Getting a second Working Holiday permit to Canada—Loopholes and Exceptions

You’ve probably heard that you can’t get a Working Holiday permit to Canada more than once. While this is true for most people, there are exceptions for the lucky citizens of these few countries.

IEC agreements with provisions for two participations

Canada has signed International Experience Canada agreements with 33 countries. Each agreement comes with its own set of requirements and benefits, and some have unique perks. For instance, citizens from Chile, Croatia and San Marino can participate in IEC twice under the Working Holiday permit category.

Modified IEC agreements

Occasionally, agreements have been modified and some allow citizens who were granted a Working Holiday permit before the changes came into effect could be candidates again after the changes.

Citizens from the following countries may be eligible to apply for a second Working Holiday permit to Canada:

• Irish citizens who were granted only one of the IEC permits before 2013 can apply for another IEC permit in any category.
• British and French citizens who were granted only one of the IEC permits before 2015 can apply for another IEC permit in any category.
• Australian citizens who were granted one or more IEC permits before 2015 can apply for another IEC permit in any category.

The dual citizenship exception

Citizens who hold two passports from countries that have signed IEC agreements with Canada can apply for the Working Holiday permit twice.

For instance, a citizen of both Germany and Ireland can get their first Working Holiday permit with her German passport and a second Working Holiday permit with her Irish passport.

For more information regarding dual citizenship and IEC, check the IEC Help Centre.

The Recognized Organizations

You can contact a recognized organization and might be able to apply for a second Working Holiday permit to Canada.