Risks of Visiting Canada Before your IEC Application is Approved

Whatever your situation, you should bear in mind that your admission to Canada is at the discretion of the officer you meet when you arrive in Canada.

While most people experience little to no difficulty when entering Canada as an IEC Working Holiday permit applicant, this does not mean that everyone will have the same experience.

Scenario 1: Travelling while in the IEC Working Holiday pool

If you are in the IEC pool, whether for Working Holiday or another IEC category, you can typically visit Canada as a tourist without any issue. You should, however have a return or onward flight from Canada and be ready to explain your itinerary. If you plan to stay several months, make sure you have enough savings to cover your expenses so that the immigration agent doesn’t suspect you might work illegally.

This will show that your stay is temporary and for tourism purposes.

If there is doubt from the officer, remember that officers have the right to search your electronic devices to check that you are not looking for work (or engaging in other unauthorized activities) during your visit.

If the officer considers that the purpose of your stay is not tourism, they may refuse you entry or even deem you inadmissible to Canada for a certain period.

Scenario 2: Travelling before your application is approved

If you are lucky enough to be selected to apply for an IEC work permit, the Canadian government recommends postponing your trip until your application is submitted and approved.

If you travel to Canada as a tourist, immigration officers may suspect that you intend to remain in Canada or work there illegally. Some prospective IEC participants in this situation have been denied entry in the past. It is therefore preferable to wait until your application has been submitted and approved before travelling to Canada.

If, for some reason, you are physically in Canada when you receive your POE letter of introduction (official correspondence indicating that your application has been approved), you must leave and re-enter the country to activate your work permit. Flagpoling to the United States or Saint Pierre and Miquelon is not allowed.

Scenario 3: Travelling as a visitor without presenting your POE letter of introduction

Once your application is approved, you will receive a POE letter of introduction that is valid for 12 months. During this period, you must fly to Canada to officially activate your IEC Working Holiday permit.

However, it is possible that during this 12 month period, you want to first visit Canada on a short stay without activating your IEC Working Holiday permit yet. If this is the case, at the airport kiosks, you can select “tourism” as the purpose of your stay, and there is a good chance that the officer will simply wish you a pleasant holiday without asking any further questions. Every year, many people who hold a POE letter travel to Canada as tourists without being forced to activate their Working Holiday permit.

That said, if an officer realises that you have been approved for an IEC Working Holiday permit, they may wonder why you are trying to enter Canada as a visitor. They may be concerned that you intend to start working in Canada without the proper permit.

To give yourself the best chance of avoiding problems, we recommend booking a return flight so that if immigration officers ask questions, you can demonstrate that you simply want to take a short holiday in Canada and return to Canada at a later date to begin your working holiday.

Conclusion

• The decision as to whether or not you are allowed to enter Canada as a visitor is entirely at the discretion of the immigration officer you meet upon arrival. This means that two people who are in the same situation can have different experiences when dealing with a Canadian immigration officer.
• If you can, avoid travelling to Canada while your Working Holiday application is being processed. If you do not want to or cannot postpone your tourist trip, bring evidence that demonstrates to the officer that you genuinely are visiting Canada for a holiday.
• Finally, never lie to an immigration officer when they ask you questions. A false declaration could result in you being sent back to your country of origin immediately or, worse, being found inadmissible to Canada.