IEC Visa: Part 1 – What is an IEC VISA and how do I get one?

Hey guys, apologies for the length of time I have been away…there’s been a lot going on in my personal life but hopefully things will be smooth sailing from here onwards.

Before we get into this post I just want to take the time out to wish everyone well in these uncertain times, I pray that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy.

In my last post (which was a while back now) I promised a new content series surrounding everything regarding Canadian working holiday visa also known as an IEC visa. In this post I will outline exactly what an IEC visa is and how you go about obtaining one.

First thing to note is that there are 3 types of IEC visas; Young professionals, International CO-OP (Internship) and working holiday – We will be focusing on the working holiday visa

What is a working holiday visa?

As mentioned above, a working holiday visa is one of three types of IEC (International experience canada) visas.

As this is seen to be a long term ‘holiday’ (2 years maximum) the idea is that you can work in order to fund your holiday, hence the name ‘working holiday visa.

This type of visa provides you with an open work permit which means that you can pretty much do any type of work with any type of employer. However if you want to work with kids, the elderly or any one who is recognised as a vulnerable person, then you will need to undergo a medical exam.

Who can apply for a working holiday visa?

Before even thinking to apply for a working holiday visa, there’s a few criteria that you need to make sure you meet:

1. Age requirements: Applicants need to be between the ages of 18-30 (this is for the UK – varies country to country)
2. Country eligibility: you need to check whether the country in which you have your citizenship with, has an agreement in place that allows you to apply for the visa (you can check the list here– at the bottom of the page)

I’m interested… how can I apply?

To apply for a working holiday visa you first need to become an candidate within a pool…

I will go on to explain more about this in the next segment – which should hopefully be out within the next week.

Thanks for reading guys 🙂 If you have any specific questions you would like me to answer please drop me a message & I’ll try my best to answer them