
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has announced that the 2026 season of the International Experience Canada (IEC) Program is now open. The IEC Program allows nationals between the ages of 18 to 35 (depending on the country) from 36 eligible countries with youth mobility arrangements with Canada to apply to travel and work in Canada. There are three categories of participation under the program: Working Holiday participants receive an open work permit that allows them to work anywhere in Canada to support their travel and stay; International Co-op (internship) participants receive an employer-specific work permit that allows students to gain experience in their field of study; and Young Professional participants receive an employer-specific work permit to gain professional work experience within their field of study or career path. Depending on their eligible country of citizenship, foreign nationals may be able to apply to one or more of these categories. Details of the program, including the schedule of the rounds of invitations to apply for each eligible country/territory, can be found here. Interested applicants can contact their immigration professional for assistance.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
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