Create your IEC profile and get your invitation to apply

To participate in IEC, your first step is to create and submit your profile in one or more IEC pools. After you submit your profile, you must wait for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to apply for a work permit.

We regularly invite eligible applicants from IEC pools to apply for a work permit.

On this page

• Step 1: Use the online questionnaire to check your eligibility
• Step 2: Complete your online IEC profile
• Step 3: Submit your profile
• Step 4: Wait for an ITA
• Step 5: Respond to your ITA

Step 1: Use the online questionnaire to check your eligibility

Use the online questionnaire to start the process for your IEC profile. The questionnaire takes 10 minutes to complete. You’ll be asked about your

• country of citizenship
• country of permanent residence (where you live permanently)
  • This is the country where you have a permanent address. For example, if you’re a Mexican student in Canada, your country of permanent residence is Mexico.
• country of residence (where you live now)
• student status (if this applies to you)
• job offer (if this applies to you)
• confirmation letter from an IEC recognized organization (if this applies to you)
  • Recognized organizations are different from representatives, who can help with your immigration or citizenship application.

You have 2 options to answer the questionnaire. Both options have the same questions to check your eligibility.

Step 2: Complete your IEC profile

When you’re done with the questionnaire (and if you’re eligible), you can complete and submit your IEC profile online.

If you used the Come to Canada questionnaire without signing in

1. Copy your personal reference code (it looks like this : JM1234567890).
2. Create or sign in to your IRCC secure account.
3. Enter your personal reference code when asked.

If you checked your eligibility using your IRCC secure account

If you signed in to your IRCC secure account to check your eligibility, click “Continue” (no code needed).

We use your answers from either questionnaire to start your profile. To complete your profile, you need your passport. You also need to tell us about your:

• identity (full names, date of birth, place of birth etc.)
• contact information

If you’re invited to apply, you’ll use your IRCC secure account to:

• submit your work permit application
• pay your fees
• check the status of your application

You must use your IRCC secure account to apply for an IEC work permit.

When you fill out the online forms

• Leave out any commas that separate your first or last names (if you have more than one first or last name). For example, use “Julie Louise Marie” if your first name is “Julie, Louise, Marie”.
• Use English and French letters only.
• If your passport uses other special letters or characters, use the letter without the accent. For example, use “z” instead of “ź.”

Lower case letters you can use

• a-z
• é
• à
• è
• ù
• â
• ê
• î
• ô
• û
• ë
• ï
• ö
• ü
• æ
• ç
• œ

Upper case letters you can use

• A-Z
• É
• À
• È
• Ù
• Â
• Ê
• Î
• Ô
• Û
• Ë
• Ï
• Ö
• Ü
• Æ
• Ç
• Œ

If you want to complete your profile later

You can exit the profile at any time. Your information will be saved. You have 60 days to complete and submit your IEC profile. If you take more than 60 days, you won’t be able to submit it and you’ll have to start over.

Step 3: Submit your profile

You can submit an IEC profile at any time during the IEC season. As long as you submit your profile before the final round of invitations for your country, you could get an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Before you submit your profile, make sure you understand which category is right for you.

You can only have 1 IEC profile at a time. When you complete your profile, we’ll determine your eligibility based on your answers. You may be eligible for one or more of the available IEC categories:

• International Co-op (Internship)
• Working Holiday
• Young Professionals

There is one pool of eligible candidates per country and per category. You can submit your profile to one or more of these pools. For example, you may be eligible to submit your profile to the Working Holiday and Young Professionals pools for your country.

How we issue Invitations to Apply (ITA)

ITAs are issued in the following order:

1. International Co-op (Internship)
2. Young Professionals
3. Working Holiday

If your profile is in an International Co-op (Internship) pool and Working Holiday pool, you’ll get an ITA for an International Co-op category. You’ll only get an ITA for a Working Holiday work permit if there are no spots left in the International Co-op (Internship) category.

Important: Submitting an IEC profile doesn’t mean you applied for a work permit. You can only start a work permit application when you get your ITA.

Step 4: Wait for an ITA

We regularly invite eligible candidates from the IEC pools to apply for a work permit. These are called rounds of invitations.

Your profile will stay in the pool until

• you get an ITA for a work permit
• we remove all of the profiles from the pools at the end of the season or
• you’re no longer eligible for IEC

Even if you’re invited to apply, you can’t participate more times than your country allows. When we get your application, an officer will assess your eligibility, including your past participations. You can only get one IEC permit per season. Confirm you meet all the requirements before you submit an application.

Check the rounds of invitations to find out:

• when the rounds of invitations for each country and category start and end
• the number of candidates in the pools
• your chances of getting an invitation this season

If you’re invited to apply, you’ll get a message in your IRCC secure account and an email notification.

Get your supporting documents ready while you wait for your ITA

While you wait for your ITA, consider getting your supporting documents ready. Some documents take time to get, for example police certificates.

If you accept an ITA, you have only 20 days to

• complete and submit your application for a work permit
• submit all supporting documents

If your documents are ready in advance, it’s easier to apply within the 20 days.

Step 5: Respond to your ITA

If you get an ITA, your invitation will list your IEC category and the next steps to apply.

You have 10 days to accept the invitation before it expires. Your deadline is listed in your invitation.

If you don’t respond by the deadline listed in the invitation, the invitation will expire. If it expires, you have to submit a new IEC profile and wait for a new ITA.

From the day and time you accept the invitation, you have 20 days to apply online for your work permit.

To accept your invitation

1. Log in to your IRCC secure account
2. Go to the section called “Continue my profile / application, not yet submitted” in your account
3. Find the application called “Work permit”
4. Click “Start application”

Once you accept your invitation, you need to apply for a work permit. You’ll have to show proof of the information you gave us in your IEC profile. You’ll also have to give more information about your background and the type of work you intend to do in Canada.

If you want to decline your ITA

If you decline an invitation, you’ll stay in the IEC pool of candidates (if you’re still eligible) to be considered in future rounds of invitations.

If you choose to decline an invitation, it won’t have a negative effect on future invitations.

To decline the invitation:

1. Log in to your IRCC secure account
2. Go to the section called “Continue my profile / application, not yet submitted” in your account
3. Find the application called “Work permit”
4. Click “Decline application”