For those who want to work in Canada but are neither citizens nor permanent residents, a Work Permit (WP) is required. It is issued for a specific period of time. If you plan to stay in Canada for a longer time you need to extend your work permit or apply for a permanent residency status.

Work Permits can be closed (employer-specific) or open (Open Work Permit – OWP) allowing you to work any position for any employer in Canada. Some occupations require education and/or Canadian licenses.

Information on how to obtain a work permit can be found here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/permit.html

There are also special programs which allow you to work in Canada temporarily. One of them is International Experience Canada (IEC). It is a program for individuals up to 35 years old. It can be divided into 3 categories:

IEC Working Holiday (WH)

It is the most popular option to receive a work permit in Canada. The only criterion is age: 18-35 years old. Yearly, there are 625 people to be drawn from a waiting list. A work permit obtained through WH allows you to work for up to one year in Canada. However, some occupations require a Canadian license. It is not possible to extend this work permit beyond the 12 month period.

Young Professionals (YP)

Allows you to live and work in Canada under the closed work permit (employer-specific) for up to 12 months without possibility of extending it beyond the 12 month period. You are required to have a job offer in order to apply for the program.

International Co-op

The program is aimed at students who are planning to do an internship in Canada. An internship or job offer is required in order to participate in the program.

More information on IEC programs can be found under this link:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/iec.html