United Kingdom 2024 IEC Update

As the 2024 IEC rounds of invitations have opened up recently, there have been some updates for UK IEC applicants. 

The three changes for UK participants are: 

• Age of eligibility increase
• Two additional IEC stream options
• Maximum stay under IEC increased

Let’s go over them.

IEC Age of Eligibility Increase 

Before the change, the age of eligibility was between 18 to 30 years old for UK IEC participants. The great news is that the eligibility age range has expanded! 

The age of eligibility is now between 18 and 35, giving more opportunities for UK IEC participants to live and work in Canada.

Two New IEC Streams Added 

Previously, the Working Holiday visa was the only IEC stream available to participants from the United Kingdom.

Now, there are two new streams:

• International Co-op (Internship)
• Young Professionals 

With three IEC categories now available, you can gain a work permit in any of the three categories. But what exactly are each of the IEC visa categories? I’ll explain them below. 

1. Working Holiday visa 

The Working Holiday category provides you with an open work permit. 

It is intended for people who might want to travel or work in multiple locations or with more than one employer during their stay in Canada. 

You can work in almost any job with a Working Holiday visa, but there are some open work permit career exceptions.

2. International Co-op (Internship) visa 

The International Co-op category provides you with an employer-specific work permit.

This visa is designed for students at a post-secondary institution with a work placement or internship offer connected to their studies. This work placement offer would be with a specific employer in Canada. 

3. Young Professionals visa

The Young Professionals category provides you with an employer-specific work permit. 

This visa is intended for people who already have a job offer for a field within NOC TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 and would like to work for a specific employer in Canada.

IEC Canada - UK Participants Get Up to 3 Years

You are now able to participate in IEC twice. And the best part? You can apply for any of the three categories for your second IEC visa! 

The first IEC participation is up to 24 months under any category. With the new option of participating a second time, you could get up to 12 months longer in Canada! 

This means you could be eligible for up to 3 years living and working in Canada under the International Experience Canada visa. 

IEC Insurance

While the IEC insurance requirements have not recently changed, all IEC visa categories require you to have insurance for the length of your stay. 

The great news is you can purchase your IEC travel insurance at BestQuote. We have a range of options, with some policy options covering winter sports and some stable pre-existing conditions. 

We even have two MedEC policies that allow you to receive a 25% refund of the remaining policy premium for enrolling in a government health insurance plan (GHIP) in Canada. 

If you’d like to know more about GHIP, check out our article on whether you’re eligible and how to apply for Canadian healthcare coverage.

Flagpoling for Your Second Visa? Get Insurance at BestQuote

Do you need to purchase additional insurance for your second IEC visa?

The great news is you can purchase IEC insurance at BestQuote even if you are in Canada! 

If you are planning to flagpole for your next IEC visa, check out our article on four flagpoling tips before you go.