official explanation from the relevant government department or agency detailing the delay or inability to issue the certificate (for example, an official letter, email or screenshot of their website). Note: If this explanation is in a language other than English or French, it must be translated by a certified translator.

Important:

• If the applicant requires a further extension, they must submit an additional explanation before the due date indicated in the letter.
• Failure to provide the certificate when the IRCC officer requests it may result in the application being refused.
• The reviewing officer may also require additional documentation to confirm the applicant is not criminally inadmissible to Canada.