scottyxx

I bought heath insurance from canada, instead of travel insurance from the UK. It was $68 for the entire year because I had provincial cover.

scottyxx

Its easy, you just need to go to a service canada place with your permit, and passport and you will be issued one

scottyxx

And are in a province that offers it, that at least is the condition for Ontario,

scottyxx

I used a friends address when applying, I think it is so they can mail out your card - but honestly, I cannot remember as it was over 2 years ago.

torbo88

ok i need helpp i am currently iving in canada (toronto) with my girlfriend on an iec from 2011 i know i have missed this years load but i just read on the website you now need to be living in the uk for 3 years directly before the application does this mean i can no longer apply for a second iec visa?

Jennika

I don't think so... from what I remember there are a few people on here who have done it twice in a row. I don't know for sure tho sorry!

PMM

Hi



You have to lived in the UK for 18 months in the previous 3 years from the date of your application to be eligible.

scottyxx

18months out of 3 years, or have valid proof of address / residence in the uk - i have been in canada for over 2 years, but my permanent address is in the uk, i have a bank account, car, car insurance etc all mailed there. I applied / filled in my forms at xmas to make sure i met the exact date of 18 months.

sunshine87

But I can't do that can I? Can I buy insurance from Canadian company for my 12 months and show that at the border?

I am currently in Belize, flying from Mexico to Vancouver next week and really freaking out now I realised the small print of ACE and most insurers that it was meant to start and finish in the UK, I havent been home for 9 months...

I don;'t know what to do...if I just buy ACE for the sake of it type thing, knowing its invalid if I claim and they work out I didnt fly from the UK, will the border guys accept it, also knowing I havent come from the UK? There must be a way round this and not Nomads £500 insurance!

scottyxx

Well, if you don't have insurance, you can't claim anyway, having ACE doesnt mean you will have to claim.

My advice would be to find the cheapest UK travel insurance policy you can find and take it out - I think a few pages back I found one for around $100-$200, and just take the hit knowing it will get you into the country - but know you cannot claim on it.


I dont think you can do what i did, as it is only for people with a valid provincial/OHIP card.

scottyxx

The cheapest I found was https://www.flexicover.co.uk/Gap_Year_Travel_Insurance

Enter code EC112 to get 20% off, bringing 1 year of backpacker insurance down to £160.82

Check it out and see if there is anything that might help you,

There is also http://www.safevisit.ca/ for Canadian Visitor insurance, it cares about your nationality not where you start your trip from. It around $470.12 with a decent , $1000, deductable.

roberto_the_besto

Hello so I finally made it to Toronto. Immigration was a COMPLETE nightmare and I was very disappointed.

I waited in the queue as everybody else did but then I got passed over to the immigration department in another queue I had to wait in. When it got to my turn I had to take a seat in the back of the other part of the immigration office. There were no tickets which related to a queuing system so it was a free for all and I had to wait an hour and a half to be seen, so people who came in after me went before me. I thought it was really bad.

I got into one of the booths after hearing people getting denied entry and getting deported back to the UK the next day (as in tomorrow) and so I was really nervous.

I gave the man my LOI and what came next really annoyed me. The date "validity," was middle of May 2013 which therefore meant that I had to enter before middle of May 2013. He then told me that my visa would be valid until the middle of May 2013. I got a bit defensive and said that it should be valid until 1st July 2013 because it is a one years work permit and this therefore means that I have missed 7 weeks already. He wasn't budging at all and I was getting really annoyed. He printed my visa and said it's valid until the middle of May 2013 and so I had to deal with that. I tried one last time and he went over and asked somebody else who came back, cancelled that visa and then issued another one with the correct date 01 July 2013. You need to be really CAREFUL otherwise you could miss out. I was so surprised that this happened but he was really apologetic.

I didn't get asked for proof of funds or insurance which really did surprise me.

After all of that, I missed my luggage because I spent so long in the immigration department. I went to the air transat counter to ask where my bag was and they said it was over there. I went to collect it and guess what??? It was damaged and I had to drag it around most of Toronto up and down the subway stairs because it had been damaged. I put in a complaint and they have told me to go to some place to get it repaired and if not, get it refunded. I'm so annoyed because this "place" is about 16 km from Toronto.

Even after all of this, I think Toronto is great. You're all in for a treat

scottyxx

Yeah Roberto you really need to know what you are going for because the people at the airport know nothing compared to the people at the drive through borders. The reason he probably never asked for funds or insurance was because he didn't have a clue wtf he was giving you.

Welcome to Canada, public transport sucks, I find it so hard to believe there is no direct way from the airport to DT Toronto.

Former Lancastrian

Errr some of us have worked at both land border and airports and pretend we know what we are doing
No need to ask for proof of funds or insurance as its a mandatory requirement of the IEC. There have been a few turned away because they didnt have it.
All Im saying if asked you better have it or you might be facing another plane ride back to where you have just come from.

cptkid89

I can't be worse than the UK's surely? Public transport in the UK is the worst I have ever encountered, and its super expensive.

I remember being a kid and paying 45p to travel over 6 miles on the bus, now that same ticket (as an adult), although I rarely use PT, is £5.45. £5 increase in about 8 years.

Madness.