Another Working Holiday Canada through a Recognized Organization
A Canadian-based Recognized Organization (RO) that was selected and vetted by the Canadian government offers the opportunity to participate in the Working Holiday Program two more times. And this is in addition to the normal IEC process. The RO are very expensive and the places are very limited, so they are taken within days (some within minutes). Prices on the RO vary between $1,500 – $5,000.
There is only a small amount of approved RO that offer this possibility. You can find the list and more information >> here under this link<<
Only those Recognized Organizations (RO) are allowed to offer multiple IEC participations.
Types of work permits:
- Young Professionals (employer-specific work permit) for career development
Target market: Youth aged 18 to 30
Eligibility: IEC countries/territories, Brazil, India
Types of work permits:
- Working Holiday (open work permit)
Target market: Youth aged 18 to 35
Eligibility: Citizens of IEC countries or territories and the United States only
Types of work permits:
- Young Professionals (employer-specific work permit) for career development
- International Co-op (Internship) (employer-specific work permit) for students
- Working Holiday (open work permit)
Target market: Youth aged 18 to 35
Eligibility: Students and young professionals who are citizens from IEC countries or territories or IAESTE member countries
Types of work permits:
- International Co-op (Internship) (employer-specific work permit) for students
- Working Holiday (open work permit)
Target market: Youth aged 18 to 35
Eligibility: Students and youth who are citizens of Australia, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom
Types of work permits:
- Working Holiday (open work permit)
- Young Professionals (employer-specific work permit) for career development
Target Market: Youth aged 18 to 35
Eligibility: Citizens of IEC countries or territories only
(a language course for English or French of 12 weeks at an accredited language school is mandatory)
Types of work permits:
- Working Holiday (open work permit)
Target market: Youth aged 18 to 35
Eligibility: Citizens from IEC countries or territories only
Types of work permits:
- Working Holiday (open work permit)
- Young Professionals (employer-specific work permit) for career development
Target market: Youth aged 18 to 35
Eligibility: Citizens from IEC countries or territories only
Types of work permits:
- Working Holiday (open work permit)
- Young Professionals (employer-specific work permit) for career development
Target market: Youth aged 18 to 35
Eligibility: Citizens from IEC countries or territories and the United States
The typical RO process in a nutshell:
- You contact the RO if they still have places, then apply there first.
- You pay the fees to the RO.
- You get an RO support letter (acceptance letter).
- Then you apply to the IEC Pool as normal and wait for an invitation
- When you create the profile into the IEC pool, answer the question about the letter from an RO with “yes”.
- Choose 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 two more Working Holiday work permits with the RO option. You have to be fast, though, so it is best to put your name on the newsletter of all RO you would like to use, 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 IEC twice (new UK rule here):
- a first participation of 24 months under any category
- a second participation of 12 months under any category
Can I participate with an RO at any time if the pool is open?
Unfortunately, no. The Recognized Organizations (RO) have their own opening days. You have to catch the right moment to apply. To do this, it is best to subscribe to the newsletter of the respective RO so you do not miss the opening date. But as long as they have available places, you can apply with them at any time.
Below is a screenshot from SWAP, where the application waitlist was full after just 30 minutes of the opening date for the 2025 Working Holiday season.
Is a participation via an RO a guaranteed Working Holiday?
Basically, yes if you make it into the RO and get accepted by them. The RO have their own number of spots in the pools and once you have been accepted and paid the fee to the RO, you can put your profile in the pool. Then an invitation from the pool is pretty much guaranteed.
However, it does not mean that you will have a guaranteed approval, because you still have to provide all the required documents and within the application deadlines. If you get a refusal, you might get a refund of the IEC application fees, but the very expensive RO fees might not get refunded. Each RO has their own fine print that you agree on when you sign up with them.
Do I need all police certificates again when I participate through an RO?
Yes, you might need new police certificates.
- If you were still in the country, when the police certificate was issued, you need a new one.
- If the police certificate was issued after you left the country and never went back, (not even 1-2 days for visit), you do not need a new one. The old one is valid indefinitely and can be used for future applications, as long as you do not return to that country.
I participated with an RO; can I still apply via the regular process?
Definitely, yes if you haven’t participated in the regular process and if you still meet the age requirement.
My current work permit expires before the opening of the RO, what do I do?
It is important to note: There is no maintained status between two IEC participations. Even if it is through an RO.
As an example, let’s say you’re in Canada and your work permit expires in November. The RO option will not open until December or January.
To stay in Canada legally, you must apply for the visitor record before the current status expires. About 7 days before expiry is fine (and also the latest, because the system is very faulty)
The visitor record will cost $100 and you can apply online via the same GCKey account. Start the application and answer the questionnaire. After the day your current work permit expires, you will be in maintained 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.
The visitor record will be sent via post. No need to go to the border and “activate’ it. When the current work permit expires, you must stop working and have to wait until you can activate the new work permit. A lot more info about the visitor record > here <
Do I need IEC health insurance again when I participate through an RO?
Yes, you need the same documents for activation as for the Working Holiday work permit because an RO participation is a work permit under the IEC (International Experience Canada).
When you activate the work permit at the border, you must have a health insurance that must be valid for the entire length of your intended stay in Canada. Be aware, if you are already in Canada, you need an ‘already travelling’ policy.
Your health insurance must cover:
- medical care
- hospitalization and
- repatriation (returning you to your country in the event of severe illness, injury or death)
If you have provincial health care, it is not sufficient for the Young Professional work permit. Repatriation is not covered by provincial 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 at a later date. For example, if you only have a health insurance for 3 months, you will get a work permit for 3 months. A later extension of the work permit is not possible.
The best IEC health insurance for European and UK citizens
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