Working Holiday - Frequently Asked Questions
I have received an invitation. What's next?
Congratulations! Now you have 10 days to accept the invitation and from then on another 20 days to upload all required documents.
The System is very faulty. Do not wait until the last day to accept the invitation or submit the application.
Accept latest on day 8 of 10 and submit on day 18 of 20.
What happens if I don't accept the invitation?
If you do not respond to the invitation within 10 days, the invitation will expire and the profile will be removed from the pool. If you want to apply again, you will need to create a new IEC profile.
If you decline the invitation within 10 days, the profile will become active again and will be back in the pool for future invitation rounds.
I want to apply for the Working Holiday, but I keep getting invitations for the Young Professional
When you created the profile you answered ‘yes’ to the job offer question. That means the system also suggested to enter the Young Professional pool. You are in two pools. Because the Young Professional has priority in the invitations, the system will issue those first.
You must delete the entire profile and create a new one where you only enter the Working Holiday pool.
Do I need a police certificate?
Yes. You need a police clearance certificate for each country in which you have spent six months in a row since the age of 18. It does not matter whether you were registered there or not. The stay counts.
If the police certificate is issued in a language other than English or French, it must be translated by a certified translator. The original and the translation must be uploaded.
There are instructions for every country how to get the police certificate
To find out how to request the police certificate from the country
Do I need a police certificate from Canada?
Even if you spent more than 6 months in a row in Canada, you do not need a police certificate. IRCC does the checks themselves.
They might request a police certificate, then you need to provide it.
What if I do not receive the requested police certificate in time before the deadline?
Do not wait until the last day to submitthe application just because a document is missing.
If you have applied for the police certificate but have not yet received it, you must upload a receipt instead of the certificate that proves that you have requested it. (An e-mail or proof of payment from the place where it was requested).
In the optional documents, please upload a letter (informal two sentences) explaining that you have requested the police certificate and need more time.
Then upload all documents and submit the application. IRCC will then open up a new spot where you have 30 days to submit the police certificate.
I have received the police certificate, where do I upload it?
There are two options:
Option 1 GCKey account
IRCC will open up an upload spot for the police certificate. An expiration date and document number are required.
If the police certificate does not have an expiration date, select a day that is at least 1 year after the date of issue.
If the police certificate does not contain a document number, enter N/A in the field.
After uploading, you must also submit the document.
To do this, you have to continue with NEXT and click through all the steps until the status of the document is set to "replacement provided". Only then the document is completely submitted.
Option 2 Webfom
Use this webform link >> here << to submit the police certificate. Choose International Experience from the drop down.
Be aware that IRCC might still be requesting the police certificate via option 1, GCKey account..
Upload it there and submit it again.
Do I have to print and sign the IMM 5707 form?
No, the IMM 5707 family form only has to be filled out on the PC, saved and uploaded again. Even if it says “Signature” at the bottom of the form.
Don’t worry, during the online application everything is automatically signed and transmitted electronically.
Many applicants have issues downloading the IMM 5707 form
To find out how to download a PDF from the government homepage
I don't have my own credit card, can I use my parents' one?
Yes, absolutely. Your parents’ credit card, or even that of a relative or a friend’s, is ok. You don’t necessarily have to have your own credit card to pay the fees.
But you should apply for a credit card as soon as possible, as you absolutely need it for Canada.
I received an invitation and submitted my application, but the pool closed. Will I lose the spot?
No worries, your spot is safe. As soon as you submit the application it will be processed even after the season closure.
Do I get a refund of the fees if my application is rejected?
Yes. You don’t have to do anything. Fees will be refunded automatically within 8 weeks if:
- the application has been rejected or
- you withdraw the application before you have received the POE.
The refund will be made to the credit card you used for the payment. If this card is no longer valid, a check will be issued to the address indicated in the application.
There is no refund if you have made false statements in the application or left out important details.
I missed the 20 day deadline and received a refusal, what now?
If you missed the deadline, you have to start from scratch.
- Create a new profile
- Enter the pool
- Wait for a new invitation
When the pools are open you can check the left over spots
To find out the pool numbers of your country of citizenship
How long does processing of my application take?
After submitting all documents it can take anywhere from a dew days to 8 weeks to get the approval.
You can check the processing times >> here <<. You have to select “Visiting, studying, working temporarily”, then “International Experience Canada”.