Thinking about a working holiday in Canada? We did the International Experience Canada (IEC) working holiday as a couple, lived in Vancouver, and drove some of the best road trips of our lives through the Rockies. Over the years we have written a lot about it, so this page pulls every one of our Canada guides together in the order you will need them.
Start at the top with the visa, and work your way down to your first weeks, your job, your tax refund and, if you fall in love with the place like most people do, how to stay longer.
Updated October 2026: IEC working holiday key facts
- Season: the 2026 IEC season is still open. The 2027 season has not been announced yet and is expected around December 2026.
- Who can go: Irish, UK and Australian citizens aged 18 to 35 can get an open work permit for up to 24 months.
- Cost: CAD $184.75 IEC fee + CAD $100 open work permit holder fee + CAD $85 biometrics = CAD $369.75.
- Money: you need to show at least CAD $2,500, plus a departure ticket or the money to buy one.
- Insurance: it must cover your whole stay. If it is shorter, your permit is cut to match.
Always check the official IEC page on Canada.ca before you apply, as rules and fees change.
1. Getting the visa
- Working holiday visa in Canada: 15 things you need to know: the best place to start, covering the whole process from the pool to landing.
- IEC Canada visa FAQ: answers to the questions we get asked most about the application.
- Moving to Canada from Australia on an IEC visa: tips if you are coming from Down Under.
- Australia vs Canada: can’t decide which working holiday to do? Our honest comparison.
- What we learned from two working holiday visas: the life lessons from doing both.
2. Before you go
- Best IEC travel insurance for Canada: you need cover for your whole stay, so get this right.
- Cheapest way to send money to Canada: how to move your savings over without losing a chunk to bank fees.
- Shipping to Canada: the cheapest ways to send a parcel or extra luggage over.
- How to move to Canada: the big-picture checklist for relocating.
3. Your first weeks
- 6 things to do on day one of your working holiday: accommodation, a SIM card, a bank account, your SIN number and more.
- Best bank in Canada for newcomers: the current newcomer offers, fees and which account to open.
- 50 things you must know before moving to Vancouver: everything we learned living there, including our mistakes.
- Moving to Toronto: rent, neighbourhoods, jobs and getting around.
4. Work and money
- Best travel jobs: easy ways to earn while you are on the road.
- Canada tax refund for working holiday makers: plenty of working holiday makers are owed money back, so don’t skip this one.
5. Staying longer
- How to stay in Canada after your IEC visa: the routes to staying on once your working holiday ends.
6. Travelling around Canada
- Canadian Rockies road trip: our full itinerary through Banff, Jasper and the Icefields Parkway, plus the Okanagan wine country.
- Northern lights in Yellowknife: one of the best places on the planet to see the aurora (and our northern lights captions for the photos).
- 125+ Canada captions for Instagram, Banff captions and Vancouver captions: for all those mountain and lake photos.
Planning your working holiday in Canada?
- BestQuote: compare IEC travel insurance that covers your whole stay
- Wise: send your savings to Canada and spend in CAD without big bank fees
- TorFX: for larger transfers, with a dedicated account manager
- Airalo: a Canada eSIM so you have data from the moment you land
- Booking.com: somewhere to stay for your first few weeks
- Discover Cars: car hire for your Rockies road trip
- Banff tours: day trips and activities in the Rockies
Got a question about your working holiday that isn’t answered here? Leave a comment on any of the guides above and we will do our best to help.
Steve and Sabina
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