Your Work Permit under the International Experience Canada - Working Holiday Program (IEC - WHP) will be approved by an Immigration Officer at the Consulate General of Canada in Sydney and the Work Permit printed out at the Port of Entry to Canada by an officer of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The CBSA is responsible for the borders and points of entry to Canada.

Your Work Permit will be stapled into your passport at the Port of Entry. It will show:

• A validity of up to 12 months from the date you enter Canada. NOTE: the validity of your work permit may not exceed the validity of your passport. As such it is recommended that your passport be valid for a minimum of two years when submitting your application.

• “Open” employer and “open” employment location. This means you can work for any employer in Canada at any location in Canada, where you are offered a position. There is no restriction on the length of time you can work for one employer, or the number of hours you can work as long as your work permit is valid. Please be reminded that you will need to meet any relevant Canadian federal or provincial occupation-specific registration or licensing requirements. If you are offered work in construction, in a medical field, as a mechanic or engineer, or in other skilled areas, you should inquire whether there are any provincial licensing or regulatory requirements to be met. For further information, please refer to Working in Canada.

• “Open” occupation will also be printed on your Work Permit. However, unless you have undergone a medical examination as part of your WHP application, your work permit will be subject to the following condition:
  
  "Not authorised to work in 1) child care, 2) primary or secondary school teaching, 3) health services field occupations"

If you have undergone a medical examination with one of our designated doctors and have been issued an LOI, the LOI will not explicitly indicate that you may work in an unrestricted field but the work permit issued to you at the Port of Entry will be an unrestricted one.

If after arriving in Canada you wish to work in the occupations of child care, primary or secondary school teaching or health services, you will be required to undergo a medical examination in Canada.  This may be done by contacting the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) centre in Canada (call centre number 1 888 242-2100) and requesting medical examination forms and instructions. After completing the medical and obtaining your results the CIC will modify your Work Permit to remove the condition on occupation. NOTE: this process can take several months. As such, it is recommended that you undergo the medical examination process up-front as part of your WHP application if you wish to work in these occupations. Please refer to the ‘Medical Admissibility’ section for instructions.

• The Work Permit will also have a notation "This does not authorise re-entry". This notation does not affect New Zealand passport holders. As long as you keep the Work permit stapled in your passport, you will be able to leave and re-enter Canada to resume your Working Holiday as long as your Work permit remains valid.

• The WHP Work Permit is not extendable past the expiry date printed on it.

• To stay in Canada as a tourist once your Work Permit expires, you must go to www.cic.gc.ca or ring 1 888 242 2100 to check the requirements for changing your status from a worker to a visitor. You should make your inquiries while your Work Permit is still valid.