Canada announces country quotas for LMIA-exempt work permits under the IEC

The International Experience Canada (IEC) program has announced its country quotas to issue work permits in 2025.

Under the IEC, youth who are citizens of countries that have bilateral Youth Mobility Agreements (bYMAs) with Canada can receive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-exempt work permits, including open work permits (OWPs) under the Working Holiday stream.

To qualify, the foreign national must be at least 18 years of age, and no older than either 30 or 35, depending upon their country of citizenship.

This article will cover the announced country quotas and give an overview of the work permit streams within the IEC.

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Country quotas

The following table presents work permit quotas for citizens from each country, along with the maximum age for youth from that country (in all cases, the foreign national must be at least 18 years old).

Country	Working Holiday	Young Professionals	International Co-op	Upper age limit
Andorra	25	N/A	N/A	30
Australia	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	35
Austria	100	60	20	35
Belgium	750	N/A	N/A	30
Chile	725	20	5	35
Costa Rica	80	15	5	35
Croatia	85	10	5	35
Denmark	350	N/A	N/A	35
Estonia	110	10	5	35
France	6,615	2,080	3,590	35
Germany	3,490	350	160	35
Greece	180	10	10	35
Hong Kong	200	N/A	N/A	30
Ireland	3,800	150	50	35
Italy	1,750	200	50	35
Japan	6,500	N/A	N/A	30
Korea, Rep.	10,000	1,500	500	35
Latvia	40	8	2	35
Lithuania	175	20	5	35
Luxembourg	80	10	10	30
Netherlands	430	170	N/A	30
New Zealand	2,500	N/A	N/A	35
Norway	130	15	5	35
Poland	435	110	5	35
Portugal	750	40	10	35
San Marino	25	N/A	N/A	35
Slovakia	315	30	5	35
Slovenia	80	15	5	35
Spain	800	120	30	35
Sweden	350	40	10	30
Switzerland	N/A	200	50	35
Taiwan	940	50	10	35
United Kingdom	9,000	900	100	30

What is the IEC?

The International Experience Canada (IEC) program offers work permits to foreign nationals under three distinct streams.

As part of Canada’s international agreements with various countries, the IEC enables youth from participating nations to live and work temporarily in Canada. Similarly, Canadian youth are provided with the same mobility opportunities in these partner countries.

Citizens of countries with youth mobility agreements with Canada are eligible to apply for a Canadian work permit through one of the following IEC categories:

• The Working Holiday category;
• The Young Professionals category; and
• The International Co-op category.

Each stream has different functions—with two issuing employer-specific work permits, and one issuing open work permits (OWPs) to successful applicants, as noted below:

Work permit category	When candidates should use this category	Type of work permit issued
Working Holiday	- You don’t have a job offer. - You want to work for more than one employer in Canada. - You want to work in more than one location. - You’d like to earn money to travel.	Open work permit (OWP)
Young Professionals	- You have a job offer in Canada that counts toward your professional development. - You will work for the same employer and location. - The job is paid and not self-employed.	Employer-specific work permit
International Co-op (Internship)	- You are a student enrolled at a post-secondary institution. - You have a job offer for a required work placement/internship in Canada. - The work placement is required to complete your studies. - You will work for the same employer and location.	Employer-specific work permit

Note that not every country with a bYMA will be eligible for each category. To see a complete list of countries with bYMAs and the categories that citizens of those countries are eligible for, visit our dedicated webpage.

Who is eligible for these programs?

To be eligible for an IEC work permit, applicants must:

• Be a citizen (passport holder) of a country or a resident of a territory with a bYMA with Canada.
• Hold a valid passport for the entire duration of their stay.
• Fall within the eligible age range specified in the youth mobility agreement between their country and Canada (either 18-35 or 18-30, depending on the country).
• Have at least $2,500 available upon arrival to cover living expenses.
• Be able to secure health insurance for the duration of their stay (proof may be required at a Canadian port of entry).
• Be admissible to Canada.
• Not bring any dependents.
• Have a round-trip ticket or sufficient funds to purchase a departure ticket for the end of their stay in Canada.
• Pay any necessary fees associated with the application process.

For more information on how the IEC functions, visit our dedicated webpage here.

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm