Documents Needed for Your IEC Work Permit Application

The International Experience Canada (IEC) is a program designed by the Canadian government to encourage individuals from 18 to 35 from across the world to live and work in Canada temporarily.

The whole application process is carried out online on an application system designed by the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

To begin, you need to create an account on the online system. Then, you will begin to build your profile and undergo the required process. If you are considered eligible, you will receive a letter inviting you to submit and complete your application for a work permit.

This article covers the documents that you will need for your IEC work permit application. While some documents will be needed to be submitted during the application process, others will be needed after the application submission. Here they are:

Documents For Work Permit Application Submission

CV/Resume

A curriculum vitae/resume showing your education, skills, qualifications, and work experience will be needed. It should also indicate your current job title and city/country of residence.

At this point, a basic CV/résumé will do, but when you get to Canada, you need to have a more comprehensive and properly structured CV/résumé relevant to the job you are applying for.

Police Certificate

You may need to provide police certificates for countries or territories where you have spent six(6) months or more in a row since you were 18. For the country where you currently reside, the police certificate cannot be older than six(6) months from the date of application.

If there is any country or territory where you have resided for more than six (6) months in a row, then your police certificate must have been issued after your left.

If you are not able to get a police certificate before the deadline of your work permit application submission, then you can submit proof that you have applied for a police certificate.

This may be in form of a copy of your receipt or a screenshot of your confirmation email or page that indicates that you have requested a police certificate.

Passport

Your passport must be clear, readable, and valid. It must be valid from when you apply for your work permit and must remain valid throughout the duration of your stay in Canada.

It is important to note that you must be a citizen of the same country as the one whose IEC pool you are applying through, and this country must be the one indicated on your passport.

If your passport will expire in the near future, you might want to consider applying for a renewal, because the validity of your passport determines how long your IEC work permit will be issued.

For example, if your passport will be expire by October 2022, then your IEC work permit will be issued for a period that will not exceed October 2022.

• Digital photo
• Frame Size: the frame size must be at least 35mm x 45mm. The photo must clearly show a full front view of the head and the tops of shoulders. The minimum face  height(from crown to chin) should be 31mm and the maximum face height (from crown to chin) should be 36mm. The face should be in the middle of the photo. The dimension should be at least 420 × 540(in pixels).
• Quality/resolution: a scanned photo should have a minimum resolution of 600 pixels per inch.
• File format: a JPEG or JPEG2000 format is the acceptable format for the digital photo file. It must have a file size of minimum 60 kB, but should ideally be 240 kB. Also, the image must be in colour (24 bits per pixel) in RGB colour space.

Before you upload the photograph, make sure to crosscheck and ensure that the properties are in line with the required specifications. You can check the properties of the file by right-clicking on the file on your computer.

Medical exams

You need a medical exam if you have lived or resided in certain countries for six(6) months or more or if you intend to work in any of the following fields: healthcare, primary or secondary education, child care, or elderly care.

You will need to see a panel doctor(a physician approved by IRCC to carry out the medical exams). After the medical examination, you will receive an information printout sheet or an IMM 1017B Upfront Medical Report form, which you will be required to upload a copy of online.

It is important that you complete this step, or else your application may be rejected or your work permit may have a certain restriction that prevents you from working in a job that requires a medical exam.

However, if your medical exam cannot be completed before the deadline of your work permit application submission, then the acceptable alternative would be to submit proof that you have an appointment to get your medical exam done.

Family information

This form requires information about your spouse or common-law partner, your parents, your children(if any), stepchildren (if any), and adopted children(if any). It is also called the IMM 5707 form.

Program-Specific Documents

1. For International Co-op Students, you will need a letter from your school indicating that you are a registered student of the school.

Also, you will need an internship agreement signed by you, your employer, and your internship center. It must contain the following:

• your job title
• your job description
• the exact dates you will start and end your internship
• the complete address of your internship centre
• your employer’s contact information, OR
• a letter from your school,  on official letterhead, confirming that your job offer is related to your course of study.

2. If you are applying through a recognized organization(RO), you may be asked to present a letter of acceptance from the organization. You may need to ask your RO if this applies to you.

3. If you are applying through the Volontariat International en Entreprise (VIE) program of France, you will need to present an official letter identifying both you and your employer, from Business France.

Business France is the organization managing the program.

Documents Needed After Application Submission

1. Biometrics

Biometrics refers to electronically submitted biological data such as your fingerprints and photo. After you submit your application, you may likely receive a Biometric Instruction Letter within 24 hours and this letter will give instructions on how to provide your biometrics.

You should provide your biometrics within 30 days from the day you receive the letter.

2. Port of Entry Letter of Introduction

If your IEC work permit application is approved, you will be sent a port of entry letter of introduction, which you will present to the border service official when you arrive in Canada. If you do not bring this letter along with you, you will not be allowed access to Canada.

3. Electronic Travel Authorization or Visitor visa application

Citizens of certain countries need a visitor visa in order to have authorized permission to travel to Canada.  For citizens of visa-exempt countries, an electronic travel authorization is required if they are traveling to Canada by air.

The exemption to this policy concerning eTA are the citizens of the United States.

If your IEC work permit application is approved, you will receive the proper document (either eTA or visitor visa) with your port of entry letter of introduction.

4. You will need proof of financial support:

A bank statement indicating that you have the equivalent of at least 2,500 Canadian dollars will be required to be presented at the border when you arrive in Canada. This amount is estimated to be enough for your welfare for the first three months of your stay in Canada.

The bank statement must be given to you not more than one week before your arrival in Canada.

However, if you come to Canada with the equivalent of 10,000 Canadian dollars or more,  you must inform the border services officer, or else you may be fined or even arrested. The funds may be in form of cash, cheques, or securities (stocks, bonds, etc.).

If you cannot get a bank statement before your arrival in Canada, then you must come with an original copy of a letter from your bank, with the official letterhead, issued no later than one (1) week before your departure for Canada, clearly showing your account balance. This statement must be signed or stamped for it to be considered valid.

5. Health insurance

You will need health insurance that will cover the entire duration of your stay in Canada. It is highly recommended that you wait until after you receive your port of entry letter of introduction before you get your health insurance.

Whether it is private or company-based insurance, it must cover medical care, hospitalization(if required), and repatriation.

While this article serves as a guide to help you know what documents you will require for your IEC work permit application process, it is also important to note that you may be asked to provide additional documents.

For this reason, you should regularly check your IRCC account. Also, it is advisable to follow the instructions regarding any point of the process diligently. This is to avoid being disqualified from the program.