USIT Work Canada
Work in Canada for two years
What’s big, white and full of seasonal jobs? Your USIT working holiday in Canada. Complete with visa support, travel insurance, bank account set-up and the option to pre-arrange a summer or ski season job.
On the fence?
Let's talk
The 2025 IEC pools for Canada working holiday visas are now open!
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Why do a working holiday visa Canada?
The scenery is next level – with turquoise lakes, snow-capped peaks and whale-filled waters. The cities are the most liveable in the world – cultural and foodie with a party scene that will leave you grizzly like a bear with a sore head. And just like the slopes, Canadian people are just cool. Dry like the ginger beer and down-to-earth. Plus, you can apply for a Canada visa until you’re 35, stay for two years, and pretty much work in any industry.
Why do it with USIT
Canada visa support
Applying for a working holiday visa Canada can be confusing. There’s a pool for a start. We guide you through the process to ensure everything is submitted correctly.
Work it your way
Our independent Kickstart and 5-day USIT Job Canada working holiday packages mean you can pick the job and accommodation support that works for you.
Jobs before you go
Search and apply from hundreds of jobs in Canada on the USIT Job Hub. Apply before you go, when you land and for the whole of your working holiday visa Canada.
18-35 years
Stay for two years
Visa application pools are open
Option to pre-arrange a job
Earn CAD $15-24/hour
24 months' insurance
From €430
Need to know
Work Canada | From €430
We set you up with everything you need to enter the IEC Canada visa pool, apply for your visa and start working in Canada.
There’s nothing like trying to de-code an IEC Canada visa application to suck all the joy out of your Canada travel plans. And then before you know it, the Canada working holiday pool has closed and you’re stuck waiting for another year to apply. Meanwhile, someone else is living the high life in Canada – carving up the slopes in Whistler or downing bottomless Caesars on a rooftop in Vancouver.
Our independent Kickstart package sets you up with all the Canada working holiday essentials – including two years’ travel insurance and guidance on setting up your bank account and Social Insurance Number (SIN). If you want to take the drama out of finding a job, a place to stay and new mates when you land – opt for our 5-day USIT Job starting in either Vancouver or Toronto.
Here’s the need to know on who can apply and what jobs you can do.
About the visa
The visa pool
The working holiday visa Canada (or IEC Canada visa) is issued by International Experience Canada – the immigration and citizenship department of the Canadian Government. There are a limited number of visas available each year, which is why you must first register your interest by entering the IEC visa pool. Names are then drawn at regular intervals until all the visas have been taken. If picked from the pool, you’ll receive an ‘Invitation to Apply’ (or ITA) for your Canada visa. The pool opens in Dec/Jan each year, and usually stays open until Sep/Oct. Applying early ensures your profile is exposed to the maximum number of name draws - increasing your chances of getting a visa.
Who can apply
- Irish passport holders must be aged 18-35 (inclusive), meaning you must have received your ‘Invitation to Apply’ by your 36th birthday. For other eligible nationalities, click here.
- All applicants must have a police background check, no criminal convictions from the last five years, and attend a biometrics appointment to have photos and fingerprints taken.
- You must be able to show you have CAD $2,500 in support funds – usually in the form of bank statements.
How long for
After receiving your ‘Invitation to Apply’, applying for your visa and submitting your biometrics, you’ll receive your ‘Port of Entry’ letter to work in Canada. You then have 12 months to enter Canada. Your visa allows you to work for two years, for the same or multiple employers.
How we help
The IEC doesn't allow us to apply for your visa on your behalf, but we provide step-by-step guidance and webinars to ensure your application is submitted correctly. The visa costs (CAD $272) and is paid directly to the Canadian government.
Type of work
Your working holiday visa Canada gives you the freedom to do casual or career work.
Typical jobs in Canada for backpackers jobs include working in tourism, hospitality, sales, labouring, childcare, retail and seasonal work in ski and summer resorts working as housekeepers, chefs, drivers, lift attendants, ski instructors and more.
What you'll earn
The minimum wage differs per state or province, with Alberta, Ontario and British Colombia all around the CAD $15 mark. Most of our ski and summer season employers pay between $16-24 an hour, plus tips where applicable. You can also work in industries related to your career, education or trade.Here your earning potential will be higher, with up to CAD $40 an hour for skilled workers and uncapped potential for other sectors – especially with a two-year visa to build up your experience and employability.
How we help (USIT Job only)
We have a dedicated team that finds Canadian employers looking to take on working holidaymakers. They’re vetted to make sure everything is legit, and when you’ve paid in full, you’ll get access to the Job Hub where you can start applying for jobs.
Summer, ski + construction jobs
We work with 20+ of the top resorts in Canada to help you secure a 4-6 month ski season or summer job before you go. Depending on the resort, you’ll need to commit to the winter season (Nov-Mar) or summer season (May-Sep). Almost all our seasonal employers include subsidised staff housing (around CAD $400-600 per month) and great perks such as discounted lift passes, gear hire and lessons. The mountains not your thing? We also have year-round construction jobs on our Job Hub too.
If you’d rather wait until you land, your arrival support includes in-person job workshops and CV help. You’ll also have access to our Job Hub for your whole visa to apply for unlimited jobs.
Departure dates
The 5-day Ultimate runs weekly throughout the year and starts in either Vancouver or Toronto. Run by SWAP – our in-country partners – your arrival orientation, job workshops and sessions to sort your bank account etc will start on a Wednesday. Your first night’s accommodation will be on the Tuesday, but if you’re arriving earlier and need extra bed nights – just shout.
You can also use your four nights’ accommodations in Calgary and do your orientation and job workshops remotely.
Pick your package
Kickstart inclusions €430
Just the essentials
Good for... Independent travellers who want to work in Canada, but need some help navigating the visa pool and sorting all the dull-but-important stuff like getting a Social Insurance Number (SIN). A what now? Exactly.
Includes
- Step-by-step guidance on entering the IEC pool, including visa webinars
- Support with your Canada visa application
- 2-year backpacker travel insurance policy
- Canada bank account set-up (self-serve with full instructions)
- Social Insurance Number set-up (self-serve with full instructions)
USIT Job inclusions €1,159
The full works
Good for... Arriving off a plane with your head in another timezone and wanting your first few days completely taken care of – with hostel accommodation and some fun humans to take you through finding a job/a bank account/a place to live (all of the above).
Includes all this awesomeness
- Step-by-step guidance on entering the IEC pool, including visa webinars
- Support with your Canada visa application
- 2-year backpacker travel insurance policy
- 2-year access to the Job Hub for unlimited working holiday jobs
- Pre-departure handbook with advice on housing, jobs and more
- Pre-departure group video call with live Q&A on moving to Canada
- 5 nights’ hostel accommodation (Samesun hostel in Toronto or Vancouver, HI hostel in Calgary)
- Job workshops to find available positions and get your CV Canada-ready (remote if starting in Calgary)
- Canada bank account set-up (in-person – remote if starting in Calgary)
- Social Insurance Number set-up (in-person – remote if starting in Calgary)
- Monthly social events in Vancouver and Toronto
- Access to SWAP’s resource centres in Vancouver or Toronto for your whole visa
What’s not included
Canada police background check
You need to provide a police check for every country you have continuously lived in for 6+ months since the age of 18. The process and cost varies per country.
Visa fee Canada
This is paid directly to the Canada Embassy and currently costs CAD $279.75.
In-person biometrics appointment
This is a condition of your visa and currently costs CAD $85.
Support funds (CAD $)
You are required to show proof that you can access CAD $2,500.
Flights
We don’t recommend booking flights until your visa is approved.
Get your skates on
About the IEC Canada visa pools
The 2025 visa pools for working holiday Canada visa applications opened on the 16 Dec '24. Applying to the IEC Canada visa pool early ensures your profile is exposed to the maximum number of name draws - increasing your chances of getting a Canada working holiday.
Where to live and work in Canada
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Cool spots
Summer or winter in Canada?
With its multi-entry two-year visa, Canada can be used for either a longer-term move - or to work abroad each summer as an alternative to an Irish J1. While we love our summer breaks, don't discount Canada in winter. With bluebird skies, snow-covered slopes, and plenty of seasonal work to keep you earning and exploring - a ski season job is a great way to earn money and have a blast. Press play for more.
Live and work in Vancouver
Read any travel guide to Vancouver, and it will famously say that you can ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon. And it’s that proximity to natural beauty and healthy attitude that pretty much sums up life in Vancouver. One of the most liveable and best looking cities in the world, Vancouverites have everything at their fingertips – a world-class farm-to-fork food scene, an arts scene that hosts everything from Shakespeare to slam poetry, and a milder climate to their East Coast cousin. But don’t be fooled into thinking Vancouver is all clean living, it has a definite edge – with a killer craft beer movement and underground music scene that rivals most big cities.
Live and work in Toronto
Canada’s largest city, Toronto is a city for urbanites. Diverse and international – every food, language, culture and counterculture has a home here. You might be able to ski and surf in the same day in Vancouver, but in Toronto you can get an Aussie breakfast in the morning, a Korean BBQ on your lunchbreak and a Lebanese shawarma on your way home – all before or after watching a classical recital in the park, an unsigned band in a dive bar, or a drag show in a gay club. Eclectic and exciting, Toronto is definitely a place for city lovers. But it’s also not short on natural beauty – with sprawling green parks, waterfront cycle paths and easy access to Ontario’s ski slopes.
More for your bucket list
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We’re going to need a bigger bucket...
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