IRCC closed the International Experience Canada 2026 pools today and holds the final round of invitations this week. Anyone who is not invited loses their profile and starts again when 2027 opens. There is no official date, but in each of the last three years the pools opened in mid December. The closing numbers for Chile, Costa Rica and Spain show how many candidates were left without an invitation in each category.

What happens to your profile, depending on where you stand

Source: IRCC, IEC pages updated October 19, 2026.

What the official rounds table shows

Source: IRCC, Rounds of invitations, data as of October 16, 2026. The final round is the week of October 19 and distributes what little is left. IRCC warns that after that round it may issue a very small number of additional invitations if candidates decline or applications are refused.

How to read the table

The definitions are IRCC’s. The quota counts approved work permits, not invitations. Many invited candidates decline, let the invitation expire, withdraw their application or are refused, so to fill the quota IRCC invites more people. That is why “Invitations issued” is always higher than the quota. “Spots available” at 0 means the quota is covered. And “Candidates in the pool” counts only those left without an invitation: it does not include anyone already invited or anyone who has already applied.

What the table says for each country

Chile. In Working Holiday, 8,928 candidates were left without an invitation against a quota of 655: demand exceeds the quota about 13 times over. In Young Professionals, 295 were left without an invitation against 65 spots, with 142 invitations issued: about 4 or 5 people per spot. The difference between the two categories is a signed job offer, which Young Professionals requires before you enter the pool.

Costa Rica. The same pattern: 2,449 candidates without an invitation for 80 Working Holiday spots, and 233 for 15 in Young Professionals. In International Co-op the pool ended at 0, with one spot still available.

Spain. In Working Holiday, 1,162 candidates were left without an invitation against a quota of 834. In Young Professionals, 120 spots, 342 invitations issued, almost three times the quota, and at closing only 5 candidates left uninvited. In other words, practically every Spanish citizen who entered that pool with a signed offer received an invitation.

The calculations are ours; the figures are IRCC’s.

When 2027 might open

IRCC has not published the date. What it does say is that quotas are agreed with each country and announced before the first round. The last three seasons opened as follows:

If the pattern holds, the 2027 pools would open in mid December 2026 and the first invitations would arrive in January 2027. That is our estimate, not an IRCC announcement: the real date is confirmed only when it appears on canada.ca.

What to do before the pools open

• Check your age. Chile, Costa Rica and Spain: 18 to 35 inclusive.
• Choose your category. Working Holiday is an open work permit, no job offer required, up to 12 months. Young Professionals requires a signed offer before you enter the pool and, in all three countries, closed with far fewer candidates left uninvited: it is the route to look at if you already have an employer. International Co-op is for students with a required internship.
• Count your participations. Chile allows two, in any category. Costa Rica and Spain allow two, in different categories; Spain also requires a three month break between the expiry of the first permit and the second application.
• To enter the pool you only need a valid passport covering the whole stay you plan, because the permit cannot last longer than the passport. From the moment you start the profile, you have 60 days to complete and submit it.
• Everything else comes later. With the invitation you pay the fees, the IEC fee is $184.75 plus additional fees depending on the category, and give biometrics; the current processing time is 6 weeks after you submit all documents. The CAN$2,500 in funds and health insurance for the whole stay are shown when you arrive in Canada, and IRCC asks you not to buy insurance or a ticket until your application is approved.
• If you are in Mexico, Colombia, Peru or Argentina: those countries have no IEC agreement with Canada. These are the routes from Mexico.