Under the IEC program requirements, applicants may not list a dependant or dependants (i.e., spouse or common-law partner and children) on their application to benefit from the IEC program. This means that an applicant and their family members may not benefit from the IEC program as a family unit under one IEC application. However, this does not prevent dependant(s) from submitting their own individual request to come to Canada (e.g., spouse may submit their own application to benefit from the IEC program).

CIC has no specific policy prohibiting spouses and dependants of IEC participants from joining them in Canada. However, the spouse and dependant(s) must be admissible to Canada based on their own merits. Family members will have to answer the Come to Canada Wizard questions for themselves and have their own MyCIC account. The spouse or common-law partner of an IEC participant is not eligible to obtain an open work permit by virtue of the participant's IEC application. The Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exemption code C41 applies only to spouses and common-law partners of workers under CIC’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (National Occupational Classification [NOC] Levels 0, A & B).

Likewise, the children of an IEC participant are not eligible to obtain a study permit by virtue of the participant’s IEC application. They must submit their own application for a study permit if they intend to study in Canada.

For more information about eligibility requirements such as passport validity, health care insurance, and sufficient financial resources, consult Apply—International Experience Canada.