Working Holiday Visa for Canada

If you come from one of the following countries and you meet the country-specific age requirement, you can apply for the IEC Working Holiday Visa program:

• Australia – between 18 and 30 years old
• Belgium – between 18 and 30 years old
• Chile – between 18 and 30 years old
• Czech Republic – between 18 and 35 years old
• Costa Rica – between 18 and 35 years old
• Croatia – between 18 and 35 years old
• Denmark – between 18 and 35 years old
• Estonia – between 18 and 35 years old
• France – between 18 and 35 years old
• Germany – between 18 and 35 years old
• Greece – between 18 and 35 years old
• Hong Kong – between 18 and 30 years old
• Ireland – between 18 and 35 years old
• Italy – between 18 and 35 years old
• Japan – between 18 and 30 years old
• South Korea – between 18 and 30 years old
• Latvia – between 18 and 35 years old
• Lithuania – between 18 and 35 years old
• Mexico – between 18 and 29 years old
• Netherlands – between 18 and 30 years old
• New Zealand – between 18 and 35 years old
• Norway – between 18 and 35 years old
• Poland – between 18 and 35 years old
• Slovakia – between 18 and 35 years old
• Slovenia – between 18 and 35 years old
• Spain – between 18 and 35 years old
• Sweden – between 18 and 30 years old
• Taiwan – between 18 and 35 years old
• Ukraine – between 18 and 35 years old
• United Kingdom – between 18 and 30 years old.

Unfortunately, if your home country is not listed here, you are not eligible for the Working Holiday Visa.

The eligibility criteria for IEC Working Holiday Visa in Canada include:

• Be a citizen of one of the 35 countries that participate in the International Experience Canada
• Have a valid passport (it needs to be valid throughout the duration of your stay in Canada)
• Be between the ages of 18 and 30 or 35, depending on the country of citizenship.
• Have at least CAD$2,500 at the time of admission into Canada.
• Be able to get health insurance for the duration of your stay in Canada.
• Be admissible to Canada
• Have either a return ticket at the time of admission into Canada or have enough funds to purchase one after arriving in the country
• Not be accompanied by dependents
• Be able to pay all the necessary fees.

Additionally, citizens of some countries have to also be residents in the country of their citizenship at the time of submitting the application for the Working Holiday Visa in Canada.

Before you submit your application for the Working Holiday Visa, seek advice from our immigration lawyers. They will review country-specific information and will assess your eligibility for the visa.

To assess whether you are eligible for the Working Holiday Visa, you have to complete the Come to Canada questionnaire. If you determine that you meet the requirements for it, you can create an International Experience Canda (IEC) profile.

When you do that, you will receive a unique code allowing you to set up a CIC account. Once you create a CIC account, you will have 60 days to complete the application form for the Working Holiday Visa.

There are several sections in the application form. After you file them all, your IEC profile will be submitted to the pool and your name will enter the lottery. Those who get lucky enough to have their name drawn and receive the invitation to apply (ITA) can proceed with their visa application. There is a limited number of Working Holiday Visas that are granted to applicants each year. That is why there is no guarantee that you will receive the invite.

If you receive the ITA, you will have to start your application for the Working Holiday Visa in Canada within 10 days. To officially accept the ITA, you need to press the ‘Start Application’ button. Then, you will have 20 days to submit all required forms and documents and pay all the fees. If you no longer want to come to Canada, you can decline the invitation.

Once you submit the application, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will review it and will inform you about the decision. If your application is successful, you will receive a letter of introduction (LOI). You will have to show it to an immigration officer when you arrive in Canada.

In your Working Holiday Visa application, you need to include the following documents:

• Police certificate (you will need to prove you don’t have a criminal record, hence a police certificate for each country where you spent more than 6 months)
• Medical certificate proving that you will not be a burden to Canada’s health and social services system
• Biometrics and fingerprints (you only need to do it after your visa application is approved)
• Valid passport
• Receipts proving that you paid all the required fees
• Digital photograph.

When you are filing the application for this temporary working visa, you will see a section called ‘Letter of Explanation’. If some of the required evidence does not arrive before the application deadline, there you can explain why you did not include it.

If you are not sure what documents to submit with your application or you need help gathering them, seek assistance from our immigration lawyers. They will help you prepare a complete portfolio of evidence confirming your eligibility for the visa.

After you submit the application, you will receive your Port of Entry letter (POE) within 56 days. You will need to take it with you and present it at customs when you land in Canada.