What is Canada’s International Co-op (Internship) IEC work permit?

Introduction to the International Co-op permit

Welcome to this introduction to the Canadian International Co-op (internship) permit! If you’ve heard about the International Co-op permit but you’re not sure how it works or if you are eligible, then this guide is for you.

We will take you through everything you need to know, including what the International Co-op permit is, the eligibility requirements, what to do when you’re ready to apply, and answers to your International Co-op FAQs.

What is IEC?

International Experience Canada (IEC) is a program developed by the Government of Canada to encourage youth mobility between Canada and its partner countries. As a part of these bilateral agreements, young adults from 30+ countries can live and work in Canada.

The International Co-op permit is one of three categories offered by IEC, the other categories being

• Working Holiday and
• Young Professionals.

What is the International Co-op category?

The International Co-op permit is a closed work permit designed to allow eligible young adults from partner countries to gain experience in Canada directly linked to their field of studies. The International Co-op permit will allow you to stay in Canada typically for up to 12 months.

It is much less competitive than the popular Working Holiday category.

The International Co-op permit requires you:

1. To be a student enrolled at a post-secondary institution.
2. To have have a job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada that directly relates to your current field of study. The work placement or internship must contribute to the completion of your studies.
3. To be be enrolled as a student for the duration of your International Co-op permit.
4. To work for the same employer in the same location during your stay in Canada.

Your internship may be paid or unpaid.

• If paid, you must be prepared to show least CA$2,500 in savings.
• If unpaid, you must have sufficient savings to cover your entire stay in Canada.

Even if the internship is unpaid, you still require a work permit to work in Canada.

Eligibility requirements for the International Co-op permit

More than 30 countries have signed a bilateral IEC agreement with Canada, but only a subset of these countries have an agreement for the International Co-op permit (some nationalities are only eligible for the Working Holiday permit).

Eligible candidates for the International Co-op permit are young adults between:

• 18 and 30 years old (inclusive) from Sweden.
• 18 and 35 years old (inclusive) from Australia, Austria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

You must:

• Be a student registered at a post-secondary institution and
• Hold a job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada directly related to your studies.

Depending on your citizenship, there may be further requirements—for example, you may need to be registered at a post-secondary institution in your country of residence or you may need to be studying in a specific field to be eligible.

Be sure to check your citizenship’s eligibility on the Government of Canada’s website for the exact requirements.

Other requirements

1. You must hold a valid passport

You must have a valid passport issued by a country that has an International Co-op agreement with Canada. Your passport must be valid for the duration of your intended stay. Learn more.

2. You must not exceed the IEC allowance for your citizenship

Some citizenships only allow you to participate in the International Co-op category once. Others allow you to participate twice, either under the International Co-op category or in different categories.

If you are a national of

• Australia, you may participate in the International Co-op (Internship) category only once. If this is your first participation, you may participate one more time in IEC through the Working Holiday category or Young Professionals category provided you meet all other eligibility criteria.
• Germany, you may participate in IEC twice. You must choose a different category each time (International Co-op, Working Holiday, Young Professionals).
• Ireland, you may participate in the International Co-op (Internship) category only once. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may participate one more time in IEC through the Working Holiday category or the Young Professionals category.
• The UK, you may participate in IEC twice, with a first participation of 24 months under any category and a second participation of 12 months under any category.

For other citizenships, see what you’re eligible for here.

3. You must not be “inadmissible” under Canada’s immigration law

You cannot participate in IEC if you are deemed “inadmissible” to Canada. A person may be refused entry to Canada for security reasons or on health grounds.

If you have a criminal record, you may need to apply for rehabilitation to be allowed into Canada. Click here for more information on the rehabilitation process.

If you have been convicted of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, you will likely be found criminally inadmissible to Canada, even as a tourist.

How to apply for an International Co-op permit

Every year, the Government of Canada sets a quota for each partner country for each IEC category. You will need to join the pool of candidates and hope to be selected.

If you are selected from the International Co-op pool and have an eligible job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada ready, you can proceed with submitting an application.

We detail the entire process in our IEC Canada application guide (for all nationalities and categories).