How to activate the IEC work permit from inside Canada
Depending on your situation, there are two possible options to activate your IEC work permit if you are already in Canada.
Option 1 (new):
Activate your IEC work permit online
To activate your work permit from inside Canada, you can request that it be mailed to a Canadian address. This option is available until December 1, 2025 for eligible participants.
Requirements for Option 1
- You were in Canada with a valid IEC work permit when you submitted your IEC work permit application for another participation.
- You have a valid IEC POE letter of introduction (LOI).
- You must request your work permit before your LOI expires.
- You have valid status in Canada when you request your IEC work permit be mailed to you.
If you don’t meet these conditions, you must leave Canada and re-enter from a country or territory other than the US or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to activate your work permit.
How to request your IEC work permit by mail
Follow these steps to ask us to mail your IEC work permit:
>> Link to the instructions here under “IEC participants already in Canada” <<
- Go to our web form (opens in a new tab) .
- For the question “What did you apply for?”, select “Temporary Residence.”
- For the question “What application did you submit?”, select “International Experience Canada.”
- Include the mandatory text in the “Tell us about your request” box. You must include the mandatory text
- Attach the following documents:
- proof of health insurance that covers the entire duration of your stay
- a copy of your IEC work permit that was valid when you submitted your IEC work permit application
Mandatory text for all participants to include
A112025: I am requesting an A11 examination and the issuance of my work permit from within Canada. My application number is [W#########]. I submitted my IEC application on [DATE]. I received my POE letter of introduction and it is valid until [DATE].
My current contact information in Canada is as follows:
Telephone:
Mailing address:
Residential address:
___________________
Mandatory text to include based on your IEC category
Include the following text if you’re a Young Professionals and International Co-op participant:
Employer-specific work permit: My employer, [name], located at [address], may be contacted at [contact telephone or email] to confirm my continued employment offer. I intend to begin work for this employer as soon as my work permit is received.
Include the following text if you’re a Working Holiday participant
Open work permit: I attest that my circumstances remain the same and I still meet the requirements of the open work permit program I was approved for.
Common questions about the new process
Does this new option also apply if I am using a Recognized Organization (RO)?
Yes, this update applies to all second IEC participants, including those applying through a Recognized Organization (RO).
For example if you are currently in Canada under a Working Holiday and apply through the RO to get a second Working Holiday. ROs are organizations approved by the Canadian government to help young people participate in the IEC program.
Does this new option also apply if I am currently on another work permit switching to an IEC?
No, this option is only available to participants who are, or were, in Canada under the International Experience Program (IEC) at the time they applied for the second IEC participation.
As a result, you must use option 2 below, which requires you to leave Canada and return in order to activate your work permit.
I am an American citizen using an RO for my Working Holiday; are there special rules?
According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), U.S. citizens are not subject to the flagpoling restrictions.
In other words, if you are a U.S. citizen, you are allowed to flagpole or leave Canada and immediately re-enter through a U.S. land border to activate your IEC work permit.
How long will the processing take?
As of May 2025 the online activation process takes 5 days + the time it takes for the mail to arrive. However, later in the year, depending on how busy IRCC gets, this could take up to 6 weeks to receive the work permit in the mail.
How will I know the work permit was processed?
After approximately five days, you can log into your GCKey account and check under “Submitted Applications.” Under the line showing your eTA validity, you should see a new entry as “Work Permit” with the status “Your document is valid.“
This means that your work permit has been issued and is on its way to you. At this stage, all that’s left is to wait for its arrival.
How long does it take to get my IEC work permit by mail?
Delivery usually takes about 3 to 10 days, but in more remote areas, it may take up to three weeks.
When will my new work permit start?
I sent the request very late; can I still work while waiting for my IEC work permit?
It is very important to note, that there is no maintained status between two IEC participations.
In other words, after your current IEC expires, you cannot keep working while waiting for the new IEC work permit activation.
You must apply for the visitor record if your current work permit expires soon. While the visitor record application is being processed, you are in maintained visitor status and can stay in the country legally as a visitor until a decision is made or until you activate the new work permit, whichever comes first. It means, you have to stop working on the day your work permit expires.
Important! You can only start working after you received the work permit in the mail.
Do I need IEC health insurance again?
Yes, you must provide IEC health insurance for the new work permit for the entire duration of your stay. If you would like to stay the full 12 months, you need 12 months IEC health insurance.
If your insurance policy is valid for less than your expected stay, you will be issued a work permit that expires at the same time as your insurance. If this happens, you will not be able to extend your work permit later.
Provincial health care or employer benefits are not sufficient to activate the new IEC work permit! They do not meet the IEC requirement as they do not cover repatriation.
Important: If you are already in Canada, your IEC insurance must be an “already travelling” policy.
If you are from the UK or Europe, check out True Traveller.
For another option while in Canada check out Best Quote. They are quite popular for Aussies and Kiwis.
Can I still fly to Canada from my home country and get the work permit at the airport?
Yes, definitely. The regular method of activation still applies.
However, this new announcement is available exclusively to IEC participants who are already in Canada and have applied for a second IEC participation.
Does a visitor record count as valid status at the time I request the work permit?
As long as you were on an IEC work permit when you submitted your IEC work permit application for another participation, yes.
I am in Canada as a visitor, waiting for the POE of my first time participation. Can I apply?
No, this option does not apply to you. One of the key requirements is that you must currently hold, or have previously held, an IEC work permit.
Therefore, you will need to use option 2, which means leaving Canada and returning via an international flight to activate your work permit at the airport.
Can I activate my IEC work permit by flagpoling at the U.S. border?
Due to recent changes on December 24, 2024 flagpoling at the U.S. land border is no longer allowed.
Additionally, making a short visit to the U.S. either by land or by air, is no longer an option, as the definition of “flagpoling” has been updated to include these types of entries.
The Government of Canada defines:
“Flagpoling occurs when foreign nationals who hold temporary resident status in Canada, leave Canada and, after a visit to the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, re-enter to access immigration services at a port of entry.”
Option 2:
Leave Canada and re-enter from a country other than the US
There is no other option to activate an IEC work permit from within Canada if this is your first IEC participation. To activate your first IEC work permit (e.g. Working Holiday) you must leave and return to Canada by air.
Traveling to any another country is still the fastest option for activation of your IEC work permit, allowing you to start working right away.
In fact, many IEC participants have shared positive experiences after flying to Mexico and returning to Canada to successfully activate their work permits.
What if I don't get time off work to fly to another country?
Many IEC participants report successful activations by going for just one day. Is a short weekend trip an option for you?
If you are unable to find the time to fly out and your work permit is expiring soon, you must apply to remain in Canada as a visitor before your work permit expires.
Once you submit your application to change your status to a visitor and your work permit has expired, you will have what is known as maintained visitor status. This status allows you to legally stay in Canada while you await a decision on your application. However, once your current work permit expires, you must stop working.
If you are already working or have a job lined up, it’s highly recommended to arrange a way to exit and re-enter Canada to activate your IEC work permit. Many IEC participants choose to combine this process with a short trip home to visit family, making it both practical and meaningful.
What documents do I need to activate my IEC work permit?
To activate an IEC work permit, you must present all of those documents:
- your passport
- your Port of Entry (POE) Letter
- proof of funds
- Proof must include your name and account balance and must not be older than 7 days
- Cash is also considered proof (Cash over $10,000 must be declared to customs)
- At least $2,500 if you have a return flight
- More money if you don’t have a return flight (Extra $1,000 should suffice as additional proof)
- proof of health insurance
- Insurance must be valid for the entire duration of the intended stay
- > Here < you can find more information about the requirements of the health insurance
- a ticket for your departure from Canada or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket and
- copies of the documents you provided in your work permit application
- for example the family information form and police certificate
- You don’t need a current police certificate. The old one is fine.
You can find the list of required documents >here< on the official website.
IEC Health Insurance for Working Holiday participants from Europe and UK
