Canada Working Holiday Visa - For US Citizens

To be eligible for the Canada Working Holiday Visa, you must be from one of the countries listed below. You must also meet the age requirement, which for most countries is 18 to 35 years old, but for some, it is 18 to 29 or 30 years old.

• 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.

If you are from the United States (or another country that is not listed), then you will need to gain the support of a Recognized Organization in order to apply.

To be eligible for the Canada Working Holiday Visa, you have to meet the following requirements:

• Be a citizen of one of the IEC participating countries, or have the support of a Recognized Organisation.
• Have a valid passport for the entire length of your stay in Canada.
• Be between the ages of 18 and 29, 30 or 35 when you apply. (The upper age limit is determined by the applicant’s country of citizenship)
• Have the equivalent of at least CAD $2,500 on arriving in Canada.
• Have health insurance for the full duration of your Working Holiday Visa.
• Be admissible to Canada
• Have a return travel ticket or have enough funds to purchase one after arriving in the country.
• Not be accompanied by dependents
• Pay all required fees

Citizens of some countries have to be resident in the country of citizenship at the time of applying.

If you are a U.S. citizen wishing to travel to Canada for a working holiday, below are the steps to take to apply for a Working Holiday Work permit. Note that the only way to apply for an IEC work permit is online.

1. Complete the provided questionnaire – this will tell you if you meet the criteria to be accepted into the IEC pools. You can do this by signing in to your IRCC account and selecting “International Experience Canada”. If you don’t have an account yet, you can find out if you’re eligible without signing in.
2. Complete your online IEC profile – your answers from the questionnaire will be used to start your profile. To complete your profile, you’ll need your passport. You can exit your profile at any time and your information will be saved. However note that if you don’t complete your profile in 60 days, you won’t be able to submit it and will have to start again.
3. For U.S. citizens – when you create your IEC profile, you’ll be asked if you have a confirmation letter that proves an RO is helping you. This is a letter that you must obtain from your RO and upload to your profile.
4. Submit your profile. You will be informed which pools are available to you when you complete your profile, and you can submit your profile to any of the available pools. Note that submitting an IEC profile is not an application for a work permit, as you need an invitation to apply (ITAs) to start a work permit application. Once you submit your profile to the selected pool your name will be entered into the draws. Those who have their name drawn will receive the invitation to apply (ITA). The number of Working Holiday visas granted each year is limited, so there is no guarantee that you will receive an invite. Therefore by applying as early as possible you will be exposed to a greater number of draws.
5. Submit your Working Holiday Visa application – If you’re invited to apply, you’ll need to apply from within your IRCC account within 10 days. To officially accept the ITA, you need to click the ‘Start Application’ button. Then, you will need to submit all required documents and pay the required fees within 20 days.

IRCC will then inform you of the outcome. If your application is successful, you will receive a Port of Entry (POE) letter of introduction in your account. You will need to take it with you and present it at customs when you land in Canada.

The following supporting documents will need to be submitted in your Working Holiday Visa application:

• Valid passport
• Digital photograph
• Medical certificate
• Biometrics (only required after your visa application is approved).
• Receipts for fees payment
• Police certificate (one for each country where you spent more than 6 months).
• Confirmation letter from your RO, if applicable