What is a Canadian Work and Holiday Visa?
A Canadian work and holiday visa is a type of visa that must be obtained to be able to work in Canada for up to 2 years and travel at the same time.
The Canadian work and holiday visa allows holders to travel and vacation in Canada while working full-time. The Canadian work and holiday visa is given to young people (18-35 years old) to get to know Canada while working as a professional or intern in Canada.
Canadian work and holiday visa holders are free to work as much as they want during their visa period, change employers and jobs, and travel anywhere in Canada. When applying for a Canadian work and holiday visa, it is not mandatory to have a job offer from an employer currently operating in Canada, and it is possible to apply for a Canadian work and holiday visa without a job offer.
The Canadian work and holiday visa is part of the International Experience Canada (IEC) program designed by the Government of Canada.
What is the Canadian IEC Program?
The Canadian IEC (International Experience Canada) program is a program organized by the Canadian Government for young people in accredited countries, especially for young people (between the ages of 18 and 35) and students, allowing program members to work as professionals or interns within the borders of Canada and travel at the same time.
The Canadian International Experience Canada (Visa IEC Canada) program consists of three categories, these categories are as follows.
- Work and Holiday Canada : The Work and Holiday Canada program is a program that allows you to work and travel in Canada for up to 2 years. It is not necessary to have a job offer from a Canadian company in order to apply for the Canada Work and Holiday program. There are no restrictions on changing jobs or traveling within the borders of Canada for Canada Work and Holiday visa holders.
- Canada Young Professionals : The Canada young professionals program is a type of program that allows you to work for an employer who is actively recruiting in Canada and has offered a job to a candidate who is a member of the program, and to travel around Canada without any restrictions. In order to apply to the Canada young professionals program, it is mandatory to have received a job offer from a Canadian company.
- Canada International Co-op : The Canada International Co-op program is a program that provides program members with the opportunity to intern in Canada for 6 months, 1 year or 2 years. In order to be included in the Canada International Co-op program, the internship to be done in Canada must be related to the trainings taken in the past periods and the internship offer must be made by a Canadian company.
Which Countries Are Included in the Canadian IEC Program?
The countries included in the International Experience Canada (IEC) program can be seen in the table below.
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Latvia
- Lithuanian
- Mexican
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- France
- Holland
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Swedish
- Taiwan
- Ukrainian
- United Kingdom
Who Can Apply for a Canadian Work and Holiday Visa?
People who meet the following conditions can apply for a Canadian work and holiday visa.
- Citizens of countries that have signed a youth worker exchange agreement with Canada,
- People between the ages of 18 – 30 or 18 – 35, depending on the country of citizenship,
- Citizens of countries included in the International Experience Canada program,
- Exchange program members of organized organizations or universities recognized by the Government of Canada. These organized organizations and universities can be found in the list below.
- AIESEC Canada
- IAESTE
- International Rural Exchange
- Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Stepwest
- SWAP Working Holidays
- University of British Columbia
- University of New Brunswick
How to Apply for a Canadian Work and Holiday Visa?
Apply for a Canadian work and holiday visa by following the steps below.
- The International Experience Canada (IEC) profile is created on the official website of the Canadian Government.
- Country of citizenship,
- Country of residence,
- If a job offer has been received, the job offer will be issued.
- If the applicant is a student, a test containing various questions about his/her student status must be answered and if the IEC conditions are met, the information requested by the directed site is filled out.
- The Canadian government gathers all applicants who apply for the Canadian work and holiday program into a pool. Applicants are kept waiting for 1 year in this pool created within the scope of the Canadian work and holiday program application. If the invitation document is not received at the end of 1 year and the program acceptance letter is not received, a profile must be created again and the Canadian work and holiday program application can be made.
- Applicants are randomly selected from the Canada Work and Holiday Program applicant pool created by the Canadian Government at certain times of the year and an acceptance and invitation document is sent. After the Canada Work and Holiday Program acceptance and invitation document is received, participants are given 20 days to apply for a Canada Work and Holiday visa.
- The Canadian work and holiday visa is processed as a Canadian open work permit. The necessary documents for the Canadian work and holiday visa are learned and prepared from the Vfs Global website, which acts as an authorized intermediary institution for Canadian visa applications, and the necessary translations are made. A letter issued by the organization that assisted the Canadian work and holiday visa applicant, documenting that the organization assisted the applicant, should also be included among the Canadian work and holiday visa application documents.
- Applications can be made in person to Canadian foreign missions.
- If the Canada Work and Holiday program is approved, the applicant will be notified by e-mail. After the applicant receives their visa, they can work at any job they want under the Canadian open work permit.The Canadian work and holiday visa is included in the Canadian open work permit .
What are Canada Work and Holiday Rates?
There is no fee required to create a candidate profile to participate in the Canadian work and holiday program, but the participation fee for the Canadian work and holiday program, which is within the scope of the International Experience Canada (IEC) program, is determined as 156 CAD.
The work permit fee required to work in Canada with the Canadian work and holiday program is 100 CAD.
How Much Do You Get Paid When Working Under the Work and Holiday Program in Canada?
The average annual wages that can be earned while working under the work and holiday program in Canada are classified according to some professions and reflected in the table below.
| Job | Average annual salary (Canadian Dollar) |
|---|---|
| Cashier | $21,183 – $29,156 |
| Waiter | $21,113 – $29,120 |
| Babysitter | $20,880 – $37,354 |
| Web designer | $69,305 |
| Dishwasher | $21,286 – $28,540 |
| Vet | $95,804 |
| Sales consultant | $37,050 |
| Fast Food Chef | $20,994 – $26,026 |
| Chauffeur | $44,234 |
| Account clerk | $34,750 |
| Nurse | $80,126 |
The hourly minimum wage information that can be received by working in Canada with a Canadian work and holiday visa, depending on the province, is given in the table below.
| State | Minimum hourly wage |
|---|---|
| Alberta | CAD$15.00 |
| British Columbia | CAD$14.60 |
| Manitoba | CAD$11.90 |
| New Brunswick | CAD$11.75 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | CAD$12.50 |
| Northwest Territories | CAD$13.46 |
| Nova Scotia | CAD$12.95 |
| Nunavut | CAD$16.00 |
| Ontario | CAD$14.25 |
| Prince Edward Island | CAD$13.00 |
| Quebec | CAD$13.50 |
| Saskatchewan | CAD$11.45 |
| Yukon | CAD$13.85 |
Can Foreign Citizens Apply to Canada’s Work and Holiday Program?
Froeign citizens can only apply to the Canadian work and holiday program through sponsoring organizations and universities.
Listed below are the sponsoring organizations and universities for the Canadian work and holiday program.
- AIESEC Canada
- IAESTE
- International Rural Exchange
- Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Stepwest
- SWAP Working Holidays
- University of British Columbia
- University of New Brunswick
