How to Stay in Canada After IEC: Your Options in 2026

Your International Experience Canada (IEC) work permit is running out, and you are not ready to leave. We get it. We lived in Vancouver on IEC working holiday permits, and “how do I stay?” is one of the questions we get asked most.

Canadian immigration has changed a lot since we first wrote this guide in 2017. Here are the realistic options in 2026, what has changed, and the traps to avoid.

Beautiful Vancouver in spring

Moving to Canada on IEC soon? Join our IEC Canada Visa Facebook group, and read our working holiday visa in Canada guide and IEC Canada visa FAQ.

The government also has a Come to Canada tool that asks you a few questions and suggests programmes you might qualify for. It’s a good place to start.

First, the rule that matters most: maintained status

If you apply to extend or change your status before your current permit expires, you can legally stay in Canada while IRCC processes your application. This is called maintained status (it used to be called implied status).

• You keep the same conditions as your current permit. On an IEC working holiday (open work permit), that means you can keep working while you wait for a new work permit.
• If you apply to become a visitor instead, you can stay but you can’t work.
• If you leave Canada while your work permit application is still in process, you can generally only come back as a visitor, and you can’t work until the new permit is approved.
• IRCC suggests applying at least 30 days before your permit expires. Check the current processing times, as they change all the time.

The details are on IRCC’s extend your work permit page. If your permit has already expired, read what to do if your work permit expired straight away, as the time limits are short.

1. Do a second IEC participation (if your country allows it)

IEC has three categories: Working Holiday (open work permit), Young Professionals (employer-specific permit for a job in your career path) and International Co-op (an employer-specific internship for students). How many times you can take part depends on your passport.

• Ireland and Australia: two participations, but in different categories. One of up to 24 months in Working Holiday or Young Professionals, and one of up to 12 months in International Co-op. So if you have already done a Working Holiday, Young Professionals isn’t an option, and Co-op is only open to you if you are a registered post-secondary student with an internship that’s part of your studies.
• United Kingdom: under the newer UK arrangement (from 2024), British citizens aged 18 to 35 can take part for up to 3 years in total, across more than one participation. Check the current rules for your situation on the IEC page.
• Other countries: rules vary a lot, and some countries only allow one participation. Check yours on the IEC “who can apply” page.

You still have to meet all the rules again, including the age limit (35 for Irish, UK and Australian citizens), being selected from the pool in a season that’s open, the proof of funds and insurance for the whole stay.

Good news: you no longer have to leave Canada to activate it

When we first wrote this, Young Professionals and second IEC permits meant leaving the country and re-entering at the border to activate them. Now, if you were in Canada on a valid IEC permit when you applied for your next participation, and you still have legal status, IRCC can post the new permit to a Canadian address. If you don’t meet those conditions, you have to leave and re-enter from a country other than the US.

How Young Professionals works today

Young Professionals gives you an employer-specific work permit, so you can only work for the employer named on it. The old “NOC 0, A or B” rule has gone. Today the job generally has to be in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 (a TEER 4 job can count if it’s in your field of study), paid, and good for your professional development. Your employer submits the job offer through IRCC’s Employer Portal and pays the compliance fee before you can apply.

2. Get an employer-specific work permit (LMIA)

If your employer wants to keep you and you can’t do another IEC participation, they may be able to support a regular employer-specific work permit. In most cases this means the employer first gets a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada, showing that hiring you won’t hurt Canadian workers.

• It’s the employer’s application, it takes time and it costs them money, so start the conversation early.
• The permit ties you to that employer, job and location.
• Low-wage jobs are much harder now. Since September 2024, low-wage LMIAs are refused in cities with unemployment of 6% or more. The list of affected areas is updated every quarter on the ESDC refusal to process page.
• As of October 2026, the work permit fee is CAD $155.

Some work permits are LMIA-exempt (for example under trade agreements or for certain intra-company transfers), but these are specific, so check with a professional if you think one applies to you.

Moving as a couple? Since 21 January 2025, open work permits for spouses of foreign workers are limited. The worker generally needs to be in a TEER 0 or 1 job, or certain TEER 2 or 3 jobs in shortage sectors, with at least 16 months left on their permit. See IRCC’s notice on family open work permits.

3. Apply for permanent residence through Express Entry

Express Entry is the main online system for skilled workers who want permanent residence. It covers three programmes: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class, which is the one most IEC participants aim for.

Canadian Experience Class: the basics

• At least 1 year of skilled, paid work in Canada (1,560 hours, so 30 hours a week for 12 months, full-time or part-time) in the 3 years before you apply.
• The work must be in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3. Hospitality and retail jobs are often TEER 4 or 5, so check your job’s NOC code early.
• Self-employment and work done while you were a full-time student don’t count.
• A language test result of at least CLB 7 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs, or CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3 jobs (IELTS General Training, CELPIP General or PTE Core for English, even for native speakers).

This is the big lesson for anyone starting IEC: if you might want to stay, try to get a skilled (TEER 0 to 3) job early in your permit, so you have your year of experience before it runs out. Full requirements are on the Canadian Experience Class page.

How the CRS score works

Once you create a profile, you get a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score out of 1,200, based on your age, education, language results, work experience and a few other factors. IRCC then holds draws and invites the top-scoring candidates to apply. Check your likely score with the official CRS tool.

• Job offers no longer give extra points. Since 25 March 2025, the 50 or 200 points for arranged employment have been removed. IRCC called this temporary but hasn’t given an end date.
• A provincial nomination still adds 600 points, which almost guarantees an invitation (see the next section).
• Your language score is often the easiest thing to improve. Retaking the test to push your scores up can add a lot of points.

Category-based draws

As well as general draws, IRCC runs draws for people in specific categories, which often have lower cut-off scores. For 2026 the categories are French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, transport, physicians with Canadian experience, senior managers with Canadian experience, researchers with Canadian experience, and skilled military recruits. Most occupation categories need 12 months of full-time work in an eligible job in the past 3 years. See the category-based selection page.

What the draws look like (as of October 2026)

• Canadian Experience Class draws have been running roughly every two weeks, inviting 1,000 to 3,000 people at a time, with cut-offs between 516 and 523 from July to September 2026.
• Category draws have been lower: for example, trades at 476 (1 October 2026), healthcare and social services at 475 (4 September 2026) and French-language proficiency at 382 to 399 (July and August 2026).
• Provincial Nominee Program draws have cut-offs of around 700 or more, because they include the 600 nomination points.

Scores move every round, so check the latest on IRCC’s rounds of invitations page.

IRCC also consulted in 2026 on a bigger overhaul of Express Entry, including changes to how Canadian experience and high-wage jobs are scored. As of October 2026 these changes are only proposals, so don’t plan around them until they are confirmed.

After you’re invited

You have 60 days to submit your full application. Expect to provide:

• Your passport
• Language test results
• An Educational Credential Assessment for education gained outside Canada (if you’re claiming points for it)
• Police certificates from each country where you spent 6 months or more since you turned 18
• A medical exam
• Reference letters from employers showing your duties and hours
• Proof of funds, unless you are applying under the Canadian Experience Class or have a valid job offer

As of October 2026, the fee for a principal applicant is CAD $1,590, including the right of permanent residence fee. Check current processing times before you make plans.

Bridging open work permit

If your IEC permit is about to run out while your permanent residence application is being processed, you may be able to get a bridging open work permit. You must be in Canada, your permit must expire within the next four months, and you need to have already applied for permanent residence (for Express Entry, you need your acknowledgement of receipt letter). This is the step that lets many people keep working while they wait.

4. Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)

Each province (except Quebec, which has its own system) can nominate people for permanent residence. A nomination through an Express Entry-linked stream adds 600 CRS points. Most worker streams need a job offer from an employer in that province, and the rules changed a lot in 2025 and 2026.

• British Columbia (BC PNP): the Skills Immigration draws are now focused on priority areas such as healthcare, childcare, construction trades and high-wage, high-economic-impact jobs. Some older streams, like Entry Level and Semi-Skilled, have closed. See WelcomeBC.
• Ontario (OINP): Ontario has overhauled its programme, and at the time of writing (October 2026) the main stream open to workers is the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which needs a job offer from an Ontario employer. See the Ontario Workforce Priority stream page.

Other provinces have their own streams, and some suit people working outside the big cities. IRCC’s Provincial Nominee Program page links to all of them.

5. Study in Canada

Going back to study is another way to stay, but it’s much harder than it used to be.

• Canada has capped study permits since 2024, and the cap has been tightened each year since.
• Most college and undergraduate students need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) from the province. Rules for Master’s and PhD students are different, so check the study permit page for your level of study.
• You need an acceptance letter, proof of funds and the CAD $150 study permit fee (as of October 2026).
• Not every course leads to a post-graduation work permit any more, so check that before you enrol.
• You must apply to IRCC. You can’t get a study permit by flagpoling.

Everything is on the official study permit page.

6. Stay a little longer as a visitor

If you just want more time to travel, you can apply to extend your stay as a visitor and get a visitor record.

• You can’t work as a visitor.
• Apply before your work permit expires, ideally at least 30 days before. If you apply in time, you can stay while IRCC decides.
• The fee is CAD $100 per person (as of October 2026).
• Visitor stays are usually granted for up to 6 months, but the officer decides.

Apply on the extend your stay page. A visitor record can also be a useful safety net while you wait for a second IEC permit or another work permit.

What you can’t do any more

• Flagpoling. Since 23 December 2024, the border no longer issues work or study permits to people who leave for the US and come straight back. You must apply to IRCC. Read the CBSA announcement.
• Extend your IEC permit. You need a new status, not an extension. If your insurance was shorter than your eligible time, your permit was cut short, and that can’t be extended later either.
• Get CRS points for a job offer. Not since March 2025.
• Keep working after your permit expires without having applied for a new one in time. That puts your future applications at risk.

Should you get professional help?

Lots of people do Express Entry themselves, and IRCC’s guides are good. But if your situation is complicated (a refusal in the past, gaps in status, an LMIA, a provincial stream), it’s worth paying for advice. Only use a licensed immigration consultant (check them on the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants register) or a Canadian lawyer. Be wary of anyone who promises results or offers to sell you a job offer.

Planning to settle?

If you are planning to stay in Vancouver, read 50 things we wish we knew before moving to Vancouver, or our moving to Toronto guide.

Good luck, and we hope you get to stay a lot longer!

Steve and Sabina

Planning your trip? Pin this guide to your Pinterest board for later.

Some links are affiliate links. If you use them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Rules, fees and rates change; always check the official government website before you apply. This guide is general information, not immigration advice.