Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued fewer invitations to the International Experience Canada (IEC) program in the past two weeks.
Even though IRCC has been inviting around 5,000 candidates for the last few months, this figure has dropped to just over 1,000. There have been no announcements by the government of Canada on this issue. However, it is assumed that it is due to the government's desire to reduce the backlog of nearly two million applications in all immigration streams.
To participate, your country or territory of citizenship must have an agreement with Canada or you may be able to use a recognized organization. However, some countries only allow participants to participate once. Others allow theirs to participate twice, but in different pools. This is because each country is different. Therefore, it’s important that you check to see if you’re eligible to apply.
Under the IEC program, your dependents cannot accompany you to Canada. They may, however, apply to visit, study, or work here but their applications will not be considered along with yours.
During the IEC season, you can submit an IEC profile at any time. If you submit your profile before the last invitation date for your country, you may receive an Invitation to Apply.