Federal regulationCanada Gazette, Part IComment Period Closed
Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (International Experience Canada)
Sponsoring body: Citizenship and Immigration, Dept. ofIntroduced March 9, 2024Last checked August 25, 2026
Read the official text on gazette.gc.caOfficial version — Canada Gazette, Part I
What this regulation does
These amendments update the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to explicitly cover all International Experience Canada (IEC) Program partners and add the ability for immigration officers to limit how long a foreign youth worker can work for any single employer on a Working Holiday open work permit.
Plain-language summary by Legisail.
Business impact
Employment
Canadian employers who hire foreign youth through the Working Holiday category of the IEC Program could see shorter maximum employment terms for workers from certain partner countries if those countries impose similar restrictions on Canadians. Currently only about 6,250 foreign nationals per year (from an estimated 5 new partner countries) would be affected, meaning most employers using the IEC Program will notice no change. Businesses may face slightly higher hiring and onboarding costs if they must replace workers who hit their per-employer duration limit sooner than expected. The government has confirmed there is no compliance cost or administrative burden added for Canadian small businesses.
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Where this regulation is
Proposed
Comment period closed
Final publicationPending
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