November 14, 2023

IRCC Announces the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Processing International Experience Canada Work Permits

On 7 November 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a new tool that will be used to process International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits [1].

IEC is a category of work permits that includes three streams: Working Holiday, Young Professionals, and international Co-Op Internships. These work permits are meant for youth between the ages of 18 and 35, and must be from a designated country of citizenship that has an agreement with Canada to allow for IEC WPs. For more information about these streams, please refer to “Working Holiday, Young Professionals and Internal Co-op internships” here.

The current listed processing time for IEC applications in the current season is 4 weeks [2]. IRCC’s announcement states that a new tool will triage applications based on their complexity and approve eligibility for routine applications [3]. The intention of these automated tools is to improve efficiency and thereby facilitate work and travel for international youth in Canada.

IRCC’s announcement clarifies that the automated tool will triage applications by sorting the applications to be better positioned for IRCC officers to review [4]. In terms of eligibility, the tool will identify applications that are eligible for streamlined processing. The announcement goes on to state that if an application’s eligibility is not automatically approved, kit may still be manually approved following review by an officer [5]. The automated tool will not refuse or recommend refusing applications, only streamline the processing of other applications. [6]

If you have questions about whether you may be eligible for am IEC work permit, do not hesitate to schedule a consultation with our office.

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