JonAlcock

Hi everyone,

First time I've used this forum, lots of very useful info on here though. Done a fair bit of searching on the net but can't find any answers. I'm planning on getting an IEC visa in 2014. Questions are:

1. I spent a year studying in Canada as part of my degree in 2009/10, do I need a police check from Canada for the visa or is there a time limit for when you've spent more than 6 months in a country? I.e. does it only apply for countries you've visited in the last 3 years for example?

2. I may not have paid off a mobile phone bill before I left Canada during my study year, is this likely to affect my application? I am considering using an immigration consultancy who have quoted me £375 for the privilege, mainly because I am worried about being refused the visa because of this. Any advice would be very welcome!

3. Do immigration consultants really have insider info on when the Kompass login system is about to open or is this part of their sales pitch and it really is every man for himself? I really need to get this visa this year and am willing to pay for a consultant if it means I have a much better chance of securing the visa.

Like I say any help or advice or opinions on the above is very much appreciated! Or if there's another forum with the answers please send me a link and I'll do some searching.

Cheers!

burks

You don't need a Canadian police check. I studied for a year in Canada a couple of years before my IEC too. You will need police checks for any other you've spent longer than 6 months in though.

I can't see why the unpaid phone bill will be a problem. I 'forgot' to pay a police ticket in Holland for not having lights on my bicycle. I have a clean police check from the Dutch authorities though. Maybe pay the bill though?

I am very sceptical of immigration consultants. Especially for things like IEC. The application process is pretty simple, and this forum will answer any questions you may have.

JonAlcock

Thanks Burks,
I'm also sceptical of consultants! Can you tell me when you applied for your IEC? I know the rules can change year on year but im guessing if it was recently they won't have changed dramatically.
Also I forgot to ask a fourth question, once you have registered for the kompass login, have you reserved your place in the queue for the visa (assuming the rest of your application is sound) or is it first come first served from when you submit stage 2?

burks

I applied for my IEC in 2011. There was no Kompass Login for me so I can't help with that I'm afraid. There will be others who have used it who should be able to help you out though.

KuroKuro

This is what happened this year (2013):
You register for your Kompass account when applications open, but you also have to submit all of the forms within your account, that's for information such as your working & education history, etc. If I recall correctly, there's 5 or 6 small pages of information that you need to fill in. Once you have submitted all that, THEN you have a spot reserved. Of course, as you mentioned, this doesn't mean that you definitely have a place, because you might still get declined. These are the spots that are first come, first served. Stage 2 has no sorts of restrictions to it in terms of quota, because the first part bottlenecks how many people will go through anyway... You just have a time limit of 3 months to get your documentation together, from when you're accepted by the IEC from your Kompass account.

I hope that helps.

Georger

I have a question regarding the IEC process also. Am I correct in thinking that you cannot register/ set up a kompass account until the applications have opened? Just wanted to clarify that. And that is usually opened early in the year your are applying for (early 2014)?

Is there anything useful one could be doing in the meantime to ensure a better chance of getting a place reserved at stage 1? Thanks for any replies. This forum is a godsend!

George.

KuroKuro

Yes, you can't register until they start the applications. Last year, they opened up applications in three separate rounds. They didn't announce it when the first one opened, but they did list the dates for the two following. Personally, I think that you had to be extremely lucky and in the right place at the right time to get through the first round, but with a little bit of planning and diligence, the second round wasn't so bad (that was my experience from 2013). Applications should open early next year, but it's difficult to be any more specific than that. Best bet is to just check the IEC website a few times everyday, it's a little maddening, but worth it!

Siouxie

No, you can't open a kompass account until the IEC program opens - and you can't use a previous kompass account if you registered last year.

You could start on your resume - there is a link on the page below to show how it should be done; you could also apply for your ACPO police check.

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca...ed-requis.aspx

Georger

Thanks for the responses: you rock! I really appreciate the time you've all taken to respond! George.

JonAlcock

Thanks guys, also very much appreciate your help!

Just wondering if anyone else had an opinion/thoughts on if I'd need a Canadian police check having spent 10 months there studying in 2009/10? I know Burks replied saying I shouldn't need one but while I was trying to glean some free info from an immigration consultant today, they said that I would need one (or are they just trying to get me to pay up? ).

I'm now thinking it's a bit pointless using a consultant since they can't help you with the first stage which is the most difficult part, and everyone seems to think the second stage is fairly simple..? Thoughts?

Thanks again!

christmasoompa

You shouldn't need a Canadian police cert, you can look on the CIC website for info but basically CIC will do their own checks, and if they need you to get one they'll let you know.

And I'm gobsmacked that a consultant even considered an IEC application, I worked for a consultant for years and we wouldn't have dreamed of charging somebody for something so simple, if anybody asked we told them it was easy and that they didn't need us!

wardy_1990

all the advice here has been worth more than money can buy, this forum is the best for immigration,

anyone know what is required during the compass stage I,e N.I number passport, drivers license police check company references so on so forth?

Regards

exchangecanada

Sorry to jump in, but this just in: the French twitter feed says:

The #IECFrance 2014 Working Holiday (WHP) category will not open before January 2014. Thanks for your patience

(source: https://twitter.com/CanEmbFrance)

KuroKuro

Required documents for the IEC eligibility assessment (IE. Kompass application/Stage 1)

Siouxie

Already given