Working holidays in Canada

You can book onto Work Canada year-round. However, Canada working holiday visas operate via a visa pool system, so you can’t apply for your visa until the pools open. They usually open in Dec/Jan, and close Oct/Nov - or earlier if your country's allocation runs out. However, the IEC (International Experience Canada) make this decision, so exact dates can change from year to year. Due to the competition for Canada visas and Canada jobs, we recommend booking Work Canada as soon as they open. You can check the current quota of visas left for your country here.

You can find the list of nationalities eligible for the IEC working holiday visa here. Depending on your nationality, you must be 18-30 or 35, and will be granted a 12-24 month visa. To find out more about how the visa and pool system works, check out our nerdy Canada visa guide

Many nationalities (including Australian, New Zealand, British, Irish and European passport holders) can apply for an RO Letter (Recognised Organisation) or Young Professionals visa. These visas allow you to go back to Canada for a second time if you’ve already used your IEC working holiday visa. Check for eligibility and how to apply on our Canada Returner page. UK passport holders who had an IEC after 2015 can now enter the pools for a second 12-month visa without needing to use an RO Letter. Check out this Canada blog for the new rules for British passport holders. Confused? Call us and we’ll talk you through it!

• If you book ‘JENZA Job’ you have the option to arrange a 4-6 month summer or ski season job or year-round construction job before you go. Once you've paid in full, you’ll get access to the JENZA Job Hub where you can search, apply and video interview for jobs. For winter positions: we also have virtual hiring days each year where our ski employers will bulk recruit for their staff over 1-2 days. We also try to have an in-person hiring event each year where you can meet and interview with our winter employers face-to-face.
• If you book ‘Own Job’ you’ll have a shorter number of hostel nights (2 nights instead of 5), but still have access to the same job workshops and arrival orientation when you land. You’ll also get access to SWAP’s job database for two years.

We have long-standing relationships with 20+ of Canada’s leading ski resorts - including Four Seasons Whistler, Pan Pacific Whistler, Westin Whistler, Whistler Blackcomb, Fairmont (Whistler, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper), Panorama Mountain Resort, Big White, Banff Sunshine Village, Cypress Mountain, Asessippi, Grouse Mountain, Blue Mountain and Vista Ridge to name a few.

The Canada IEC visa is flexible and allows you to work anywhere in Canada for up to 24 months (depending on your nationality). It’s also multi-entry, so many travellers choose to head over for consecutive winters to work the ski season. Equally, there are no restrictions on how long you can work for any one company, so you can stay in the same job for the full duration of your visa.

A police background check will be required for every country you have continuously lived in for 6+ months since you were 18 - the cost and process varies per country. You can find out more in your online account.

You may be asked for your policy documents at immigration, so you must take out comprehensive travel insurance to cover you for your whole stay. For example, if you book a six-month policy to save money, you run the risk of your visa being stamped for that duration – not the full duration of your visa. If this happens, there is no way to extend your stay. Also, ensure that you are covered for all the wintersports and activities you plan to do while you're away.

Nothing! We’ve always been the same team running identical programs, just with different brand names in different countries. As you can imagine, this got crazy confusing. So in 2024, JENZA became the new name for all our working holiday and intern programs, and BUNAC went back to its 1972 Americana roots, and became our summer camp brand.