Former Lancastrian

According to the Irish IEC website all of the 7,700 places have gone. There indeed might be a waiting list but that will be for people who applied at the beginning of 2014 when the programme opened
Travel and Work in Canada | Temporary Work Visa For Work Holidays in Canada for Students and Youth | International Experience Canada

As long as you hold an Irish passport you can apply on the Irish one which is 24 months work permit. If holding a UK passport you apply under the UK programme which is for 12 months.
The Irish get more spots and a one time 2 year work permit.
The UK get less spots but can apply twice to get them a 2 year work permit.
IMHO the Irish one is the way to go.

CRAY

What are the rules for the police check if you have been in Canada on your first IEC for the past year? Do you need a Canadian one or is it still a British one. I know there is a certain amount of time you need to have been here for it to change but I can't for the life of me remember how long

Former Lancastrian

No Canadian one required unless requested by CIC. You will need to apply for another UK one.

bc2015

They were still processing applicants on the waiting list for the Irish one up until quite recently and I am aware of people who joined the waiting list months after the program opened who did get a visa.

I would say that if you have your police checks ready to go, there is no harm in joining the waiting list as you might get lucky. Be aware that if you do get a CAL now it will only be valid for 10 days, so you will only have 10 days to complete the CIC stage (as opposed to the usual 90).

matt101

Ahh thanks for explaining that. I will have to go and apply for an Irish passport and apply for the 2015 visa, seems like the smart option.

CRAY

Cheers FL

Do you know how long the UK one is valid for. I'm guessing I can't use the copy from last year.

frustrating that I had my UK check come out clear and since coming to Canada I have a RCMP check done for work over here. So that in theory covers my Criminal history and yet neither are useable 😞

Former Lancastrian

Police certificates are valid for 12 months once an application has been submitted. CIC state when making an application the certificate is not to be more than 3 months old. A 2nd IEC is considered a new application so therefore the certificate needs to be less than 3 months old even though you might have been in Canada for 12 months on the 1st IEC.
Its a CIC thing

BeenTrainingDogs

Hi all, another IEC question.

The job I accepted yesterday (get in!) includes private medical cover for both me and my gf (common-law, which we both have on our IEC's.)

What specific evidence do you have to show at the border? My employment starts on Jan 1 and I plan to fly across on the Jan 6 (taking unpaid leave until 12th).

bc2015

My understanding is that the health insurance you have requires repatriation cover, so make sure and check that the company insurance includes this.

You have to show the policy at the border, though from anecdotal evidence it is often not asked for.

Former Lancastrian

At the POE you will have to show valid passport, the IEC Letter of Invitation, a recent bank statement showing you have a minimum of $2500 Cad dollars equivalent and medical insurance/coverage that includes repatriation. Even though your employer might provide coverage its mandatory that you have your own coverage as per the IEC rules and website.

3. What type of insurance must I buy before leaving for Canada?

IEC requires you to buy and maintain health-care insurance (covering medical care, hospitalization and repatriation) for the entire duration of your stay in Canada. We recommend that you buy this insurance only after you have received your Letter of Introduction, confirming that your IEC application was successful.

You may be refused entry if you do not have insurance. If your insurance policy is valid for less than 12 months, you may be issued a work permit that expires at the same time as your insurance. In this case, you are not eligible to apply for an extension of your work permit at a later date.
General FAQ

sidetracked

I entered Canada via the Vancouver land border last week. I had everything I needed but they only looked at POE letter and my passport.

BeenTrainingDogs

Thanks guys.

Buy a couple of days before and cancel within 14 days it is...

beckiwoo

And what happens if you need to be repatriated home? It is part of the conditions of your visa that you have this. Unless you want to pay thousands on hospital bills

Also your private health care will only work alongside your provincial Health care which you have to wait 3 months for, from entering Canada so chances are your employers health care will not cover you straight away.

Siouxie

What happens if you lose that job? Job security in Canada is non existant.

For the sake of a couple of hundred pounds, it would be foolhardy to not have insurance with repatriation.

BeenTrainingDogs

I understand what you're saying, but I'm actually going on a secondment so my employment is still based in the UK and if for some reason, the people I work for want shot of me, I get sent back to my job in the UK.