Bubble90

Hi. I'm a little confused about how we can go about spending a year in Canada.

We are a young family of 4-ish from Northern Ireland (me husband our 2 year old and baby due July). I am just wondering is it possible for us as a family to spend a year in Canada? We would love to move permanmently one day but not without experiencing what it is actually like to live in Canada. Would like to do this while my children are young as obviously it becomes more difficult to do these sort of things once they are school age.

We have family in Canada that we would be staying with most of the time. However, as we would like to experience Canada properly my husband would also like to be able to work if possible? We would have every intention of returning home but would also like the option to explore work incase we did decide we wanted to make the move.

I guess I'm looking for some kind of temporary visa that would allow my husband to work whilst we visit? Any help very much appreciated. Thanks!

PB65

So if your husband is 35 or under and being from Northern Ireland am I right in assuming you could apply for Irish Passports maybe your husband could apply for the Canada IEC program. The Ireland quota still has slots available and is more generous than UK which is all but taken. Although dependants cannot be included on IEC they can accompany I believe as visitors. Worth looking at as the IEC progam is a 2 year open work permit. Determine your eligibility – International Experience Canada

Bubble90

Thanks for your reply!
Yes we have Irish and British passports and my husband is 26. Thanks for the link! I have been told by family that as far as they know we would all need individual visas no matter what route we go? Although it is a very very long time since they had to worry about those things!

Engineer_abroad

As a visa exempt country you don't need a visa to visit Canada but you do need a work permit to work. The IEC program gives your husband access to such a work permit. The remainder of the family can merely travel as visitors provided you can show sufficient funds to sustain yourselves (including medical insurance). At the border anyone not applying for a work permit would request visitor records to make it easier to integrate (i.e. ID/driving licenses, baking etc.)

Bubble90

Thanks for the info! I just looked this up and it says I just need to apply for an eTA which lasts 5 years. I'm assuming that is the equivelant of a basic visitor visa for a visa exempt country? Does that mean I don't require any other form of visa for me and my children apart from our eTAs, seeing as they are not of school age. So I'm guessing if my husband was able to obtain an IEC we could accompany him this way? Thanks!

Engineer_abroad

eTA = electronic travel authorization it is not a visa but approval for you to travel to Canada. if you been to the US it is Canadian version of an esta.

You can all go to Canada at anytime and stay for as long as you want (provided you are able to support yourselves). You husband would need the IEC to obtain a work permit. The rest of the family would just request visitor records. Note that for a family of 4 it is likely that you will need to show considerable financial means to support yourselves (it is unlikely that your husband will have a job when he arrives at the border for his work permit). You will also all need medical insurance for the entire period of your proposed stay.

Vulcanoid

I have to say, Walmart never asked me for proof of status when I bought flour....

Sorry

Engineer_abroad

Haha. banking I meant banking.

Bubble90

Lol I never even noticed that little mistake.

Thanks for the help. Yes medical insurance is one of the things on my list of things to reaearch! Proof of finances. Will that be like a bank statement? Or do they need more than that? Also (maybe a bit silly), if we can prove we intend to stay with family for the duration of our stay will that help towards proving we have the cash to support ourselves? Although, I'm not sure how we could prove that!?

Vulcanoid

Determine your eligibility – What you need to visit Canada as a tourist

The funds requirement is vague - "have enough money for your stay. (The amount of money you will need can vary. It depends on things such as how long you will stay, and whether you will stay in a hotel, or with friends or relatives.)"

As an example of a specific funds requirement, IEC permit holders require $2500 to activate their permit, 'to cover the first few months'. If we assume that means CBSA think $2500 will get one person through 3 months, that's 10k per person per year. Many people will argue that's nowhere near enough, but if you're staying with family you should find lower costs than many people.

Engineer_abroad

A signed letter from your relatives with contact details confirming that you will be staying with them and that they own their property (i.e. they are not renting) should be sufficient. They may get a call from the border agent to confirm but should be ok.

Snowy560

You could make a profile for an IEC spot as well as your husband doing so. There are several thousand spots still available for Irish citizens. Just because you get the work permit doesn't mean you have to work all the time (it's called "Working Holiday"). You'd be better off with a work permit and you never know, an opportunity of even a few hours of work a week may present itself.

But I'd get on and make your profiles ASAP.

Rounds of invitations – International Experience Canada

S

Bubble90

Thanks for all the information! Definitely think I too will apply for an IEC.

My son doesn't have a passport right now and obviously other baby isn't here for another 2 months. Do I need to have the passport details for the whole family even if they would be accompanying us rather than being on our actual visas? If you know what I mean. I was reading another thred about someones IEC and they we're confused as to whether they have no mention that their family will be accompanying them even though they would have their own visas/eTAs. I think...

Bubble90

Sorry for the typos. Not quite used to my phone !

Engineer_abroad

You don't include family members on your IEC and it isn't a visa. It is a pathway to a work permit. Your son and new born will just need passports and eta's before they travel.