What is IEC Implied Status in Canada?

IEC Implied Status impacts the thousands of young graduates and workers arrive in Canada each year. These ambitious individuals arrive in hopes of adding to the Canadian economy and society. One of the pathways that young ambitious graduates and workers use to study and work in Canada is the International Experience Canada program (IEC). The IEC allows individuals from over 30 countries around the globe to enter, live, study and/or work in Canada.

The program has three categories that welcomes students. The categories are:

• Working Holiday
• Young Professionals
• International Co-Op

Why use the IEC program?

Program participants aim to stay in Canada following the complete of their IEC work permits. Individuals can remain in Canada after their work permit expires, however, this depends on each participant’s circumstances.

Participants of the IEC program do not have a single, clear pathway to permanent residency status in Canada. There are multiple pathways that participants can potentially use to remain in Canada following the completion of their IEC work permit.

Circumstances that may affect an individual’s chances of remaining in Canada can depend on the following:

• An individual’s age
• Nationality or country of origin
• Location in Canada
• Duration of stay
• Skill level of Canadian work experience
• Whether or not an employer has offered job
• The terms of the job offered

How does the IEC program work?

A student, worker, or visitor seeking to extend their visa status in Canada can remain in the country legally until a decision is made on their visa application. The individual’s status to remain in Canada is implied. A person’s implied status continues until the Canadian immigration department decides on whether or not to grant the new work permit application.

Which participants can work using IEC implied status?

A person with implied status can continue working in Canada as long as they have applied to extend their stay in the country as a worker. An individual can only continue working, if:

• They work for the same employer, company, business
• Continue to work under the same conditions as before
• The individual remains in Canada as leaving the country ends implied status regardless of circumstances

An individual that has applied for a different type of permit is allowed to remain in Canada thanks to implied status. However, if they have applied for a work permit, the individual is not allowed to continue working.

Who doesn’t have IEC implied status?

There are specific individuals that do not have implied status. Individuals that do not have implied status include persons who have:

• Applied to extend their IEC participation after their work permit expires. Individuals will need to stop working on or before the day their work permit ends.
• Applied for a new IEC visa.
• Submitted their profile to an IEC pool and are waiting for an invitation to apply.
• Applied to extend their stay as a student or visitor following the completion of their work permit.

Individuals seeking the IEC visa to Canada can remain in the country for 12 to 24 months. The length of the stay will depend on the participant’s country of origin.

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