Can I have another Working Holiday work permit?

Option 1:

A second participation with the same citizenship

Second Working Holiday with the same passport

Very few of the IEC countries allow a second Working Holiday. Enter your country >> here << to read the requirements. Italy, United Kingdom, Croatia and Chile are among those few countries.

Another IEC category with the same passport

Some countries offer other IEC categories, like the Young Professional work permit, which is a closed work permit in a skilled job in TEER 0-3. It means that you are tied to that employer and cannot switch jobs. Please enter the country >>here<< to find out if your country offers another IEC category.

>>> As an overview here is the list of all IEC countries and their categories. <<<

Be aware that some countries also must have a break between the expiry date of the first IEC work permit and the submission date of the second IEC work permit application. This waiting period applies to citizens of the following countries:

Croatia (3 months)
Latvia (1 year)
Lithuania (3 months)
Poland (6 months)
Slovakia (3 months)
Spain (3 months)

The waiting period starts after your first IEC work permit expires. If you apply before the waiting period ends, your application will be refused.

Option 2:

A participation with a second citizenship

If you hold a valid passport from another citizenship, you can apply for the Working Holiday again using that passport. However, the other country must participate in the IEC program. In addition, the requirements of the second country will apply. To find out the specific requirements of the country where you hold second citizenship, please enter the country >>here<<

What is the process for the application with another citizenship?

You must apply from scratch, as this is a completely new application.
If you meet the requirements, you can apply at any time. You don’t have to wait for your current IEC work permit to expire.
After approval, you will have 12 months to activate the new work permit. Therefore, apply to the pool of your second citizenship just as you did with the first participation.
For example, if you used the Irish passport for your first participation and now want to use a UK passport, you must apply to the UK pool. However, this happens automatically when you enter the passport data into your profile.
Once you receive an invitation, you will need to upload the documents as usual, but remember to keep two important points in mind:

Answer the question of whether you have ever participated in the IEC with “No“. Because with this passport you apply for the first time.

Answer the question of whether you have ever applied for a visa/work permit with “Yes“. A field opens where you can enter additional information. Mention here,

that you are a dual citizen (name both countries)
that you have already participated once under the xxxx citizenship and now want to participate with xxxx citizenship.

Option 3:

Participation through a Recognized Organization (RO)

A Canadian-based Recognized Organization (RO) that was selected and vetted by the Canadian government offers you the opportunity to participate in the Working Holiday Program two more times. And this is in addition to the regular IEC process. It is the easiest way to get another open work permit to work in Canada.

The spots from the RO’s are very limited and became a very popular choice for young travellers between 18-35 years to work in Canada under an open work permit. Although the RO’s are very expensive, the spots are quickly gone, some within minutes after opening.

Furthermore, prices at the RO’s vary between $1,800 – $5,000, and there are only a small number of approved RO’s offering this opportunity. For more details on the RO option >> click here<<

The typical RO process in a nutshell:

You register for the newsletter so that you don’t miss the opening date. If you decide on an RO after the opening date has passed, you can contact the RO to check if they still have spots available.
First, you apply with the RO.
Then, the RO notifies you that you were successful.
Next, you pay the fees to the RO. Note that they have a strict process and payment deadline. If you miss the deadline, your spot will go to another applicant.
Afterward, you receive an RO support letter (acceptance letter). At that point, you can apply to the IEC Pool and wait for an invitation.
When you create your profile in the IEC pool, be sure to answer the question about the letter from an RO with “yes.”

Select the name of the RO from the dropdown list

Does this really mean I can get multiple years of Working Holiday in Canada?

Definitely, you can even have up to two additional Working Holiday work permits with the RO option. However, you need to act quickly, so it is best to subscribe to the newsletter of all the ROs you are interested in. Then, as soon as they open the application process, you can apply.

Let’s use the UK as an example. As a British citizen, you can participate in the IEC:

Regular participation for 2 years, plus
Regular participation for 1 year, plus
RO participation for 2 years, plus
RO participation for 2 years

In total, you can spend 7 years in Canada under the IEC program as a British citizen. This gives you enough time to figure out the next pathway if your goal is permanent residency.

Common questions for all three options

Can I apply now even though I am still on the current participation?

Yes, you can apply at any time while the IEC pools are open. But be aware, after the approval, you have 12 months POE validity to activate the new work permit. Plan this accordingly, so you don’t waste the time on the current work permit.

So basically, wait until 12 months before the current expiry to apply for the new participation.

If I did not activate a previous POE; can I participate again?

Yes, you can!
Your IEC participation only officially counts if you enter Canada and activate your work permit at the border. If you never traveled to Canada and did not activate your permit, it does not count as a participation. That means you can apply again without penalty. If you’re still eligible, you can reapply for a full 2-year work permit.

When can you apply again?

You’ll need to wait until your current Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction expires before submitting a new IEC profile.

You cannot cancel the POE early
You must wait until the exact expiry date shown on the POE has passed
Once that date has passed, you can create a new IEC profile and enter the pool again

>> Official info here <<

⚠️Important info for your second Working Holiday application ⚠️

A job is not a requirement for the Working Holiday because it is an open work permit.

If you apply for another Working Holiday participation but currently have a job, you must answer “NO” to the job offer question, even if you are already employed or plan to keep working with your current employer.

Here’s why:
If you answer “YES” to having a job offer, you could mistakenly enter the Young Professionals pool if you are not careful. As a result, you may receive an invitation under the Young Professionals category instead of the Working Holiday stream.

If you ended up in the Young Professional pool and receive an invitation from it, your profile is locked. That means:

You cannot change your mind and switch to the Working Holiday pool easily.
The system prioritizes invitations from the Young Professional category.
As long as there are still spots available in the YP category, you will not receive an invitation from the Working Holiday pool, even if you’re in both pools.

If you received an invitation from the Young Professional pool, but definitely wanted a Working Holiday (you can see how the application details look like in the screenshot below) you need to start from scratch as it was the incorrect category.

You need to:

decline the invitation,
delete the current profile,
create a new profile,
answer of ‘no’ to the job offer,
re enter the Working Holiday pool,
wait for a new invitation for the Working Holiday category

I have to renew my passport; what is the procedure?

Very important! A work permit will only be issued until the expiry of your passport. For example, if your passport expires in 8 months, you will only get an 8-month work permit instead of the full 12 or 24 months.

Therefore, it is crucial that you have a passport that is valid for the entire duration you plan to stay and work in Canada.

If your passport is set to expire during your second planned IEC participation:

Option 1:

Renew your passport before applying, and use the new passport for your application.
Using a new passport helps avoid the need to update documents or apply for extensions later.
This also ensures that your POE, and your eTA, are correctly linked to your new passport.

Option 2:

Apply using your current (old) passport.
Once you receive your approval (POE), renew your passport before you travel to Canada to activate your work permit.
If you are flying to Canada, you will need to apply for a new Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) linked to your new passport, even if you already had one for the old passport. You can apply for a new eTA >> here.
At the time of entry into Canada, show both your old passport (or a copy of it) and your new passport to the border officer.

Option 3 (not recommendable):

Apply using your current (old) passport.
Activate the work permit with the old passport.
The border officer will issue a work permit that’s shorter than the maximum time.
Once in Canada, apply for an extension of the work permit to get the maximum allowed time.

Why is this not recommendable?

Applying for an extension means extra paperwork because you must apply on paper to extend the work permit.
You must send the application via snail mail; you cannot apply online.
Some employers may be hesitant to hire if your work permit is too short. This can limit your job options.

When is this recommendable?

Here are a few situations where this option might be advisable because you need a fast process/approval. In all of those cases, apply with the old passport:

The IEC season is about to close.
Very few spots are left in your country’s IEC pool.
Your work permit is about to expire and you don’t want to stop working for too long while you wait for a new approval.
You are close to the maximum age limit for IEC. It means waiting for a new passport could make you ineligible by the time it’s processed.

Do I have to give biometrics again?

Good news. If you gave biometrics for another Canadian work permit application, they are valid for 10 years and can be used for all future temporary resident applications.

During the application process, you will answer “yes” to the question about whether you’ve given biometrics. Additionally, once you submit the application, they will automatically be assigned to your profile within a few days.

If you’re unsure whether your biometrics are still valid you can check > here < . If they show ‘expired’ then the processing agent will request new biometrics.

Can I re-use my police certificates?

This will depend. Here the general rules:

➡️ First check: Is the police certificate under 6 months old? > You can use it.
➡️ Second check: Is the police certificate over 6 months old? Then this applies to you:

If the police certificate was issued while you were still in the country > you need a new one.
If the police certificate was issued after you left the country, but you were back to that country > you need a new one.
If the police certificate was issued after you left the country, but have never been back > you can re-use it

❗️In other words: Police certificates are valid indefinitely and can only be re-used, if:

they were issued after you left that country and
you have never been back to that country (not even for a few days to visit).

This graph below applies to the time when you apply for the IEC work permit.

After you received the POE (approval) you do not need an updated police certificate. Take the old one you uploaded in the application when you activate the work permit.

I spent more than 6 months in Canada; do I need a police certificate from Canada?

No. Canada does their own checks. A police certificate from Canada is not required, except IRCC specifically requests it during the application process. If they need one and request it, it will happen after you submitted the application.

Do I need IEC health insurance again?

When activating the work permit, you must have a health insurance that must be valid for the entire length of your intended stay in Canada (the length of the work permit). Be aware, if you are already in Canada, you need an ‘already travelling’ policy.

For options that meet IEC requirements, you can consider providers such as True Traveller, if you are from the UK or Europe.

If you are from another country, check out the other options for IEC participants.

Your IEC health insurance must cover:

medical care
hospitalization and
repatriation (returning you to your country in the event of severe illness, injury or death)

If your insurance policy is valid for less than your expected stay, you will receive 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.

If you have provincial health care or employer benefits, it is not sufficient. Provincial health insurance does not cover repatriation to your home country, and employer benefits don’t either.

I am in Canada; can I keep working under maintained status while I wait for the new IEC?

No. There is no maintained status between two IEC participations.

To stay in Canada legally, you must apply for a visitor record before your current status expires. Generally, you can apply about 7 days before the expiry date (which should also be the latest, as the system can be quite faulty).

The visitor record will cost $100, and you can apply online using the same GCKey account. Simply start the application and answer the questionnaire. After your current work permit expires, you will be in maintained visitor status and can stay in Canada as a visitor until a decision is made on the visitor record application or until you activate a new work permit, whichever comes first.

You will receive the visitor record by post and therefore you don’t need to go to the border to “activate” it. However, once your current work permit expires, you must stop working and wait until you can activate the new work permit.

For more detailed information about the visitor record, click > here <

I am already in Canada. Can I activate the work permit at the US land border via flagpoling?

No. The Canadian government ended flagpoling on December 24, 2024. The announcement can be found > here <. Due to this change, a short visit to the USA is not an option either, because this is how the government defines ‘flagpoling’:

“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.”

As crazy as it sounds, many travellers have a short trip to Mexico and back. Or they use the opportunity to visit their family at home and then activate the work permit on the way back to Canada.

⚠️NEW! You can get the work permit sent to you via mail, if you meet all 3 requirements mentioned here.

When I activated the second work permit I got another 2 years, is this legit?

Yes, it can happen. If the border officer accidentally issued you a 2-year work permit instead of 1 year, that was a mistake on their part. Occasionally, applicants benefit from such administrative errors. And in this case, it means you get to enjoy an extra year in Canada!

Good news: You’re not required to correct the error, and the work permit remains valid until the date printed on it.

But don’t forget: To remain compliant with the IEC program requirements, you must also have IEC health insurance that covers the full length of your stay, including that extra year. If your original insurance only covered 12 months, be sure to extend or purchase additional coverage to match the new end date of your work permit.

Something else I have to think about?

Once you’ve successfully activated your work permit, there’s just one important step left:

If this is your first Canadian work permit:
You need to apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN) at a Service Canada location. Your SIN is required to work and get paid legally in Canada.
If you already have a SIN from a previous work permit:
You must extend or update your SIN to match your new work permit.
Keep in mind, your SIN expires on the same day as your work permit, so it must be renewed whenever you receive a new one.

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