IEC Canada: What Does an Invitation to Apply (ITA) Look Like?

If you are applying for an International Experience Canada (IEC) work permit — Working Holiday, International Co-op (Internship) or Young Professionals — you must first receive what is known as an Invitation to Apply (ITA) before you can start your work permit application.

For International Co-op and Young Professionals applicants, the chances of receiving an ITA are generally very high, as there are usually enough spots available for almost everyone who is eligible and interested. Availability can become more limited towards the end of the IEC season.

For the Working Holiday category, however, demand exceeds the number of spots available for some nationalities. Invitations are issued at random through rounds of invitations (draws), which generally take place about once a week over a period of nine or ten months.

If you are one of the lucky candidates to receive an Invitation to Apply, you will see a new message in your account. The letter will confirm that you have been invited to apply for a work permit under the International Experience Canada program and will look something like this:

Congratulations!

Your invitation letter will show the exact date and time in UTC by which you must accept your invitation and start your application. You have 10 days to accept your Invitation to Apply. If you do not accept or decline the invitation within this timeframe, it will expire and your profile will be removed from the pool.

Once you accept your invitation, you will then have a limited amount of time to complete and submit your IEC work permit application, including all required forms and supporting documents.

Note: Your invitation letter may mention police certificates. Depending on your nationality, you may or may not be required to provide a police certificate from your country of citizenship. You may also need to provide police certificates from any other countries where you have lived for several months.

Ready to move on to the next stage of your IEC application? Our step-by-step IEC application guide explains the forms you need to complete and the supporting documents you will need to provide.

And once your IEC work permit has been approved, there is still plenty to prepare before your move to Canada. You can explore:

• Our guides to preparing for your move to Canada, so you know what to expect before you leave;
• Our Canada departure checklist, to make sure you have all the documents you will need when you arrive;
• Our special offers and discounts on useful services such as flights, banking and car rentals.