Canada 2010-2011?

Tight Ted

Is it too late to apply for Canada?

TechnoPool

Tight Ted wrote: »

Is it too late to apply for Canada?

well with usit you have til 5pm tomorrow , might just be , drop in to them

i_love_toast

TechnoPool wrote: »

well with usit you have til 5pm tomorrow , might just be , drop in to them

I have everything finished and dropped back to usit and flights booked and paid for only thing i have to drop in is my travel insurance which i got with back packers travel insurance and ill be dropping it into them first thing in the morning.

Do you reckon theyll approve is straight away?its the same one as most people on here have purchased. im just hoping they dont make a hassle out of it...

GT Tdi

fanzhiyidan wrote: »

hi all.

looking for a bit of advice on the big move.

my girlfriend and myself are moving to toronto in january and have started looking through craigslist and a few other sites just to get a feel for accommodation and jobs.
whats the story with furnished apartments? seems to be very few.
what have ye done for furniture?

also, is it possible to arrange for any kind of work before you head to canada.
even just a couple of weeks temp work would do nicely.
we've both got the 1 year u35 working visa and aren't picky on what we do for work but seeing as we're both in our very early 30's we'd like to try to find something more permanent after a while.

I havn't moved over yet but my friend who was over there told me that generally the apartment are unfurnished! People often leave unwanted furniture on the streets for ppl to take away :eek: yeap thats exactly what i thought.

I'm going on the student programme and USIT state on the forms that work should not be arranged until you arrive, but it's no harm in browsing jobs before you go, (or something to that context). If you are planning to try and extend the visa after the year, MAKE SURE THE COMPANY IS IN A TRADE UNION, they are very important in Canada!!! Best of luck

the whole year inn

Not sure what you mean about the trade union.Why are they so important?

What's the story with with that SIM card? Do you only get it if you book flights and/or insurance with them? I went my own way with both. Got my visa on Friday and nothing in the post...

Lemon86

Hi guys, Myself and a friend are heading to vancouver in a few weeks and looking for ppl who are heading out aswell who may be interested in house sharing.......

TechnoPool

i_love_toast wrote: »

I have everything finished and dropped back to usit and flights booked and paid for only thing i have to drop in is my travel insurance which i got with back packers travel insurance and ill be dropping it into them first thing in the morning.

Do you reckon theyll approve is straight away?its the same one as most people on here have purchased. im just hoping they dont make a hassle out of it...

yeah, should be grand long as u have everything in;)

i_love_toast

Deleted User wrote: »

What's the story with with that SIM card? Do you only get it if you book flights and/or insurance with them? I went my own way with both. Got my visa on Friday and nothing in the post...

they advertise it as a free sim card but once you book your flights with them give you the sim card and charge you 40e for it!it also apparently an extremely expensive network so you never end up using it....

Right I won't be getting one so, did I read somewhere it was Rodgers?

bertaluchi

Deleted User wrote: »

Right I won't be getting one so, did I read somewhere it was Rodgers?

yep, its rogers.
Go with Fido.
Also, Every thursday SWAP have an Induction meeting. I didnt go but they give all sorts of tips and one of the providers come in to sign people up - you get 20-$30 off the sign on fee.
I do recommend going into SWAP. I had all sorts of unusual questions and they gave me their personal opinion on "stuff".
Very laid back atmosphere in there.

tipp86

Just for anyone moving who needs accommodation before finding an apartment this may be worth a read. Essentially you bid for a hotel room here is a guide.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/92/travel/how-get-cheap-hotels-official-priceline-appreciation-thread-148356/

fat__tony

Evening folks.

Who did most of you book your flights with?

I'm booking mine independently and I'm angling towards British Airways at the moment (€536 return Dublin-London-Toronto).

There are cheaper options with the likes of Continental Airlines and US Airways (around €35 quid cheaper) but the thought of going through an American airport just fills me with dread.

KLM go via Amsterdam but it seems flying via London appears to be the best option?

Thanks.

amber23

bertaluchi wrote: »

yep, its rogers.
Go with Fido.
Also, Every thursday SWAP have an Induction meeting. I didnt go but they give all sorts of tips and one of the providers come in to sign people up - you get 20-$30 off the sign on fee.
I do recommend going into SWAP. I had all sorts of unusual questions and they gave me their personal opinion on "stuff".
Very laid back atmosphere in there.

would definitely recommend going to the SWAP meeting, they give a template on how exactly your "resume" should look for canadian employers, a good bit different from ours,theyl even go over it for you, and also, they have a deal with a local bank, Canada Trust that you dont get charged any fees for the year, i went in and i had an account in a matter of minutes, they make it so easy cause they know your from SWAP! its useful even just being able to use the SWAP centre, they dont really have internet cafes here and you can use the pcs and printer
also, rogers is a terrible network! im on it currently, i get charged to receive texts and calls(even within canada) and i get charged monthly for the "privilage" of being able to call 911!! this network eats credit! its 15c to send and recieve a text, just crazy! ive heard Wind are a good network, they have an offer at the mo that you dont get charged to receive texts and you can text internationally for free, look into it and goodluck!

Fionn

tenchi-fan wrote: »

http://dublin.usembassy.gov/general/esta.html
If you are travelling under the Visa Waiver Program in order to transit the U.S. or to stay for up to 90 days....... you must pre-register with ESTA in advance ....

thanks for the reply
because of the short time span involved, I couldn't apply for the ESTA - it has to be 72 hours in advance, we were travelling within 24 hours, it does last for two years tho!!
Because of this we had avoid the US so we ended up flying to Paris via Amsterdam and then on to Vancouver - used KLM and they were very reasonable (long long flight time tho!!)

charlette

Hey...

I am Charlette. I am heading to dublin for some business trip. I read above asking for insurance so have you all got your trip insured?:rolleyes:

---

backpacker insurance

fanzhiyidan

yep, have my insurance. went with multitrip.com
cheaper than backpacker and more or less the same cover and better in some instances. €192. that included winter sports.
had to get some additional cover for an existing medical condition but only cost €22 extra, some other insurance companies were asking for up to €500 extra!

Grainne101

Only a month to go!!!!

I am arriving in Vancouver in a few short weeks and cannot wait!!! Had job lined up in Silverstar but that feel through unfortunately :mad: Oh well, wasn't meant to be....

So how is Vancouver now guys? Much work available, I'm looking for waitressing, bar work etc, something where I can meet lots of people and have fun!!! :):):)

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO Excited!!!!

ratedR

Regarding phones and sim cards. I would echo what some of the previous posters have said. Go with Fido. You will see their shops all over the city and kiosks in the shopping malls.

The best option in my opinion is the $35 a month plan. With that you get unlimited texts ANYWHERE in the world, and it doesnt cost to recieve texts. You'll get 350 local minutes a month, and free local calls after 7pm and all weekend. Recieved calls (outside of these times) will count toward your 350 minutes however. I got an add on for $12 a month that allows me to recieve unlimited calls from international numbers, so at least I can get calls from home and not be worried about it eating into my minutes. You will also not be able to make international calls for the first 90 days on this plan.
You'll get another add-on with this plan for the first month, it's caller id, voice mail, and a text service to tell you who you missed a call from. It's $10 a month. I couldnt see the point of this myself so have it due to be cancelled after the first month.
Theres also a one off $35 activation fee on this or any other plan, and if like me you have an unlocked phone from home and just need a sim card, it's $10 for the sim.

That all sounds pretty expensive, but the most you'll pay in the first month is about $90, but trust me, I spent a month with a rogers prepay sim, and was putting $20 to $40 A WEEK into it.

Im expecting my second bill with Fido to be in around the $50 mark. Thats about as good as you can expect over here.

mirtos

Just wondering for those who have received their visas in recent months, how long did it take to get your visa, from the time you sent your application in to USIT?

We applied for our Canada U35 visa 5 weeks ago and I'm just wondering how long it took others to get theirs. When we sent in our application, USIT said 4-6 weeks....

fat__tony

mirtos wrote: »

Just wondering for those who have received their visas in recent months, how long did it take to get your visa, from the time you sent your application in to USIT?

We applied for our Canada U35 visa 5 weeks ago and I'm just wondering how long it took others to get theirs. When we sent in our application, USIT said 4-6 weeks....

I'm in the same boat, my application went into USIT on 8th September so it's over 7 weeks for me.

Needless to say, I'm getting fairly impatient. I would have thought they'd be able to process applications much quicker this late in the year.

tenchi-fan

mirtos wrote: »

Just wondering for those who have received their visas in recent months, how long did it take to get your visa, from the time you sent your application in to USIT?

Around 2 weeks but I applied in April.. at this late stage I'd imagine there could be a backlog

Olivermaple

My gf and I are here in Toronto since September..having a great time..things are a bit dear tho..living downtown near union station..

We stayed in Canadian Backpackers Inn it was fine..free pancakes every morning, the place was very clean, safe and in an excellent location..

We wanted to see a hockey game but could not get over the prices so we are going to a basketball game instead..

We found a really nice apartment through a realty agent, she took us to see loads of properties and did a really good deal on our behalf..I would highly advise using this kind of service if looking for a long term place..


Oliver

Olivermaple

fanzhiyidan wrote: »

hi all.

looking for a bit of advice on the big move.

my girlfriend and myself are moving to toronto in january and have started looking through craigslist and a few other sites just to get a feel for accommodation and jobs.
whats the story with furnished apartments? seems to be very few.
what have ye done for furniture?

also, is it possible to arrange for any kind of work before you head to canada.
even just a couple of weeks temp work would do nicely.
we've both got the 1 year u35 working visa and aren't picky on what we do for work but seeing as we're both in our very early 30's we'd like to try to find something more permanent after a while.

Hey,

Def check out the swap office on king street west for jobs, the two girls there are very helpful(amy and roxy). Craigslist can be great for jobs but there lots of scams too so be careful..

Try arrange a place before ye get here for a week or so, ye won't just walk into an apartment/house straight away..having all the credit checks etc

There is much more than craigslist for jobs..having a job pre arranged would be great but don't be worried if you don't find one before ye come..there are loads of opportunities here by the looks of things..

Hope this helps..

Oliver

niva*sis

hey,
hope someone can help me, myself and my friend applied for the u35 visa for canada last thursday (1 day late for the closing date) :eek::eek::eek: do ye no is there any chance we can get on a waiting list or whats the story.. the only reason we were late is because we had wasted so much time looking into going to boston! :mad: im actually gutted..
any advice is appreciated.

mirtos

Did USIT accept payment?? If so, you should get an email in the next couple of days, which you need to complete and return to them after 5 or so days.
You should apply for your Police Cert (not Garda Clearance) ASAP.
Or just contact USIT tomorrow, they seem helpful enought to deal with.

Best of luck. Also, USIT 2011 should be opening in January so you could always go for that instead.

niva*sis

hey no all i got from usit was this "your subscription to our list has been confirmed.
for your records, here is a copy of the information you submitted to us..."and it just had my name email and tel number. so im just on the mailing list now i reckon...

mirtos

Yeh, that is probably the cancellation list for this year, or the application list for next year.

In the meantime, look at insurance, flights, get your police certs etc, so that when you do get the nod, your ready

niva*sis

ok so i emailed usit just to see if there was anything they could do because i was only a day late and this is what i got.....


Thank you for your email. The 2010 Canadian Work Holiday Programmes are officially closed, we will not be accepting any further applications this year. Unfortunately, we do not have any details yet for the 2011 Programme and are unlikely to have any information until the end of the year. If you are interested in details, please register your details for our mailing list here http://www.workincanada.ie/mailing-list/ and as soon as information becomes available, you will be notified via email.

if the visa's come out for 2011 in maybe dec is there still i chance i could end up going to canada in january???
thanks for your info everyone by the way..

mirtos

Usually the USIT Canada visa programme opens in January; check the previous years terms and conditions, as sometimes you cannot travel to Canada until March or so.