IRCC updates police certificate requirements for International Experience Canada work permits

Canada has clarified police certificate requirements for foreign nationals applying for work permits through the International Experience Canada (IEC) program.

The clarifications come in the form of updated instructions to officers published on the immigration department’s website.

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The updated instructions specify that the applicant's police certificate for their current country of residence must have been issued within six months of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) receiving their work permit application.

The previous version of the instructions did not specify that this six-month window was tied to the date that IRCC receives the work permit submission.

Another addition to the updated instructions clarified that for candidates who've lived in another country for six months or longer since turning 18, their certificate must have been issued after the last time they lived there.

Per the updated instructions, this also applies to *U.S. citizens and permanent residents applying for an IEC-specific work permit with the support of a recognized organization, as well as individuals from countries that do not normally require an upfront police certificate but are asked to provide one by an immigration officer.

The updated instructions were published on the immigration department's website on June 17, 2026.

*U.S. citizens and PRs are not required to provide a police certificate if the U.S. is the only place they have lived.

Police certificates help IRCC determine whether IEC candidates are admissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Candidates with a criminal record that results in inadmissibility may not be approved for IEC. 

In most cases, citizens of countries participating in the IEC program are required to provide a police certificate when they submit their work permit application, for any region in which the candidate has spent six or more consecutive months since the age of 18.  

Certain countries have different police certificate requirements:

IEC is a bilateral youth mobility program that allows citizens of select partner countries (aged 18–35) to temporarily live and work in Canada, with reciprocal opportunities for Canadians abroad. 

To be considered for an IEC work permit, candidates need to create a profile and enter the applicable candidate pool(s), receive an invitation to apply, and submit a complete application for an IEC work permit within 20 days.  

Beyond providing the necessary police certificate(s), individuals must meet all program-specific eligibility requirements to receive an IEC-specific work permit.  

Because police certificates can often take a while to procure, it’s advisable to begin gathering these in advance.  

There is only one upload field for police certificates. If you need to submit more than one certificate, IRCC recommends combining all certificates into a single file before uploading. 

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