Working Holiday and IEC 2025 (Canada): Latest updates

For almost 20 years, pvtistes.net has been sharing dedicated guides to the upcoming International Experience Canada (IEC) season. Here is everything we know so far about the IEC 2025 season, including answers to your frequently asked questions.

A brief overview of IEC

If the acronym IEC doesn’t mean anything to you yet, you’ve come to the right site! You can start by reading What is International Experience Canada (IEC)? to learn more about IEC.

IEC includes three types of work permits (the types you are eligible to apply for depend on your citizenship). On pvtistes.net, you’ll find all the information you need about the different types of IEC permit, free of charge:

• Learn more about the Working Holiday permit
• Learn more about the Young Professionals permit
• Learn more about the International Co-op (Internship) permit.

Once you’re ready to apply, make sure you read our step-by-step tutorial, which walks you through how to join the pools and complete the application process for each type of IEC permit.

Every year, many mistakes are made that could easily be avoided by reading this tutorial. Follow the steps in our tutorial to avoid having your application refused.

For more information, read:

• Top 10 common mistakes to avoid in your IEC application
• Reasons for refusal of the Canada IEC permit

FAQs

1. How do I join the pools for the IEC 2025 season?

The pools are currently closed, so you will need to wait for the IEC 2025 season to open before you can start your application. No opening date has been announced yet but we expect an update soon.

Once the 2025 season has opened, follow our step-by-step tutorial to apply to the pools. You will need a valid passport to apply. If you don’t yet have a passport or if your passport is about to expire, hurry up and apply for your passport now!

2. If I was a candidate for the 2024 season and I wasn’t drawn from the pools, will I automatically be registered in the 2025 pools?

No, any profiles that were not selected by the end of the 2024 season are automatically deleted from the pools. You will have to re-register when the 2025 season opens. You can use the same account as the one created for previous seasons. Follow our tutorial starting from Chapter 3.

3. Do I have to register as soon as the 2025 pools open?

No, you can register for IEC at any time throughout the season. It may increase your chances of being selected if you apply earlier in the season, but it is still a random lottery with no guarantee of selection.

4. When will the draws take place?

Once the season opens, Canada will announce the date for the first draw (round of invitations). Draws will continue regularly throughout the season.

There is no specific date for draws to take place but you should check your account regularly (at least once a week) throughout the season. Make sure you don’t miss if you’ve been selected, as you will only have 10 days to accept your Invitation to Apply (ITA).

5. Once registered as a candidate in the pools, will I be considered for all rounds of invitation for the season?

Yes, your profile will have a chance of being randomly selected for the duration of the season. If you are not picked by the time the season closes, your profile will be deleted and you’ll need to try again in the 2026 season.

6. What are the quotas for IEC 2025?

The Government of Canada will confirm the exact quotas for every nationality once they announce the opening of the 2025 season. You’ll be able to check your quotas here.

7. What are the processing times for an IEC permit application?

It depends on the time of year. The average time is usually around eight weeks but in busier periods, when there are lots of applications to be processed, it can take longer. You can check here for updates on the exact processing times.

There is no deadline for being drawn: some profiles will be drawn immediately; some aren’t so lucky and won’t be selected at all in an entire season.

8. Once my application is approved, how long do I have to arrive in Canada?

Once your IEC application is approved, you will receive a Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction. You must arrive in Canada and present your POE letter within 12 months of receiving it. The latest date by which you must arrive in Canada is printed on the POE letter.

If you don’t travel to Canada within this time, your approval expires and you must start the application process again.

9. What do I do if I’m interested in the Young Professionals or International Co-op permit?

The process is mostly the same as the Working Holiday permit. Make sure you register interest in the correct pool(s).

The main difference is that you must first have an offer of employment to be eligible for a closed work permit. Closed work permits tie you to a specific employer, so you cannot proceed with an application for this type of permit if you don’t have a job offer.

10. Do I need to have a job offer if I’m applying for the Working Holiday permit?

No, the point of the Working Holiday permit is that you have the right, but not the obligation, to work during your time in Canada. The open work permit means you can work for any employer or multiple employers during your stay. You can wait until you arrive in Canada to look for work on this permit.

11. If I want to travel to Canada in 2026, should I apply now or wait until the next season?

The lottery system means you aren’t guaranteed to be selected straight away. You might not be drawn at all, even if you apply to the pools as soon as they open. It is a random system and not everyone gets a place.

With that being said, chances of your profile being drawn are slightly higher if you join the pools at the beginning of the season. Once your profile is drawn, it usually takes 2-3 months to complete the application process.

Remember that once you complete the application process and your application is approved, you only have 12 months from that date to arrive in Canada. You don’t want to enter the pools too early if you know you can’t make it to Canada within the next year.

For example, if you want to move to Canada in August 2026, entering the pools when they open in January 2025 might lead to approval too soon. Instead, wait until around June 2025 to join the pools.

12. Can my partner accompany me on my IEC permit?

Your partner can join you in Canada as a visitor. Depending on their nationality, they may be authorised to travel with just an eTA, or they may need to apply for a tourist visa. Visitors can usually stay in Canada for up to six months.

If you are in a common-law partnership, there are certain conditions where you can apply for them to receive a spousal open work permit in Canada.