Canada increases age limit to 35 for IEC program

The IEC program facilitates the process for young people to gain valuable international work experience and travel abroad. There are 34 destinations available to young Canadians looking for international work experience with IEC’s partner countries and territories.

This expanded age range will give more young adults from Canada and Australia the opportunity to broaden their perspective of the world and gain professional work experience while traveling.

• EC originated in 1965 as a cultural exchange between Canada and Germany. In 1967, following the success of the initiative, Canada proceeded to create an international travel and exchange program. More than 50 years later, Canada continues its commitment to fostering cultural exchanges between young people.
• More than 200,000 Canadians have taken advantage of the work and travel experiences offered through the International Experience Canada program, and many return to Canada with life-changing experiences valuable to both their personal and professional lives.
• There are three categories of participation under the program:
  1. Working Holiday participants receive open work permits that allow them to work anywhere in the host country, to support their travels.
  2. International Co-op participants receive employer-specific work permits that allow students to gain targeted experience in their field of study.
  3. Young Professionals participants receive an employer-specific work permit to gain targeted, professional work experience that is within their field of study or career path.