Young Professional - An IEC category
What is the Young Professional?
The Young Professional is a category under the International Experience Canada (IEC) program.
IEC (International Experience Canada) is a program that offers young people the opportunity to work temporarily in Canada for up to 2 years. Nationals of 36 countries with a bilateral youth mobility agreement with Canada who are between 18 and 30 or 35 years old are eligible for an IEC work permit.
The IEC program consists of three categories:
- Working Holiday (FAQ here)
- Young Professionals
- International Co-Op
Young Professionals
Participants in this program receive a “closed work permit” or officially called “employer-specific work permit”. The name of the employer and location will be printed on the work permit.
In this category:
- you need an employer who can support you
- you can only work for that one employer
- the job offered must be a skilled job in TEER category 0, 1, 2, 3
- the job must contribute to your professional development
A job in TEER category 4 is allowed if you can provide a post-secondary diploma, certificate or degree, that proves that the job offer is in your field of study.
If you intend to apply for permanent residency later, a job in TEER 4 will not count as Canadian experience. Only TEER 0-3 jobs will count.
Which countries are offering the Young Professional category?
Australia, Austria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom
What if my country does not offer the Young Professional category?
If your country does not offer the Young Professional category, you could use one of the Recognized organizations that offer this option. They will cost a fee which can be between $1,500 – $5,000. > Here < more info on this option.
What are the requirements for participating in the Young Professional category?
To participate in the Young Professional category, you must:
- be a citizen of the country you are applying for
- have a valid passport for the duration of your stay in Canada
- be between 18 and 30 or 35 years (inclusive)
- have a signed letter of offer or contract of employment in Canada
- The job must be a job in the TEER category 0, 1, 2, 3
- have at least $2,500 in funds
- have health insurance for the duration of the intended stay
- have a return ticket or instead prove that you have the financial means to buy a return ticket at the end of your stay in Canada
- have a credit card for the fees
The age requirement and length of work permit are set in each country's agreement
To find out the requirements of your country of citizenship
Many employers don’t want to get involved with this option, and usually reject the idea. They fear that “sponsoring” means a sponsoring through the very lengthy and complicated LMIA process which costs them thousands of dollars. The good news for the employers: It is not.
You can easily convince them with following benefits. First tip, don’t use the word ‘sponsoring’, when you talk to them, you could use ‘support’.
- The Young Professional category is LMIA exempt (no LMIA or expensive and lengthy LMIA process necessary).
- It is a closed work permit that ties you to them for 1 year (or 2 years depending on your citizenship).
- This is the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to keep you as their best employee.
- It will only cost the employer a $230 fee.
- The application process and very speedy, because the Young Professional category is preferred and has less competition. It means, an invitation from the pool can come after just a few days (while the pool is open).
- The application process is fairly simple. The only ‘work’ the employer has to do: register for the employer portal and submit the job offer online. It is done in less than 30 minutes.
>> Here is a good link from the government that explains the process for the employers. <<
>> Here is the employer portal enrolment guide and user guide for the employer<<
How much does it cost me to participate in the Young Professional category?
It costs nothing to submit the profile to the IEC pool. Only after you have received an invitation you can apply for the work permit. These fees below will only be paid in the last step of the work permit application after you have received an invitation and uploaded all the documents.
- All IEC participants must pay the IEC participation fee of CAD $179.75 (for 2025)
- The fee for the biometrics: CAD $85
The biometrics fee does not have to be paid again, if you already gave biometrics for a previous application, like the Working Holiday work permit application.
Is the application process different than the Working Holiday category?
The Young Professional work permit application is not much different than the Working Holiday application.
- You apply into the Young Professional pool.
- During the profile creation you say ‘yes’ to the question if you have a job offer.
- Wait for an invitation.
- After you received the invitation, upload all required documents which are the same as with the Working Holiday application (Family Form, police certificates, resume, photo)
Now here comes the difference
- After you received the invitation, the employer must:
- register in the Employer Portal,
- create and submit the job offer,
- very important: they must choose LMIA exemption code C21,
- pay the $230 employer compliance fee.
- Then after the payment they receive an offer of employment number in their “Employment queue” that begins with “A” followed by 7 numbers
- You have to enter this A number in your own work permit application.
- Only then you can complete and submit the Young Professional work permit application.
- You pay the fees and submit the application.
A helping hand on how to apply for the Young Professional category here
Common 'job' questions for the Young Professional
Can I have another part-time job with the Young Professional work permit?
No. The Young Professional work permit is a closed work permit tied to the employer and location. The name of the employer and the location will be printed on the work permit and no other employer is allowed to hire you. In addition, you can also not be self-employed with this work permit. Neither at another company nor have an own business.
Does the job offer have to be a full-time job, or can it be a part-time job?
There is no requirement that the job must be a full-time job. However, it is the only job you are allowed to have and therefore depending on the hours in the job offer, the government or border officer might want to check whether you have enough financial resources so that you can pay for rent and living expenses with just a part time job.
For example, you can have a Young Professional job with just 15 hours a week, but you should have other means to financially support yourself. Especially nowadays with such high living costs in Canada.
Can the job offer be permanent without end date?
The job offer can be permanent, meaning without end date, but in the employer portal, the employer must enter an end date that reflects the allowance of the work permit under the IEC category. For example if you are from Germany, the job offer should be for 1 year because the Young Professional can only be granted for a maximum of 1 year under that program.
Is there a minimum pay for the Young Professional what you have to get paid?
No, there is no official requirement for the offered wage, but it should be at least the minimum wage of the respective province. Since the job is classified in a skilled category (e.g. manager or supervisor), you should also receive a higher wage than that of a normal employee. Don’t let employers exploit you or take advantage of you!
Note, that since you’re tied to one employer and you can’t have other part-time jobs, which means the job under the Young Professional work permit should cover your living expenses. For example with a part-time job of 15 hours a week, this would not be possible.
My employer promoted me to another job in the same company, same location
My employer wants me to switch job duties in the company; it is the same location, and same NOC code
My employer wants me to work in multiple locations
In general, when the Young Professional work permit is issued at the border, the work location will be printed on the work permit. You are tied to that specific location.
If your employer wants you to work in multiple locations, they have to enter this very important step in the employer portal when they submit the job offer. It cannot be changed later. This is the information from the Employer Portal User Guide:
“Physical job location
Enter the location where the temporary worker will be working. If there are 2 locations, answer “Yes” to “Will the worker perform duties at more than 1 job location?” and complete the second job location section.
If there are more than 2 locations, you can complete the first job location section and list all other locations in the “Main duties of the job” field. This information, if provided, will be considered during a compliance inspection—even if the work permit document failed to indicate the multiple job locations.”
Here is another screenshot from the Canadian government, with the information.
Can I change employers with the Young Professional work permit?
Under the Young Professionals category, you have a work permit, that is tied to the employer. Therefore you can only change your employer if you have a valid reason.
Examples of valid reasons to change your employer include:
- you were working for a company that has closed
- you’re not receiving the wages you were promised
- your working conditions are not safe or as promised
- you have been fired or laid off
You can’t change your employer because:
- you’ve been offered better wages by a different employer
- you would like to work in a different location
- you do not like your job or employer
The important 4 steps how to change employers here
Common questions for the application process
My job is in TEER 4; what is a post-secondary degree?
As mentioned above, all TEER 4 jobs for the YP require a post-secondary diploma, certificate or degree. It means, you must include proof of post-secondary education in the job field you are going to work. In general and in simple words, it means you studied at a university or college after you finished high-school. Examples of degrees are
- a diploma or certificate from a college
- a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral degree from a university
However, for the Young Professional category, an apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma could also be acceptable as post-secondary education if it proves a connection to your job in TEER 4.
If the diploma or certificate is not in English or French, you must translate it and upload original + translation into the optional ‘client information‘ spot after you received your invitation.
Can I use the Young Professional work permit right after the Working Holiday?
In general yes, and that’s what most IEC participants do. However, it is important to note, that there are two rules in the IEC program, that prevent some citizenship countries from applying or applying right away while still on the Working Holiday.
1. Countries, that offer multiple categories don’t allow a Young Professional participation after the Working Holiday.
“As an xx citizen, you may participate in the Working Holiday category only once. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may participate in IEC one more time through the International Co-op (Internship) category.”
2. Some countries that offer the Young Professional category have a discontinuance requirement.
It means they must have a break between the expiry of the first IEC work permit and the application of the second IEC work permit. You can find the requirements of your country > here <. Enter your country and choose “Young Professional”
- Croatia: three-month break
- Latvia: one year break
- Lithuania: three-month break
- Poland: six-month break
- Slovakia: three-month break
- Spain: three-month break
Do I have to be in my home country to apply for the Young Professional?
No, the good news is, you can apply from anywhere in the world, where you have access to Internet. But there are a handful of countries that have a residency requirement, which means they must provide a mailing address from their home country:
Czech Republic, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
** NEW for Italy **:
If you’re an Italian citizen, you’ll also need to provide a residence certificate (certificato di residenza) to prove you live in Italy. The certificate must be translated into English or French by a certified translator (it cannot be done by you).
You must upload the original + translation of the certificate in the “Optional documents” spot at the bottom of the Document Checklist page in your GCKey account. Because there is just one spot, you have to merge all files into one PDF. This can be done with > PDF Merge <
I gave biometrics in the Working Holiday process; do I need to give them again?
Good news. Biometrics are valid for 10 years and can be used for all future temporary resident applications.
In the application process you answer ‘yes’ to the question if you gave biometrics. They will automatically be assigned to your profile a few days after you submitted the application. You can check > here < if your biometrics are still valid.
Can I re-use my police certificates I provided in the Working Holiday application??
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? See below graph.
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.
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 Canadian checks themselves. However, the processing officer might request a police certificate later in the application, then you must provide it.
My passport expires soon
Very important! The Young Professional work permit will only be issued until the expiry of your passport.
In case your passport is going to expire during the planned Young Professional participation, apply with the old passport and renew it after you received the POE but before you activate the work permit.
Show the copy of the old passport and the new passport to the immigration officer when you activate the work permit. Be aware, if you travel to Canada you need a new eTA for the new passport. Apply for the eTA >> here <<
If you do not have enough length on your passport to cover the Young Professional work permit it gets a bit trickier.
Yes, you can extend the work permit to the maximum allowed time under the agreement with your country after you get the new passport.
But here comes the hurdle: Before you submit your application to extend your participation, your employer must submit a new offer of employment and pay the $230 employer compliance fee again. Then they will receive a new employment number that you must include in the extension application.
I am working in a job that requires a medical exam; do I need to retake it?
If you would like to work in child care, health care, or elderly care, you need to retake the medical exam. The medical exam was valid for only 12 months.
Medical Exam for applicants from within Canada:
- You applied, or are applying, for either permanent residence or temporary residence.
- You already live in Canada.
- You completed your previous IME in the last 5 years.
- Your previous IME indicated a low risk or no risk to public health or public safety.
Heads up!
Recent experiences have shown that the old medical exam was not recognized at the border, and a work permit with restrictions was issued.
Therefore, it is important to stress out this:
If you need a work permit without restrictions right from the start when you activate the work permit, and cannot afford to wait for a new amended work permit because it was issued with restrictions, then it is recommended to do a new medical exam at least 4-6 weeks before the work permit activation.
The reason behind this (and possible hiccup):
An IEC work permit is a special work permit that is considered an application „from outside Canada“ no matter if you are in Canada or not. Therefore IRCC might not allow to re use the medical exam for the IEC stream.
If you received a work permit with restrictions at the port of entry, here you can find out how to remove them.
My employer changed their mind, can I re-apply for the Young Professional work permit?
It depends on the application stage.
- If you received an invitation, and your employer hasn’t submitted the job offer in the employer portal yet, you can simply decline the invitation and delete the profile. Then you can apply again, after you found a new employer.
- If your employer already submitted the job offer, they can withdraw it through the Employer Portal. Instructions on how to withdraw here.
- If you already received the POE (approval), then the POE will become invalid. As soon as that happened in the GCKey account, you can apply again after you found a new employer who wants to support you.
- If you already activated the work permit, the job offer cannot be withdrawn anymore. You have to look into the option for the employer change. More info and the instructions here.
Do I need an IEC health insurance again to activate the Young Professional work permit?
Yes, you need the same documents for activation as for the Working Holiday work permit because the Young Professional work permit is a work permit under the IEC (International Experience Canada).
When activating 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 (the length of the work permit). Be aware, if you are already in Canada, you need an ‘already travelling’ policy.
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 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.
If you are already in Canada, you could compare the prices and coverage from Best Quote > here <.
The best IEC health insurance for European and UK citizens
recommended by other IEC participants who used them
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.