Hurlabrick

Very harsh!

I was born and raised in Toronto, but far prefer Ottawa - going to live there permanently in 2017. I will always of course be a Leaf fan though!

Of course, it is all 'horses for courses' and personal preference and of course precisely WHERE you might live in each respective locale!

Snowy560

I went to Ottawa earlier this year and really enjoyed myself.

S

Vulcanoid

I was in Ottawa in May, loved it. Summers might be a bit humid, but that's a general problem of the north American east.

dbd33

Yes, in May, and in October, the weather in Ottawa can be quite pleasant.

harryg7

Hi all,

The GFs Gran was born in the UK, which means she could apply for the ancestry visa one day.

But the main reason for going to Canada is that its better money-wise, and she has a shed load of stuff from her old house.

Few questions:

1. What is the best way to monitor the IEC visa availability?

2. What documents do bring when I go to Canada to persuade to officer that I'm good for 6 months and I will be returning at the end of the visa?

Thanks

Harry

christmasoompa

1. Just keep an eye on the website, it's usually announced in advance (although not always - just to keep you on your toes!). And keep an eye on the IEC thread on here, as somebody will always post on there the moment it opens.
2. Proof of ties to the UK - house, job, etc, plus funds ($10k or so), and good insurance.

HTH.

Hurlabrick

Probably obvious, but a return flight ticket....

harryg7

Hi,

So I've applied for the IEC 2017, and I am going over next week as a tourist, hoping for the 6 month stay.

I'm actually looking to travel, visit different places and do a lot of skiing.

I have a few questions:

1) Do I actually need to book a return flight? Because I don't know where I'll be near the end of my time (Toronto / Vancouver etc.).

2) Money - when proving I have funds, do I actually need to show hard cash or just proof of funds in my account which is in GBP?

P.s. I've got an ETA, medical insurance, blah blah...

Thanks!

Harry

Engineer_abroad

1) I would say yes. the immigration officer may be very suspicious that you are coming to visit a gf and have applied for IEC. They may feel like without an return ticket you have no intention of leaving.

If you don't know return dates or locations yet purchase a ticket that can be changed at minimum costs. It can sometimes be more expensive to buy 2 one-way tickets anyway.

2) just proof of funds is fine, although its worth having some Canadian currency on you.

harryg7

Hi all,

Thought I'd check in and provide an update.

I was very lucky to receive an invitation (IEC - UK pool) on the 19th January, and I submitted all of my documents on the 23rd January, and was approved on January 26th (yay) - the 2/3 months waiting for an invite (not knowing if I was even going to get one at all) was awful!

So, I've been in Canada as a visitor (done lots of skiing and sight seeing) since November 2nd. I plan to return to the UK at the end of April 2017 (before I go past my 6 month visitor allowance).

However, I have a question that I'd like to run by you very helpful people:

1) I don't plan to activate my working visa until I return to Canada in May'17 after a few week visit back in the UK - however, I fancy nipping down the Caribbean for a long weekend in March.. When I come back through the boarder, could I explain this to the officer with proof of my IEC letter? I would basically just rather re-enter Canada for a month as a visitor before returning home.

Thanks all in advance, and apologies if my question comes across as confusing.

Former Lancastrian

I don't see why you shouldn't especially if you have a ticket booked to the UK showing you would be going back in a month.

harryg7

makes sense I suppose, thank you!