Sample plan, example only, not advice
International Experience Canada (Working Holiday) in Canada
This is what the $9 plan looks like for one route. It is the same for everyone on the route and uses nobody's answers. It leaves out the plan's costs and common-rejection sections.
A summary of published government requirements, not legal advice. Transita is not a law firm and files nothing for you. Confirm every requirement on the official site before you act.
The route in numbers
From the catalogue, each figure dated and sourced.
Government fees: CAD 284.75
Processing: 1 to 3 months
Permit length: up to 2 years
verified 26 Oct 2026 (6 days ago)·canada.caDocument checklist (13)
Start about: 2-4 months (pool → invitation → work permit).
Free. Your country of citizenship must have a youth mobility agreement with Canada, and the categories open to you depend on that agreement. You cannot participate on a refugee travel document. · Free
Official sourceDrawn from the pool. You have exactly 20 days from accepting it to submit the work permit application, measured in UTC — not your local time.
Official sourceMust be valid when you apply and when you enter and leave Canada, and must have a blank page other than the last. Your work permit will not be issued for longer than your passport is valid.
Official sourcePlus one for any other country you have stayed in for 6 months in a row since turning 18 — those must have been issued after you left. Several countries have IEC-specific instructions. If you cannot get one in time you may upload the receipt and supply the certificate later. · 2-12 weeks · $25-100 CAD
Official sourceNeeded if you have recently lived or travelled in certain countries for 6 months or more, or if you plan to work in health care, primary or secondary education, child care or elderly care. Skipping it can get the application refused, or produce a permit that bars you from those jobs. · 1-2 weeks · $200-400 CAD
Official sourceEducation, qualifications and the main duties of each job, plus your current job title and the city and country you live in.
Official sourceCovers your spouse or partner, parents and children. Can be signed digitally, but IRCC's PDF forms do not open on phones or tablets.
Official sourcePaid in your IRCC account when you submit. IRCC publishes the current season's amount on its fee list.
Official sourceOn top of the participation fee. Young Professionals and International Co-op applicants pay nothing extra, but their employer pays a $230 CAD employer compliance fee and must submit the offer of employment before you apply. · $100 CAD
Official sourceFingerprints and photo at a collection point. Valid for 10 years.
Official sourcePrint it. The border officer issues the actual work permit on arrival, which is why an IEC permit cannot be obtained from inside Canada.
Official sourceAn original bank letter or statement, not a photocopy. It must clearly show the equivalent of $2,500 CAD, which covers roughly your first three months. You also need a departure ticket or the money to buy one.
Official sourceMust cover medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation. A provincial health card is not enough because it does not cover repatriation. If the policy is shorter than your intended stay, the officer issues a work permit that expires with the policy — and you then cannot extend it. · $500-900 CAD/year
Official sourceThe 30-day steps
As written in the plan. Wording can lag the official site, so check each step there. Amounts are left out here and shown, dated, in the route facts above.
Week 1: Assessment
- Confirm your country is on the IEC eligible countries list and check your country's specific age limit (18–30 or 18–35 depending on bilateral agreement)
- Create a GCKey account or sign in with a provincial partner to access your IRCC online portal
- Check the current IEC season status and pool opening dates on the IEC rounds of invitations page
- Verify your passport is valid for the full duration of your intended stay (up to 2 years)
- Review whether your country requires you to go through a Recognized Organization (RO), some countries (e.g., France, Australia) allow direct applications while others require an RO
Week 2: Documents
- Gather all documents listed in the checklist below
- Obtain police clearance certificates, processing times vary by country, so start immediately
- Purchase or research travel/health insurance that covers the full duration of your stay, including hospitalization and repatriation
- Book or schedule your immigration medical exam if required (mandatory for some nationalities) through a designated panel physician
Week 3: Application
- Submit your IEC profile to the candidate pool through your IRCC account
- Wait for a round of invitations, if you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), you have 10 days to accept it
- Once you accept, you have 20 days to submit a complete work permit application
- Fill out all required IRCC application forms carefully, double-checking every field
- Upload all supporting documents in the correct format (PDF, under 4MB per file)
Week 4: Submit & Wait
- Pay all government fees and submit your application
- Provide biometrics at your nearest IRCC biometrics collection point within 30 days of the request
- Monitor your IRCC account for any additional document requests or updates
- Once approved, you will receive a Port of Entry (POE) letter of introduction, this is NOT your work permit; you receive the actual permit when you arrive in Canada
- Book your travel and begin researching jobs, accommodation, and SIN registration
What to confirm with the official source or a licensed adviser
- That your passport is on the current list of eligible countries.
- The current fee, processing time and number of places for the season.
- Which documents the official application asks you for today.
- Any point the published rules leave open.
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