Working Holiday - Frequently Asked Questions
What is a POE?
The Port of Entry (POE) Letter is the approval of the Working Holiday application. It is officially called Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction. It is a letter that you will be issued a work permit at the Canadian border if you provide all the required documents. Print this letter, because you have to present it to the border immigration officer to get the work permit at the border.
What documents do I need to activate the Working Holiday work permit in Canada?
At the time of activation you need to be able to present all of those documents
- your passport
- your Port of Entry (POE) Letter
- proof of funds
- proof of 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
More information to the last step of the Working Holiday application guide >> here <<.
It is strongly recommended to print all required documents on paper.
The immigration officers do not like it when you come unprepared and have to fiddle on your phone or iPad in front of them. Also, there are instances where they are so busy in the immigration office, that they collect your passport and all documents and ask you to sit down and wait. They will not accept your phone as proof of documents.
How long does the health insurance have to be valid for?
For the International Experience Canada (which includes the Working Holiday) you must have health insurance for the entire duration of your stay in Canada. 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 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.
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How long is the POE valid? Until when do I have to activate the work permit?
In general, you have 12 months to activate the work permit, however there is a 'but'
The Port of Entry (POE) Letter is valid for 12 months. This means you have 12 months to travel to Canada and activate the work permit. The date until which you can activate the work permit is printed on the POE letter.
This date cannot be extended. If you miss this date, you have to re-apply for the Working Holiday.
Now the ‘but’!
If you had a medical exam, the POE will be valid for 12 months after the date of the medical exam. This date will also be printed on your POE.
In the below example you will see the POE validity but also that there was a medical exam as part of the application. Because the date of the medical exam is earlier, you must activate the work permit latest on April 22, 2025 (in this example)
If you activate after April 22, then the medical exam is invalid and you will receive a work permit with restrictions. This means, that you will not be able to work in jobs that require a medical exam. More info on the medical exam here.
I received the POE but when I travel to Canada I will be over the age requirement.
No worries, to meet the age requirement, you must receive an invitation before reaching the age cut off. It means before turning 31 or 36 years old, depending on the citizenship. At the time of entering Canada to activate the work permit, your age doesn’t matter anymore.
Can I come to Canada before I receive my POE Letter?
Yes, theoretically you can enter as a tourist and wait for the POE within Canada. But it depends at which stage you are in the application process because it could mean you have to live off your savings without working for many months.
- If you have not yet received an invitation, it is not recommendable to travel to Canada.
- If you have submitted a complete application including the biometrics, it is a matter of a few weeks so you could travel to Canada to wait for approval.
If you are in Canada when you receive the POE you either have to
- exit Canada and re-enter via an international flight
- travel to the US border to activate the permit via flagpoling
There is no other option to activate the work permit from within Canada.
I'm already in Canada, can I activate the work permit at the airport or at the embassy?
No, from within Canada, the only way to activate is an international immigration office. This is where you go, if you fly in via an international flight from outside Canada, or if you drive to the USA border and do flagpoling.
You don’t have to enter the USA for flagpoling, you just have to go to the US border and tell the border officer that you want to flagpole to activate an already approved work permit. The officers will then guide you right back to the Canadian border officers, where you can activate the work permit. A lot more info on flagpoling > here <.
How can I show proof of funds?
Official wording from the Canadian government:
“You must present a statement of your bank account issued no more than 1 week before your departure for Canada.”
So you should print a bank statement from your bank, that shows your name, the bank and the balance in the account. There are experiences, where travellers showed a paper printed screenshot of the online banking app showing the required information (your name, bank name, balance).
My bank statement is not in Canadian Dollars, is that ok?
Yes, if the foreign amount is the equivalent of the required amounts.
- $2,500 with booked return flight
- approximately $3,500 in funds without return flight
Can I show the bank balance in my online banking app?
When you arrive in Canada, there are 100 reasons, why you will not be able to log into your bank account. Don’t risk it. The immigration officers do not like it when you come unprepared and have to fiddle on your phone or iPad in front of them.
Also, there are instances where they are so busy in the immigration office, that they collect your passport and all documents and ask you to sit down and wait. They will not accept your phone as proof of documents.
Can I take the minimum funds in cash with me?
If you arrive in Canada with the equivalent of CAN$10,000 or more, you must declare it. This includes everything that you will have on you while travelling, like in a suitcase or carry on, or in one of your pockets:
- cash
- securities in bearer form (for example, stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills) or
- bankers’ drafts, cheques, travellers’ cheques or money orders
Money in a bank account or savings account does not count towards the $10,000 amount.
Can I use a credit card for proof of funds?
No, a credit card is not sufficient proof of funds.
You must show an available balance in your chequing or savings account, that is immediately available and easily accessible. For example if you have the money locked in an investment account, it will not be available for you to spend immediately.
I cannot travel to Canada before the expiry of the POE, can I go for a few days to activate and return home?
Yes. Many participants actually do it. This way they don’t miss out on the experience entirely, but just a few months.
Even if you enter for only a short time, you must have a full-length health insurance!
For example if your country allows 2 years, and you would like to receive a 2-year work permit you need a health insurance for 2 years.
I have received the POE, but cannot travel to Canada before the expiration date of the POE.
It only counts as a participation if you arrive in Canada and activate your work permit.
If you didn’t use your POE (didn’t activate the work permit) and you still meet the requirements for the IEC program, you can create a new profile into the pool and re-apply. You have to wait until your POE is expired before you can re-apply.
Unfortunately, you have to start from scratch and also pay all the fees involved again. The only exception is the biometrics. They are valid for 10 years and can be used again for all future temporary applications.
I have received the POE, but cannot travel to Canada. Do I get a refund?
As soon as the POE is issued, there will be no refund. But you can wait until the POE expires, and then apply again, if you still meet the age requirement for your country.
If you withdraw your work permit application before the POE is issued, your fees will be refunded.
I changed my mind; I want to withdraw my application.
You can only withdraw your application and receive a refund BEFORE your POE was issued.
To withdraw your application:
- use the web form and
- in the your enquiry box, include “IEC work permit application withdrawal – (your application ID number).” So, for example: IEC work permit application withdrawal – W123456789.
If it’s approved, you will receive a refund of the
- IEC participation fee, and
- open work permit fee
You don’t have to do anything else to get your refund. Normally, you’ll receive it within 8 weeks of your application being withdrawn. Your refund will be issued to the credit card you used to pay the fees.
I have received the POE, but I do not want to activate the work permit yet, but travel first.
This is possible. When entering Canada, you must tell the immigration officer that you do not want to activate the work permit yet. The immigration officer must be convinced that you are only in Canada as a visitor and will not work.
If you want to activate the work permit later and from within Canada, you have to go to a “port of entry” at the USA border and do a flagpole. There is no other way to activate a work permit from within Canada.
When you activate the work permit from within Canada you must have an "already travelling" health insurance policy.
Depending on your citizenship, there are a few options.
I have a layover in Canada, at which airport do I have to activate the work permit?
You need to activate the work permit at the first Canadian airport.
For example, if you are flying to Calgary but have a layover in Toronto, you must activate the work permit in Toronto. On domestic flights within Canada, you can no longer get past an immigration office. You walk directly to the baggage claim to pick up the luggage.
Do I need an eTA?
Yes, to fly to Canada, you need an eTA. However, the eTA is automatically issued with the POE. The eTA number and expiry date can be found on page 1 of the POE.
I have received the POE, but my information changed, do I need to let someone know?
Situations after the POE approval could be:
- moving and changing the address
- travelling to other countries and getting more stamps in the passport
- getting married
- getting a new passport
As soon as you received the POE, you do not have to inform IRCC about changes. You are all good to go.
One exception is the new passport. Then you need to be aware of a few things, for this see the next question.
I got a new passport. What should I do?
If you have already received the POE: Bring a copy of the old passport and the new valid passport with you to Canada. At the border, tell the immigration officer that you have a new passport. The officer will then issue the work permit on the new passport.
Because an eTA is tied to the passport, you also have to apply for a new eTA.
The eTA costs $7 and you apply on the official Canadian government homepage.
I lost my POE, what do I do?
Your POE is a PDF document that you can re-print from your GCKey account. It will be in the “messages” section. If it is not visible in the messages section, you can contact IRCC using the Web form and ask them to re-send the POE.
If you have problems logging into the GCKey account, let them know in the webform, that you cannot access your GCKey account anymore.
Can I stay in Canada as a tourist after my work permit expires?
Yes, you have to apply for a visitor record before the current status expires. You can use the same GCKey account that you used for the Working Holiday. More info about the visitor record > here <.
Can I extend my Working Holiday work permit?
You can only extend your work permit or make changes in very specific situations.
An IEC work permit cannot be extended beyond the maximum allowed time under the bilateral agreement.
For example participants from Australia get a 2-year work permit. This cannot be extended past the 2 years. There are however instances, where the work permit can be extended to the max. allowed time.
Can I do a working holiday twice if I have a second citizenship?
Definitely. If the country of the second citizenship takes part in the Working Holiday program.
You have to apply into the pool of the second nationality. Once you have received an invitation, you must be aware of three important things:
- When asked if you have ever participated in the International Experience Program, answer “No”
- When asked if you already had a visa/work permit, answer with “Yes”
- Upload a “letter of explanation” and mention that you have already participated once under xxx citizenship and now want to participate with xxx citizenship.
When I apply for another IEC category, can I keep working if my current work permit expires?
No. There is no ‘maintained’ status between IEC participations.
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). It will cost $100 and can apply online via the same GCKey account. Start the application and answer the questionnaire.
The visitor record will be sent via post. No need to go to the border and “activate’ it. You can only start working again after you activated the new IEC work permit.
Can I apply for permanent residency while on my Working Holiday?
Definitely, yes. Many participants use the IEC program to gain permanent residency. It is a good stepping stone on the PR pathway.
I got the work permit issued at the border. What now?
No matter how fast you want to leave that stressful immigration office, it is very important that you check all the details on the work permit before you leave the immigration desk! Have it corrected immediately by the border agent if something is wrong. Getting it corrected after you left is a major pain and must be done via paper application.
Check the information on the Working Holiday work permit:
- expiry date
- passport number
- If you did a medical exam, you should not have medical restrictions on your work permit.
- “open” employer
- “open” location
Something else I have to think about?
The only thing that needs to be done after you activated the work permit, is
- apply for the SIN at a Service Canada location if it is your first Canadian work permit
- extend your existing SIN if you activate another work permit (The SIN always expires with a work permit)
Have fun on your Canadian adventure!
