The International Co-op (Internship) IEC work permit

Chapter 1 of 2

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. The International Co-op permit is one of three categories offered by IEC, the other categories being Working Holiday and Young Professionals.

To learn more about IEC, read What is International Experience Canada (IEC)?

What is the International Co-op permit?

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. Depending on citizenship, your International Co-op permit will allow you to stay in Canada for anywhere between 6 and 24 months.

The International Co-op permit requires you to be a student registered at a post-secondary institution with 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. You must be enrolled as a student for the duration of your International Co-op permit.

Your internship may be paid or unpaid. If unpaid, you must be able to show proof of funds supporting your entire stay in Canada (compared to the minimum proof of funds of CA$2,500 for paid interns).

Regardless of whether the internship is paid or not, you must still apply for the appropriate permit, as it is illegal to work as an intern in Canada without a work permit.

You must work for the same employer in the same location during your stay in Canada.

Who is the International Co-op permit for?

This category is for you if:

• You are a student registered at a post-secondary institution and already have a job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada that counts toward the completion of your studies.
• Your chances of being selected for an International Co-op permit are higher than the Working Holiday permit, so if you are a student with an eligible job offer (must be relevant to your current studies), you don’t have to worry as much about the lottery system.
• You intend to work for the same employer in the same location during your stay in Canada.

Before you apply, be aware that:

• You need to find an eligible job offer in Canada that contributes to your studies before applying for the International Co-op permit.
• The International Co-op permit is an employer-specific work permit. This means that you can only work for one employer and in one location for the duration of your permit. If you don’t want to be limited to one employer, consider the Working Holiday permit instead.
• If you aren’t a student registered at a post-secondary institution, you will need to look for another type of work permit.
• Unpaid interns will need to have plenty of savings to fund the entire duration of the International Co-op permit.

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.

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 also 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.

Are there any other requirements to be aware of?

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 cannot participate in IEC more times than what is allowed 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.

• Australia: As an Australian citizen, you may participate in the International Co-op category only once. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may participate in IEC one more time through the Working Holiday or Young Professionals category.
• Germany: As a German citizen, you may participate in IEC twice. You must choose a different category each time.
• Ireland: As an Irish citizen, you may participate in the International Co-op category only once. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may participate in IEC one more time through the Working Holiday or Young Professionals category.
• New Zealand: As a citizen of New Zealand, you may participate in IEC only once, and it must be through the Working Holiday category.
• The UK: As a British citizen, 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.

If you have dual citizenship and both countries have signed a bilateral agreement with Canada, you can participate under each citizenship that you hold a valid passport for (as long as your citizenships meet eligible requirements for the International Co-op permit).

An exception to the number of times you are allowed to participate is the Recognised Organisation (RO). You can use an RO to obtain another participation if you have used the maximum number of IEC participations for your citizenship(s). Learn more about ROs in Getting a second Working Holiday permit to Canada—Loopholes and exceptions.

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.

4. You must be willing to supply the documents requested by IRCC and pay the IEC fees

Finally, you must be willing to provide the supporting documents requested by IRCC as part of the application process and pay all relevant fees.

This includes proof of a job offer or contract of employment and proof of registration at a post-secondary institution.

Read our Step-by-step guide to IEC Canada applications for the full tutorial.

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 Step-by-step guide to IEC Canada applications.