Can I extend my Working Holiday?

Or, can I extend my IEC work permit?

Scenario 1:

No, not beyond the allowed time

An IEC work permit cannot be extended beyond the maximum allowed time in the agreement of a country.

A Working Holiday work permit is part of Canada’s International Experience Canada (IEC) program. It’s a special type of work permit, and the rules are different depending on which country you’re from.

Each country in the IEC program has its own agreement with Canada, which decides how long you’re allowed to stay and work. To check your specific time limit, choose your country  >> here <<

For example, citizens from Australia and Ireland can stay for up to 24 months. Citizens from Germany and Spain can stay for up to 12 months.

It’s important to know that IEC work permits cannot be extended beyond the time your country allows. If someone—even an immigration lawyer—tells you otherwise, that information is incorrect. Many professionals aren’t fully aware of the special IEC rules.

To avoid misunderstandings, here are the official Government of Canada rules. If a lawyer or consultant gives different advice, feel free to share the official link so they can double-check the correct information at the source.

As a rule, no work permit extensions are authorized under the International Experience Canada (IEC) Program.

The validity period for an IEC work permit may not exceed the maximum length of stay authorized under the bilateral agreement or arrangement.

Official government Source 

The validity period for an IEC work permit may not exceed the maximum length of stay authorized under the agreement/arrangement

Official government Source 

Categories of work with validity periods that may not be exceeded: International Experience Canada programs

International Experience Canada programs Paragraph R205(b), exemption code C21:The work permit cannot extend past the period specified in the country agreement.

Official government Source 

Recent experiences from 2025:

Some border officers print a remark on the bottom of the work permit, signaling that the IEC work permit is not eligible for extension. This note tells you that once the permit expires, you will not be able to extend your stay under the IEC work permit.

A word of caution:

Because many immigration consultants and lawyers are unfamiliar with the rules and specific requirements of the IEC work permit, they often advise clients to submit a fake extension application. However, this is illegal advice and should be reported to the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.

As a result, the processing agent will 100% refuse any such fake work permit application. Simply put, there is no such thing as a “blank” open work permit.

In general, every work permit application must be linked to a specific program or pathway, such as the LMIA work permit category, an LMIA-exempt category, or a permanent residency stream. If it were truly possible to apply for a blank open work permit without meeting any criteria, many temporary workers would likely do so. But, this is not the case.

If you knowingly submit a false and incomplete application, it may be considered “misrepresentation” under Canadian immigration law (IRPA section 40(1)(a)). This is very serious and can result in deportation and a 5-year ban from Canada.

If the processing officer refuses your application as ‘incomplete‘, you immediately lose your legal status in Canada from the date your original work permit expired. This also means any work done after that date would be considered illegal work.

If the extension application is rejected (incomplete), it is as if the application was never submitted, and the applicant is in status until their existing temporary resident status expires.

Official government Source 

Don't risk your future in Canada

If you follow the illegal advice from social media, a consultant, or even a lawyer and continue working after your IEC work permit expires, you are working illegally. This can seriously affect future applications, whether it’s for another work permit or permanent residency.

Moreover, any work while your status was invalid will not count toward permanent residency, because it was completed illegally.

Additionally, you must also disclose any work permit refusals in future applications, including PR, work permits, an eTA to visit Canada or even a Working Holiday in another country. Depending on the reason for refusal and how long you stayed without status, your next application could be denied, and you may even receive a letter telling you to leave Canada.

Never risk falling out of status. The Canadian government provides clear guidance on staying legal: either apply for a new work permit you are eligible for, or a visitor record to remain in Canada legally.

Looking ahead to 2026–2028, the Canadian government plans to reduce the number of temporary workers and permanent residents. One way they may do this is by refusing applications based on illegal work, overstaying, or misrepresentation.

Did you know that five countries share immigration and security data under the Five Eyes Alliance?

Those are: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It means that immigration authorities in these countries can easily exchange information, including details about:

  • Overstays
  • Visa refusals
  • Deportations
  • Travel history and patterns

Keep in mind, your travel is recorded electronically:

  • When you check in for a flight, your passport is scanned, and the data is shared with immigration authorities.
  • When you enter or leave a country, especially through airports, your passport is scanned again.
  • Even countries outside the Five Eyes alliance track this data and often share it with partner nations.

So, even if you don’t have any passport stamps it does not mean you weren’t tracked. Modern immigration systems rely on electronic records, and border officials can often see your full travel history in seconds.

Scenario 2:

Yes, only under three specific circumstances

In three situations, an IEC work permit can be extended to the maximum allowed length under the agreement with your country. Never beyond that allowed time.

The only three circumstances where an IEC extension is possible:

  1. Mistake at the time of activation:
    • When the immigration officer made a mistake during activation and issued the work permit for a shorter time than you are allowed under your country. This is the most common mistake that you should try to fix on the spot with the officer. 
  2. Passport validity:
    • Your passport was not valid for long enough when the work permit was activated and therefore a shorter work permit was issued to match the validity of the passport. 
  3. Young Professional category:
    • If the employer created a shorter job offer and therefore a shorter work permit was issued.

If you are in one of the above three situations, > here < is the info on how to extend the work permit. 

Scenario 3:

No, if the IEC health Insurance was too short

In this case, extending the IEC work permit is absolutely not possible.

If a border agent issued your work for a shorter period, because you didn’t have health insurance for your entire stay, then that’s final. In this case, you cannot apply for a work permit extension.

This is because the IEC program has a clear rule: you must have health insurance that covers the entire length of your intended stay in Canada when you activate your work permit.

As a result, if you only purchase health insurance for a shorter time (for example, three months), immigration officers will issue your work permit only for that period. There is no option to extend it later.

Therefore, work permit applications that don’t meet this requirement are automatically refused.

Quote from this official government source >here< under Scenario 3:

  • IRCC does not allow the client to submit an application to extend the period of their participation to reach the full maximum duration allowed under the bilateral agreement or arrangement.
  • The applicant failed to obtain travel insurance that fully covers their anticipated stay, as stipulated in their letter of introduction; therefore, their work permit application is automatically refused.
  • The IEC participant cannot increase the validity period of their work permit. If they receive a work permit with a shorter validity period due to the length of their insurance coverage, they are not eligible to apply to increase the validity period of their work permit at a later date.

Also, before you submitted the application you had to electronically sign a disclosure with the information about the health insurance. There is no excuse with "I didn't know".

Another IEC participation

A completely new IEC application via the IEC pools is not considered an ‘extension’, it is a new work permit. 

A few of the IEC countries allow a second Working Holiday participation. Italy, the United Kingdom, Croatia, and Chile are some of the countries that allow it. Enter your country >> here << to read the offered categories and their requirements.

Other countries also offer a second participation via the Young Professional category of the IEC program. Find out more >>here<< about this category.   

You can also do another Working Holiday through a Recognized Organization. This is considered a new application, not an IEC extension—even if this new permit lets you stay longer in Canada.

One important thing: There is no maintained status between two IEC participations.

If your current work permit expires while you wait for the new IEC application processing, you must change to visitor status by applying for the visitor record online. The visitor record costs $100 and you can apply from the same GCKey account. 

While waiting for the visitor record you can stay in Canada legally, but must stop working. You can only start working again after you activated the new work permit. 

A second Working Holiday for UK citizens

The new UK participation is not a work permit ‘extension’. It is a completely new application. 

I mention this explicitly because a lot of UK participants use the wrong term “extension” for the new UK agreement about a second IEC participation.

  • “I am applying to extend my UK participation.“
  • “I have a question about my UK extension“. 
  • “How can I extend my UK work permit by 12 months?”
  • “How can I apply for my IEC work permit extension?”

The term “extension” often circulates in IEC support groups and causes confusion among applicants.

However, when UK participants mention an extension, they usually mean they want to apply for a new participation in the IEC program. So, in reality, this is not an extension. It is a completely new application, where they must enter the IEC pool and meet all the requirements again.

The rules and application information about the new UK agreement can be found > here <. 

When does maintained status actually apply for IEC participants?

You can keep working legally in Canada after your IEC work permit expires only if all of the following conditions are met:

  1. You applied for a new work permit before your IEC work permit expired.
    → Your new application must be submitted and received by IRCC before the expiry date.

  2. You are eligible for the new type of work permit.
    → You must meet all requirements for the new category you’re applying under (e.g., job offer, LMIA, PR status, etc.).

  3. You applied for a work permit that is not part of the IEC program.
    Examples include:

    • An LMIA-based work permit (supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment)

    • An LMIA-exempt work permit (for example, under a trade agreement or spousal open permit)

    • A PR-related open work permit (like the Bridging Open Work Permit)

You can find more information about maintained status  >> here << 

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