markstimson

Apply under your current passport, and when you have your Letter of Introduction (when you are accepted onto the program) you can renew it. This is taken from the UK IEC FAQ's and covers your situation:

Q: I have replaced the passport under which my Letter of Introduction was issued (because it was damaged/ lost/ stolen/ I got married) and am about to travel to Canada. May I still use the Letter of Introduction to obtain my work permit?

A: Yes, as long as the validity period of the Letter of Introduction has not expired. When entering Canada, you must notify the border service officer of this change so that your work permit may be issued in accordance with your current passport information. We recommend that you bring a photocopy of your previous passport along with your current valid passport for presentation at the port of entry. If you changed your passport because you got married, please also bring a copy of your marriage certificate.

LouCouHen

Hi Stephen/Mark,

I just checked the Association of Chief Police Officers website (http://www.acro.police.uk/Police_Certificate_FAQs.aspx) to clarify if the Police Certificate expires and I don't believe it does. See below;

"There is no set period of time for which the Police Certificate is considered to be valid. The Police Certificate is only truly accurate on the date of issue. Embassies or High Commissions will usually require you to produce a Police Certificate which has been issued less than six (6) months before your visa interview."

I plan to apply for my Police Certificate in the next month and get a 2nd copy for when it comes to re-applying for my 2nd year, well in advance of applying for the IEC Visa in Dec 2012/Jan 2013.

Just wanted to double check this because if there is a 12 month expiry and my Police Certificate was issued in November 2012 for example, I would not be able to use the spare one to apply for my 2nd year in Dec 2013/Jan 2014 as it would have expired...

Would be great if anyone could confirm this?

Louise.

markstimson

When are you planning to enter Canada?

Your police certificate is valid for 12 months in relation to this visa, after which you will need a new one. It's best to apply for your 2nd year visa during your first year and before it has expired, since the numbers are limited and you don't want to miss out.

Q: I obtained a police certificate that I submitted for a previous application to the IEC initiative. Will it still be valid if I apply again? Do I need a new police certificate?

The police certificate you obtained and submitted as part of your previous IEC application is valid for 12 calendar months from the time of issue. If you are unsure as to whether your current police certificate will remain valid for the period of time required to process your application, we recommend that you apply for and submit a new certificate. It is important to note that your application will be automatically refused against the eligibility criteria of the IEC if your previous certificate is no longer valid and you have not submitted a new one.

Please note that if you are currently in the process of applying for a new police certificate and you have the intention of re-applying in a subsequent year, we strongly recommend that you request to be issued a second copy of the certificate so that you can include it with your next application.

Add this page to your favourites:
http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca...aq.aspx?view=d

LouCouHen

We plan to enter in September 2013 (post-wedding/honeymoon!)

I thought we would have to wait until the application for IEC 2014 opens in Dec 2013/Jan 2014 in order to apply for our second year? Or are you saying that we can apply for the second year before this? If this is the case then the 12 month validation is not a problem

Adminphobe

Hi Guys,

Bit of an insurance question....I have been advised by previous members to ensure I get insurance that covers repatriation, return visits and the ability to extend at the end of the first year (assuming I successfully apply for a 2nd IEC visa).

However a quick look through moneysupermarket and their frequently asked questions appears to show that no annual cover will be provided for "one way trips". Since I am not heading out with a return ticket (instead relying on proof of funds at immigration) I am wondering if this means any insurance I take would not be valid.

Has anyone come up against this before. Any advice gratefully received.

thanks

markstimson

You are correct - you will have to wait for the 2014 program to open but you apply well before your first visa expires. Eg apply in Jan 2014 even though your current visa was only activated in Sep 2013. Based on your timescales, you will need a new police certificate when it comes to applying for your second year, since your application of Jan 2014 will be well past the 12 months for your certificate for the 2013 program.

ChrisHext

Thanks for the reply, some useful stuff there. However, my reason for posting here was that I was hoping for a more personal response from people's own experience than just pointing me to the website that I've already looked at (though perhaps I should have stated that!)

With regards to BUNAC, STA etc. - will they actually help us find jobs any more easily than doing it on our own will?

With jobs - how do you mean "unionized"? Don't have to deal with unions as such in our "lines of work" over here - but which lines of work are you referring to? My degree in Live Event, or my office work? I'd be very surprised if office work was unionized. Same goes for my partner and her admin work and accounts stuff, although to do higher-end accounts work yes I realise that her UK qualifications may not be recognized over there. Do even the lowliest of office workers/admin staff have to be qualified in that area in Canada? How about ranch workers?

Age limits aren't a concern for us, we're both 24. The concern is which citizenship she should use to apply, given the daft immigration rules about having habitual residency in a country combined with actually having citizenship of that country. She can't be the only Irish person in England who wants to move abroad, in fact I would imagine it's very common, but it seems that they don't cater for that eventuality - but then others have told us it's fine, so who knows.

Good news about Alberta then, although I wouldn't know where to start looking for jobs out there.

Wow that is cheap! We do get a good deal haha! All the same the costs do add up, hopefully we can find a way to get it all together. A loan might be in order, although that's not desirable...

Thanks again for the response.

JDT

Hi everyone,

I have a few questions about processing times for IEC. I'm keen to enter Canada as soon as I can after being accepted but I'm wondering about the practicalities of a few things:

What do people do about handing in their notice in their current jobs? Are you sent anything that indicates the likelihood of you being accepted before your confirmation comes through or would you have to wait until your confirmation arrives?

Also, when do people usually book their flights? After their confirmation? What are flight prices like when booking at the last minute?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Former Lancastrian

Personally I would wait until CHC issues you the letter of invitation.
Thinking you may be accepted and travelling without the LOI has its risks.
You have 12 months from the issuance of the LOI to activate it so no need for a last minute flight.
http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca...ex.aspx?view=d

roberto_the_besto

Hi everyone,

So I finally got a job in Montreal. I'm really happy here and much happier than I was in Toronto. I have got a good job which I started today. With my job I get health benefits etc but I need to have a Québec healthcard to be eligible.

I am rather confused as to how to do this or whether I am eligible, the website says:
Foreign nationals in Québec temporarily to hold a liturgical office:

the original of the document issued by the Canadian immigration authorities allowing them to be in Canada for more than 6 months and a document proving that they hold a liturgical office

I have: my work contract, my passport, my Visa and my SIN which is registered to my address here. I also have my phone phone bill which shows proof of address. Will any of this be sufficient? I do not know if I am eligible, I asked this question a while back but think things have changed.

I hope to hear from you soon

christmasoompa

Why does BUNAC still have reserved places under the IEC initiative?

In order to facilitate an easy transition and to diminish the potential effects of the numerous administrative changes being made, a certain number of participant places have been reserved for BUNAC. These places will progressively diminish until 2013, when no more places will be reserved for a third party organization.

Neither is an option from what ChrisHext has said, as she won't meet the 'at least 18 months out of the previous 3 years' residence requirement for Oz or Ireland.

Former Lancastrian

Its Sept 2012 and the IEC is now closed. If as has been said before that BUNAC places reserved diminish by 2013 then for the 2013 IEC year my understanding is that BUNAC will have no reserved places so applying through the IEC will make no difference correct?
In the post about her 18 months out of 3 yrs I believe that was mentioned after I had replied

christmasoompa

Yes, that was kind of my point! I was just replying to where you said there was no difference between applying via Bunac or directly, but obviously there will be quite a difference for the 2013 program!

He did actually say in his questions that she hadn't lived there for years, hence why I thought it worth pointing out the habitual residency rules.

akwinf

For those who have had medical exams, how long did it take to get your approval?
I had my exam July 28th and it was all clear, and the nerves are starting to set in that I won't be approved in time. I already had my LOI mistakenly issued (without the exam I'd requested) back in July, so there are no issues with the rest of my application. Just want to get my new LOI! The family I work for in Iceland have already booked our flights to Toronto on November 4th and time is starting to tick away...


Also, for second time IEC participants, it can be a NIGHTMARE trying to find insurance that is valid as most UK insurance companies want you to have spent 6 months out of the last 12 in the UK. I found Worldwide Insure to be a great help, got myself a 15 month policy (including my 3 months in Europe) for just over £300, which is a bargain compared to most of the alternatives who wanted to charge me twice that!

catpea33

You private messaged me about this back in July (and again today with an almost exact replica of the first message) and the answer is the same: no, you are not eligible. Perhaps you need to google what a liturgical office is, unless you really are working for a church?! Since you're doing IEC, your work permit is classed as open and is not tied to the province of Quebec nor to a specific Quebec employer and therefore you are NOT eligible, regardless of having your visa, contract, SIN and phone bill. Maybe you'll actually read this message this time so you don't PM me for a third time!