Working Holiday in Canada

It depends on your country of citizenship. Use the Government of Canada “Find out if you need a visa” tool to check applicable requirements.

Australian, British, German and Irish citizens (among other nationalities) do not need a visa to enter Canada. If standard requirements are met, your passport will be stamped. Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months in Canada.

As of November 2016, visitors who don’t need a visa to travel to Canada must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to a Canadian airport.
IEC permit holders—Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op (Internship) do not need to apply for an eTA because it’s automatically issued with their permit. However, if you travel to Canada with a different passport than the one you use when you applied for your IEC permit (i.e. your passport expired and you renewed it before the trip), then you must apply for an eTA (CA$7) on Canada.ca ONLY (don't get scammed!).

You must have a valid work permit to work in Canada.

You can apply for two kinds of work permit—an employer-specific work permit or an open work permit.

An employer-specific work permit requires you to find an employer in Canada. You and your future employer must complete a number of steps before the work permit is issued. Once in Canada, you can only work for the employer for the length of time specified, and if applicable, at the location shown on the permit.

Employer-specific work permit examples: International Co-op (Internship), Young Professionals, Temporary Foreign Worker Program and International Mobility Program (outside Quebec).

An open work permit allows you to work for any employer anywhere in Canada and for as long as you want while the permit is valid. You do not have to secure a job offer before going to Canada.

Open work permit examples: Working Holiday permit and spouse or common-law open work permit (also available if your spouse or common-law partner is studying in Canada).

Volunteering in Canada as a visitor may be allowed under certain conditions. For more info, read Volunteering in Canada (WWOOF, HelpX…) – do you need a work permit?

Candidates for the Working Holiday permit to Canada submit their profile to a pool. Profiles are drawn regularly from the pool during “rounds of invitations”. Candidates drawn from the pool receive an Invitation to apply.

So basically, a “round of invitations” is a random draw because the number of Working Holiday permits is limited.
Note: Australian citizens are not subjected to any Working Holiday quota, the number of spots is not limited unlike for other countries.

You can submit your profile to the pool any time before the last round of invitations of the IEC season. However, the earlier you submit your profile (the IEC season usually opens mid-fall), the higher your chances are to be drawn because you participate in more rounds of invitations.

Not all eligible candidates will be issued a Working Holiday permit or even have the chance to submit their application—the number of spots available is usually much lower than the number of candidates.

Since Invitations to apply are sent randomly during rounds of invitations, your profile could be drawn a week, 3 months, 8 months after submitting it to the pool—and there’s also the chance it won’t be drawn at all.

The exact number of rounds of invitations isn’t disclosed officially but over the past IEC season, there were several dozen over a period of ten months.

You only need to submit your profile to the pool once. It stays in the pool for the entire IEC season so it can be drawn anytime (there’s one exception, see below).

The pool of candidates is only cleared when the IEC season ends and all the Working Holiday permits are gone.
If you didn’t receive an Invitation to apply, you must wait until the opening of the next IEC season to submit a profile again.

If your profile is drawn from the pool, you have ten days to accept or decline your Invitation to apply (i.e. your chance to submit an application for a Working Holiday permit).
Here are the three possible scenarios:

• If you accept the Invitation to apply (within 10 days of receiving it), you have another 20 days to complete and submit your Working Holiday permit application.
• If you decline your Invitation to apply (within 10 of receiving it), your profile goes back into the pool and it could be drawn again later on (declining the Invitation to apply has zero impact on your future chances of getting another one).
• If you don’t accept or decline your Invitation to apply within 10 days of receiving it, your profile is withdrawn from the pool and if you still want to go to Canada, you have to submit it again.

Check out the infographic in Accept or decline your Invitation to apply for an IEC Working Holiday permit? for a visual reference.

This is always a tricky situation because there’s no such thing as a “fiancé visa” and the spouse or common-law partner who didn’t receive an Invitation to apply doesn’t have any special rights getting an immigration status in Canada.
You could investigate the open work permit option, available under certain circumstances. For more info, read IEC Canada – Spouse or Common-Law Partner Open Work Permit 101.

Curious to know how the Government of Canada processes your application? Officials must check that you:

• Meet all the eligibility requirements
• Provided all the required supporting documents
• Will not pose a health or a security threat to Canada

The problem could be the information you provided, for instance, if the name on your application doesn’t match the name in your passport.

Your application could also be denied if you don’t provide the supporting documents required or don’t follow instructions.

Make sure to double-check all the fields and follow the different steps of the application process.

Don’t forget to log into your IRCC account regularly to see if you received further instructions.

A certain number of legal issues can also make you inadmissible, including DUIs and DWIs.

Technically, you can apply for a Working Holiday permit from within Canada. However, to activate it, you will have to leave Canada and come back (even if only for five minutes!).

Going to the airport won’t do the trick—without an international plane ticket, there’s no access to immigration. Most of the time, backpackers simply cross the land border to the US and come back to Canada (hence the term “flagpoling,” you’re basically going around the flagpole!).

If you don’t travel to Canada at most 12 months after getting your POE Letter of Introduction (i.e. your Working Holiday permit), it’s still considered that you “used” your Working Holiday permit and you can’t apply for another one again. For more info, check out the infographic in Accept or decline your Invitation to apply for an IEC Working Holiday permit?

There are a few exceptions that make you eligible for a second Working Holiday permit in Canada.

The Government of Canada requires all Working Holiday permit holders to start their adventure with at least CA$2,500. Proof of funds is often required when you land in Canada. You can provide a statement from a foreign or Canada institution—yes, you can open a bank account in Canada before your trip, check out special offers with Desjardins or the National Bank of Canada.

So, why would you need savings when you have a work permit and plan to get a job ASAP? Because settling in Canada is expensive—consider that you will have to pay for a short- or long-term accommodation solution, food, transportation, etc. and you may not find a job as quickly as you want.

Note that you aren’t eligible for any kind of financial help in Canada.

Budget your first few weeks in Canada carefully. The minimum amount of CA$2,500 may be okay or may be ridiculously low if you’re aiming for a city with a high cost of living.
To plan your trip and budget, read How expensive is life in Canada? A 2019-2020 cost of living review by province and territory.

And on the practical side, read the chapter “How to carry/transfer money” in Your To-Do List Before Going to Canada.

All IEC permit holders—Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op (Internship)—must buy health insurance coverage before their trip to Canada. It must include “medical care, hospitalization, and repatriation” and it must be valid for the entire duration of your stay in Canada. For instance, if you want to be issued a 12-month Working Holiday permit, you must buy a 12-month insurance plan. If you buy a six-month plan, you may be issued a six-month work permit and you won’t be able to extend it.

Pvtistes.net recommends Globe WHV, a long-term trusted partner—you can buy a plan for €29.70/month (departing from the European Union) or €53.10/month (departing from a non-European Union country) and they’re super helpful in our forum. More info here!

You don’t have to buy a return ticket when you have an IEC permit. However, you must show that you have enough money to buy a return ticket at the end of your stay. So add $500 or $1,000 to the minimum required $2,500 (depending on where you live, a London-Toronto ticket is cheaper than a Sydney-Vancouver ticket!).

Travellers with a 24-month Working Holiday permit will find out that it’s technically impossible to book a return date, so most buy a one-way ticket.

Don’t forget to read Get the best airfare deal for tips and tricks to save money even before landing in Canada!

Get benefits with Air Transat! If you travel with this Canadian airline and book through pvtistes.net, IEC permit holders get an extra 23 kg of checked luggage allowance at no extra cost. Check out this special offer!

Taking your cat, dog, exotic bird or ferret to Canada is generally okay but there’s some red tape involving a vet, the airline company and Canadian customs. Note that it may be difficult to find a place to stay for both the short and long term (hostel, Airbnb, apartment, etc.).

For more info, read Importing or Travelling with Domestic Cats, Travelling with your dog and Import rules when travelling with pets.

The landing process is pretty straightforward. In most airports, non-Canadian passport holders will be directed to a primary inspection kiosk, i.e. a self-serve kiosk that reads your passport and confirms your identity.

Then you will be directed to a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) checkpoint—expect a lineup. Have your passport, Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction and Declaration Card (handed out by flight attendants, don’t forget to fill it out before landing!) ready. During this “primary inspection,” the border services officer will examine your Declaration Card and passport, then you’ll be sent to another CBSA booth a few metres further to have your Working Holiday permit activated.

The whole process takes about 30 minutes… or much longer on a busy day at the airport.

You may be asked to show:

• Your passport
• Your POE Letter of Introduction
• Proof of funds, e.g. a bank statement issued no more than one week before your departure for Canada. It must clearly show that you have enough money to support yourself for the first three months of your stay in Canada—the equivalent of $2,500.
• Proof of health insurance covering medical care, hospitalization and repatriation. Your insurance policy must be valid for the entire duration of your stay in Canada. If your insurance policy is valid for less time than your expected stay in Canada, you may be issued a work permit that expires at the same time as your insurance. We’ve heard of travellers who were issued a three-month or six-month work permit—they can’t be extended or renewed.
• A return ticket, a proof of onward travel or additional funds (in addition to the mandatory $2,500) to show that you will be able to leave Canada at the end of your stay.

The Government of Canada also recommends bringing original copies of the documents you provided in your work permit application, e.g. Form IMM5707, a copy of your resume, digital picture, and if applicable, proof of medical exam and police certificate.

International Co-op (Internship) permit holders who will be in an unpaid position have to show they have enough funds to cover their living expenses for the entire duration of their stay in Canada.

For all custom issues (“Can I bring this or that?”), check Canadian Food Inspection Agency list (Vegemite is probably okay, durian probably isn’t!).

Check your work permit carefully right away and pay attention to the following details:

• First and last names (spelling)
• Expiry date
• Specific conditions attached. If you didn’t take a medical exam, you will see the “Not authorized to work in 1) child care 2) primary or secondary school teaching 3) health services field occupations” condition. If you did submit proof of medical exam, make sure the condition was removed
• Geographical limitations (make sure you aren’t limited to work in a specific province, Working Holiday permit holders can work anywhere in Canada)

If you think there’s a mistake on your work permit, tell the border services officer—at this stage, it can be corrected easily and quickly.

Relax, explore, eat poutine or maple syrup… but also try to tackle a few chores like getting your Social Insurance Number (SIN), choosing a cellphone plan, registering with your consulate or embassy and opening a bank account.

Benefits with pvtistes.net:

• Desjardins Bank offers newcomers (Working Holiday, Young Professionals, International Co-op permit holders, permanent resident, etc.) 12 months of no-fee banking services (or for students, as long their study permit is valid). On top of that, Young Professionals and Working Holiday permit holders get one month of Globe WHV insurance! Check out the offer details.
• The National Bank of Canada offers newcomers (Working Holiday, Young Professionals, International Co-op permit holders, permanent resident, etc.) up to three years of no-fee banking services, plus $50 cashback. Check out the offer details.

For a complete overview of your first few days, weeks or months in Canada, read The landing process and your first steps in Canada.

If you don’t start exploring Canada right away, your next steps will likely be finding a place to stay and a job. We’ve got you covered!

• Finding accommodation in Canada
• Finding a job and working in Canada

And if you’re into travelling… read Everything you need to know to plan for a campervan road trip!

All workers in Canada must pay personal income tax. This amount is calculated based on your taxable income (income earned less allowed expenses) for the tax year. The federal income tax system is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

For most employees, income tax is deducted at the source, i.e. employers withhold money from your paycheque and remit it directly to the CRA. At the end of the tax year (January 1 to December 31), you will receive a T4 tax slip from your employer indicating what you have been paid before deductions, as well as other contributions deducted from your paycheque during the tax year.

The deadline to file taxes is April 30 for most workers and mid-June for self-employed individuals.

Since taxes are deducted from your paycheque, most Working Holiday permit holders don’t have to pay anything at the end of the tax year—you could even get a tax refund if you overpaid.

You can tackle the tax filing process alone, get help from a tax refund service like Taxback.com or hire an accountant (small fee, less headache!).

You can travel within and outside Canada during your Working Holiday permit adventure—go ahead, explore a few American states or take a break from winter in Cuba!

Just remember that you may need a visa to travel to other foreign countries (your Working Holiday permit doesn’t give you any special rights and doesn’t make you Canadian).

Also keep in mind that days spent outside Canada still counts towards your Working Holiday permit validity. I.e. if you have a 12-month Working Holiday permit and spend six months in Mexico, you will have six months left to spend in Canada.

There are different options to stay in Canada but your Working Holiday permit can’t be renewed or extended. You need a new immigration status—work permit, student permit, etc. You will find a complete list of options to immigrate, work and study in Canada on the website of the Government of Canada.

If you want to move to Canada for good, you’re looking at applying for permanent residence. The process takes time and money, so check whether you’re eligible long before your Working Holiday permit expires. In most immigration categories, eligibility is based on a point system—age, work experience, education, etc. are taken into account. For more information, read Immigrate to Canada.

Note that you can’t “apply for Canadian citizenship” directly—this option is only available after being a permanent residence of Canada for several years (and it’s a separate process).