2021 Canada Working Holiday Season – Proof of A Valid Job Offer Now Required

Normally, i.e. in non-pandemic times, candidates who enter their profile to the Working Holiday pool are randomly drawn during “rounds of invitations” over several months. Lucky ones are then issued an Invitation to apply.

Canada has been discouraging and limiting non-essential travel since March 2020. Over the past few months, only Working Holiday permit holders with a valid job offer in Canada have been allowed to travel to Canada.

As you probably know, COVID didn’t go away and travel is still restricted to Canada. The Government of Canada now indicates that “due to current travel restrictions, Working Holiday candidates will have to provide proof of a valid job offer to receive an invitation to apply for the 2021 season.”

So, what exactly qualifies as a “job offer”?

Basically, you have to contact the Government of Canada directly by email at [email protected], write “Working Holiday candidate with a job offer” in the email subject line and copy the text below and complete it with your personal information, in the body of the email:

I have a job offer in Canada and wish to receive an invitation to apply. My International Experience Canada application profile number is [WXXXXXXXXX].

My information is:

• Full name [as it appears on your passport—family name followed by given name(s)]
• Date of birth [YYYY-MM-DD]
• Country of residence
• Date you created your IEC profile
• Employment information: employer [name], located at [address], may be contacted at [telephone number or email].

You have to attach a copy of the job offer (it needs to include the following information):

• Business’s legal name and business’ operating name
• Job title
• Physical job location including city and province or territory
• Main duties of the job
• Expected start date of employment
• Expected duration of employment
• Employer’s primary contact information
• Wage and hours of work

Official source.

The 2021 Working Holiday season started on March 1, 2021, for candidates from many countries. Anyone ( … meeting basic requirements, check out our guide first!) can submit a profile, regardless of whether you have a job offer or not.
You will find your application number in your online account once you’ve submitted your profile to the pool:

“Job offer” criteria are still pretty vague at this stage—full-time, part-time, paid work, volunteer work, long-term or short-term work, etc.

We will pass along info as soon as possible on pvtistes.net, Facebook and Instagram. Stay tuned!

What happens if I don’t have a job offer in Canada?

You can still submit a profile to the pool but you won’t be eligible to receive an Invitation to apply for now.
You can consider looking for a job from outside Canada—it is tricky but plenty of Working Holiday permit holders managed to find their employer from abroad and travelled to Canada after March 2020.

Tips to find a job in Canada:

• Finding a job and working in Canada
• Finding a job in Canada from your home country

Does this mean that it’s now just a “Working” permit instead of a “Working Holiday” permit?

Don’t worry, you can still travel around Canada!

The Government of Canada doesn’t require you to work full-time for 12 months, a job offer for several weeks or months should be enough—we’re still waiting for more info on this. So once your contract is over, you could:

• Discover Canada and enjoy the country with fewer tourists around (yay, no tour buses and easy-to-find accommodation options!),
• Move to another city or province,
• Look for another job, get precious experience in your field, volunteer where you’re most needed.