Step-by-step guide to IEC Canada work permits — International Co-op, Young Professionals and Working Holiday applications

Form IMM5707 or Form IMM5645

Download the Family Information Form (IMM5707) from the list of required documents. Depending on your citizenship, you may be asked to fill out Form IMM5707 or Form IMM5645.

To open this form, you must save the PDF file on your computer and open it OUTSIDE OF YOUR INTERNET BROWSER. If you try to open it directly on your Internet browser, you will come across this error message:

If you are asked to fill out Form IMM5645, tick the “Worker” box for “type of application”—you are applying for an IEC work permit.

IMM5707 is a two-page form—one page needs to be filled out and the other page contains instructions.

Tick “Yes” or “No” to answer the question “Will accompany you to Canada?” The first row refers to you, the applicant, so the question may sound strange. You can leave the box empty or answer “Yes.” Then you need to state if family members (spouse, common-law partner, parents, children) will be coming with you to Canada.

Your answer won’t affect your application. However, keep in mind that these family members won’t benefit from your IEC work permit. In other words, if you’re granted a Working Holiday, a Young Professionals permit or an International Co-op Internship work permit, your partner won’t automatically be granted a work permit as well.

This is what the IRCC says regarding spouses or common-law partners listed:

Will my spouse or common-law partner get a work permit under International Experience Canada to come with me?

“No. If your spouse or common-law partner wants to work in Canada, they have two options:

1. Submit a profile to the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. They will have to meet the requirements and follow the application steps if they are invited to apply for a work permit.

2. Apply for a work permit outside the IEC program. For more information, see Can my spouse or common-law partner work in Canada?

For both options, your spouse’s or common-law partner’s work permit application will be assessed separately from yours.
If your spouse or common-law partner is not eligible for a work permit, they may be able to come to Canada as a visitor.
See also Can my spouse or common-law partner and dependent children come with me to Canada?”

Your accompanying child(ren) could apply for a visitor status or a study permit.

Section A

Enter your personal information and personal details for your spouse or common-law partner (if applicable) and for your parents. Make sure to fill out all the fields (name, date of birth, country of birth, present address and present occupation).

Spouse or common-law partner

If you are in a common-law relationship (i.e. you’re not married but you’ve been living together for at least a year and you can prove it), you can enter personal details for your partner in the “spouse or common-law partner” row. There is no additional form to fill out and no proof of relationship is required.

Parents

If you have more than two parents (for example, if you were adopted), only list your adoptive parents. If you don’t know the identity of one or two parents, enter “Unknown.” If your parents are retired or unemployed, enter “Retired” or “Unemployed” for “Present occupation.” If one of your parents passed away, enter “Deceased,” then the date and city where they died in the “Present address” field. If you’re estranged from one of your parents and you don’t know their current occupation or address, write “Unknown.”

Section B

Reminder: There are two lines to fill out per person (“date of birth” and “country of birth,” “present address” and “present occupation”) in addition to questions about the relationship to the applicant and family status. If your children are in school, enter “Student” for “Current occupation.” And if they are too young to go to school, enter “N/A,” “Not applicable” or “Unemployed.”

If your children come with you to Canada, they must get:

• A tourist status, usually automatically granted upon arrival in Canada for most visa-exempt nationals. A border services officer at the port of entry will make sure they meet entry requirements (which isn’t an issue most of the time) and authorise their stay by stamping their passport. They cannot work in Canada with a temporary visitor status. Note that visa-exempt foreign nationals need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada.

• A study permit if they are six or older (i.e. school-aged children).

There’s an additional “Section C” for brothers and sisters on Form IMM5645. If applicable, enter their personal details.

Section C

Document signature

The Government of Canada has two approved ways to sign your application.

Option 1 (recommended)

Skip printing, signing and scanning—you just complete and upload the form and when you come to submit your application, you will be asked to type in your name and answer a security question. This is your electronic signature and it applies to all forms attached to the entire application.

#DYK? The electronic signature when submitting your IEC application online applies to all related documents. There is no need to print and sign. https://t.co/BkrRuyocHf pic.twitter.com/1bOjHZLcpF

— IEC (@IEC_EIC)

Option 2

The form can be filled out electronically, printed out, your signature added by hand, scanned and uploaded. Make sure your signature on the form matches the one on your passport. This is the only way for IRCC to authenticate it if adding manually. You will still need to electronically sign your application before submitting, even if you have chosen to sign the family form by hand.