Canada: IEC 2012 Processing Time Nightmare

ninijackson

hellothere1 wrote: »

ninijackson wrote: »

Ok thank you!! I totally regret going through them! Do we have to book return flights or just one way? When the time comes I'll be searching on here for good insurance websites and flights, I think I would have gone insane if it wasnt for this board haha

You can book a one-way but you have to have a certain amount of funds in your account and you have to show proof of funds at the border when you enter, forgotten how much those funds are supposed to be but you can find out later! I came into Canada on a one way flight. I booked my travel insurance with backpackers.ie but I'm not sure if they're operating anymore so you might have to look elsewhere!

Ok thank you! Fingers crossed everything will work out! On another note, did u enjoy Canada ??

rojorolo

ninijackson wrote: »

O god i am so stressed! My boyfriend and I both sent off our forms for the IEC on the same day, 4 weeks ago to be exact, I received an email today confirming that they got my forms but my boyfriend didnt, should i worry? Also, is a wire transfer difficult to do? ....for paying the participation fee? I heard so many nightmare stories about this participation fee!!! ggrrrr!! aannnd to top it all off, USIT gave both of us a qoute for our flight and insurance and we must pay it by june 30th! but at this rate, and by reading the threads here, im afraid that we wont know if we have been accepted or not by june 30th and theres no way we are going to fork out over a grand for flight and insurace if we dont knoe for certain about our visas!!!!

rant over.........

sorry about the length of my post haha!

Hi ninijackson,
thought I should get back to you because I got my confirmation today. I sent my application in 2 weeks after my boyfriend. We BOTH got out confirmation emails today. Totally bizarre! So I would say don't stress (if that is at all possible) they probably have both of your applications but are for some unknown reason not on to his yet.

ninijackson

rojorolo wrote: »

ninijackson wrote: »

O god i am so stressed! My boyfriend and I both sent off our forms for the IEC on the same day, 4 weeks ago to be exact, I received an email today confirming that they got my forms but my boyfriend didnt, should i worry? Also, is a wire transfer difficult to do? ....for paying the participation fee? I heard so many nightmare stories about this participation fee!!! ggrrrr!! aannnd to top it all off, USIT gave both of us a qoute for our flight and insurance and we must pay it by june 30th! but at this rate, and by reading the threads here, im afraid that we wont know if we have been accepted or not by june 30th and theres no way we are going to fork out over a grand for flight and insurace if we dont knoe for certain about our visas!!!!

rant over.........

sorry about the length of my post haha!

Hi ninijackson,
thought I should get back to you because I got my confirmation today. I sent my application in 2 weeks after my boyfriend. We BOTH got out confirmation emails today. Totally bizarre! So I would say don't stress (if that is at all possible) they probably have both of your applications but are for some unknown reason not on to his yet.

Thanks for gettin back to me. My boyfriend got his confirmation today so next stage is payment... Lets keep our fingers crossed

summerstorm

Hi there, that's v interesting, can you do that? I thought that one of the conditions of doing it through USIT was that you had to book your flights through them. Know i read that somewhere...but i guess if you don't they already have your money anyway and they have no say over the visa so they can't do much - except withdraw their assistance at the other end? Any thoughts?

hellothere1 wrote: »

Ignore USIT entirely, you don't have to book your insurance and travel with them. Call them and tell them that you want to arrange these yourself. You will be able to find cheaper options. When I first moved here I arranged that myself and the total cost of a one-way plus insurance plus visa worked out at about 650 quid compared to well over 1000 with USIT at the time. Everyone I know here has a bad story about them. It will take a load of stress off if you do this yourself as you won't have any deadline and it will work out cheaper. That way you can book the flight and insurance after you get your letter of introduction.

hellothere1

summerstorm wrote: »

Hi there, that's v interesting, can you do that? I thought that one of the conditions of doing it through USIT was that you had to book your flights through them. Know i read that somewhere...but i guess if you don't they already have your money anyway and they have no say over the visa so they can't do much - except withdraw their assistance at the other end? Any thoughts?

You should be able to do that, I know that's the way I did it when I originally came, I had a lot of friends that did it that way too. Basically just demand it and they'll back down. They're terrible in my view and will look for anyway to get more money out of you. The only money they have is the intitial fee you paid for the assistance with forms, after that you shouldn't have to hand over anything if you don't want to.

summerstorm

Ok thanks, good to know. Also i looked up the terms and conditions of going through USIT and they say "You must book your return flights and insurance with USIT in order to avail of the offer of SWAP arrivals service and first nights accommodation and the FREE Application Form filling assistance."
So i guess technically if you don't wish to avail of the arrivals service you could book flights elsewhere. I bet you could still avail of it though, and slip through the net - esp after paying them 400 lids! In terms of the assistance - it's a joke - she didn't spot an error on the form and it's just as well i did. Thanks for the heads up!!:)

hellothere1

summerstorm wrote: »

Ok thanks, good to know. Also i looked up the terms and conditions of going through USIT and they say "You must book your return flights and insurance with USIT in order to avail of the offer of SWAP arrivals service and first nights accommodation and the FREE Application Form filling assistance."
So i guess technically if you don't wish to avail of the arrivals service you could book flights elsewhere. I bet you could still avail of it though, and slip through the net - esp after paying them 400 lids! In terms of the assistance - it's a joke - she didn't spot an error on the form and it's just as well i did. Thanks for the heads up!!:)

Even then there's enough Irish people in Canada to help with advice and everything. The only thing Swap was good for was the initial orientation session because you meet a few people there. That's it. You're on your own for everything else. And to be honest, when you're re-locating, the more things you do for yourself the better, you learn more, you can find better deals etc.

Billyboo

Hi, I wonder can anyone help me. I got an email today looking for the payment. So yes, it is around the 4 weeks mark that they look for the payment. I made the payment today but will call head office bank to make sure it wired okay-its worth doing that. I got the letter of confirmation on the 27th of Feb, they looked for payment today the 29th March. You also need to submit the Work Permit form via email - which I knew - but I am wondering does anyone know do we need to just send this form as it is (NOT signed) or do we need to print this off, sign, scan and then send off? I know we signed this form when we were sending off the forms to the IEC . BUT does the electronic version need to be manually signed/scanned and then sent, or do we need to type the signature on the screen OR does it need to be signed at all??I wish they were more clear and efficient, Its keeping me awake at night.

jaysuz

Hi Billyboo, I think I read on an older thread here that you just have to email it but don't quote me on that. I can't believe how much of a mess this process is. So many people are stressed out over it including myself. Best of luck and keep us all posted on how things go!

Billyboo

Thanks for that :-)
Yes, I will ring USIT tomorrow morning and see if they have any input ............ I had my forms checked by them and the guy was Canadian and quite elpful I found. But I didnt cop to ask him on that day about this step in the process, to sign or not to sign, It would make sense to not sign if they form has being validated, I dont want to mess up the barcodes....if I revalidate.

NoelAPM

Billyboo wrote: »

Hi, I wonder can anyone help me. I got an email today looking for the payment. So yes, it is around the 4 weeks mark that they look for the payment. I made the payment today but will call head office bank to make sure it wired okay-its worth doing that. I got the letter of confirmation on the 27th of Feb, they looked for payment today the 29th March. You also need to submit the Work Permit form via email - which I knew - but I am wondering does anyone know do we need to just send this form as it is (NOT signed) or do we need to print this off, sign, scan and then send off? I know we signed this form when we were sending off the forms to the IEC . BUT does the electronic version need to be manually signed/scanned and then sent, or do we need to type the signature on the screen OR does it need to be signed at all??I wish they were more clear and efficient, Its keeping me awake at night.

Email the copy you printed off and don't sign it!

hellothere1

ninijackson wrote: »

Ok thank you! Fingers crossed everything will work out! On another note, did u enjoy Canada ??

Did I enjoy it? I'm still here

Billyboo

Thank You! Thats exactly what I did, I rang USIT this morning and I asked to be directed to the person that deals specifically with Canada. She told me the same, to not sign the form and save the filename as the World Tracking Number, She also said that a lot of people forgot to save the original form they sent off, so they had to re-do it, and IEC appear to be accepting those, I also asked her how is everyone else getting on, She said that once you make payment and send off the Work Permit Form, that it appears to be taking 4 weeks but that some people have got sorted in 2 weeks. She seemed to know her stuff. Heres hoping.

daviehol

ninijackson wrote: »

im literally going to snap!!! USIT are a WASTE OF SPACE! i cant believe that they are legally allowed to treat people the wat that they do!! I emailed them earley today asking can the deadline to pay my flight etc can be extended, they said yes, then i jsut received an email saying that tax on my flight and insurance has gone up and in order to avoid this increase i must pay my flights and insurance in FULL in 5DAYS TIME!!! i was so angry i dont even know if my response to them made sense!!

Ok so, my partner and I have gone through USIT so far, we had a meeting with them where they checked our our forms etc, they gave us a cover letter which we included with our forms.....does any1 know if it is too late now to back out of USIT? what I want to do is wait to see if we are granted the visa, then ring USIT...give them a piece of my mind, and book my own flights and insurace? or would the fact that our visa application included a cover letter from USIT mess that plan up??

Hey, do you know if you put someone down as common-law if you need anything to prove that?

Billyboo

Anyone have any good news?

CapriCapri

Eutow wrote: »

So much for first come, first served. Mine was delivered on the 13th, no confirmation. These people don't give a fu*k. I can picture them now, sitting around watching Through The Keyhole, Deal or No Deal while eating Oh Henry Bars and Reese's.

Have you recieved your's yet?? I applied the 23rd of Jan, got my first email a month later and the 2nd email on the 26th of March. It's crazy.
We're going out April 10th with no visa, is it expensive??

CapriCapri

Billyboo wrote: »

Anyone have any good news?

Im hearing of some people getting cash in hand jobs (not sure what type of jobs:rolleyes:) Haa. Whats your situation?

Eutow

CapriCapri wrote: »

Have you recieved your's yet?? I applied the 23rd of Jan, got my first email a month later and the 2nd email on the 26th of March. It's crazy.
We're going out April 10th with no visa, is it expensive??

Got a reply on the 27th of March that they received my application. Toronto is an expensive city to live in. Pints of beer are about $6.50 on average without tips. Rent per month in a shared house or apartment is about $600 - $800 if you want anything decent. First and last month's rent is required up front before you move in. Utilities are normally not included in the basic rent and can add another $150 onto the rent. Food prices are similar to Dublin, a 2L carton of milk is $3.85 in No Frills and 150G of coffee is about $7.80.

NoelAPM

Eutow wrote: »

CapriCapri wrote: »

Have you recieved your's yet?? I applied the 23rd of Jan, got my first email a month later and the 2nd email on the 26th of March. It's crazy.
We're going out April 10th with no visa, is it expensive??

Got a reply on the 27th of March that they received my application. Toronto is an expensive city to live in. Pints of beer are about $6.50 on average without tips. Rent per month in a shared house or apartment is about $600 - $800 if you want anything decent. First and last month's rent is required up front before you move in. Utilities are normally not included in the basic rent and can add another $150 onto the rent. Food prices are similar to Dublin, a 2L carton of milk is $3.85 in No Frills and 150G of coffee is about $7.80.

Sounds nice to me! Strong reason for me leaving Perth, Australia is the cost of living!

Paying 400 a week rent for a very basic 2 bed appt! A pint is 10 - 13 dollars! And the electric and gas are big bucks as well! Without even having aircon!

Roll on Canada ha!

Rejected

Payment email received on Thurs 29. Paid on same day. Still no confirmation of payment. How long does it take? I see on a thread here that people who paid on the same day as me have already received confirmation of payment. I've emailed to find out if the payment went through but surprise surprise, no reply.

laura1990

I sent my documents off in registered post on monday for my work permit, I was hoping to have it by may........Im applying from ireland, its funny cause my friend applied for hers last year and she had it in 6 weeks! Usit told me id be waiting 12 weeks

Im a little stressed as there's 0 jobs, oppportunity or young people left around where I live, I want out of this country I dont think I can stick it till june/july waiting for my visa though......good lord its a long time waiting

CapriCapri

I rang goforless today they said it'd be bout that be hopefully ten weeks which isn't so bad.. Just you should try get out there before all the j1 students just so you get a job even a few weeks out there to settle in etc would be better than here.. What part you going too??

laura1990 wrote: »

I sent my documents off in registered post on monday for my work permit, I was hoping to have it by may........Im applying from ireland, its funny cause my friend applied for hers last year and she had it in 6 weeks! Usit told me id be waiting 12 weeks

Im a little stressed as there's 0 jobs, oppportunity or young people left around where I live, I want out of this country I dont think I can stick it till june/july waiting for my visa though......good lord its a long time waiting

laura1990

CapriCapri wrote: »

I rang goforless today they said it'd be bout that be hopefully ten weeks which isn't so bad.. Just you should try get out there before all the j1 students just so you get a job even a few weeks out there to settle in etc would be better than here.. What part you going too??

My friend will be going out the end of april and she said to do the same head out before i get the visa, only one problem though when the visa arrives to my house in ireland what do i do then? Ill have to leave and re enter the country will I?

I have a friend in london i was half thinking of going over there for a bit while i wait for the visa bt Its soooo expensive and the exchange rate is a killer

Toronto my friends cousin is there.

IsThisIt???

CapriCapri wrote: »

I rang goforless today they said it'd be bout that be hopefully ten weeks which isn't so bad.. Just you should try get out there before all the j1 students just so you get a job even a few weeks out there to settle in etc would be better than here.. What part you going too??

I did mine through go4less too but it won't be sent out until Monday cos of a mistake. My friends are talking about heading out at the end of May but I might leave it a bit later cos I don't wanna spend all my money waiting for the Visa to come through.

Does anyone know how tricky it would be to get the work permit while in Canada if we do decide to travel over before we get it??

CapriCapri

IsThisIt??? wrote: »

I did mine through go4less too but it won't be sent out until Monday cos of a mistake. My friends are talking about heading out at the end of May but I might leave it a bit later cos I don't wanna spend all my money waiting for the Visa to come through.

Does anyone know how tricky it would be to get the work permit while in Canada if we do decide to travel over before we get it??

You get your visa by email so it's perfect, you'll have to leave Canada tho, so cross the border into America and when you re enter your visa will begin.... Were going over to do that... We were worryn about that too..Class, same here!! Staying in a hostel for two weeks so hopefuuly we get sorted soon after....!

NoelAPM

IsThisIt??? wrote: »

CapriCapri wrote: »

I rang goforless today they said it'd be bout that be hopefully ten weeks which isn't so bad.. Just you should try get out there before all the j1 students just so you get a job even a few weeks out there to settle in etc would be better than here.. What part you going too??

I did mine through go4less too but it won't be sent out until Monday cos of a mistake. My friends are talking about heading out at the end of May but I might leave it a bit later cos I don't wanna spend all my money waiting for the Visa to come through.

Does anyone know how tricky it would be to get the work permit while in Canada if we do decide to travel over before we get it??

Just to add, and from my understanding... You will have to have a return ticket booked for within 6 months or you may be refused entry! You will not have to prove funds without a work permit!

tfc484

For people who have received their LOI, how long did the second phase of the application take?
Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks !

Billyboo

I was the same, payment request email on the 29th Mar, still no receipt of payment i.e not passed onto second phase yet. My worry would be that they cant match my payment or some randomness, Why cant they just have allowed us to post a cheque with the original forms, I would have paid, its costing me gallons of stress .........

NoelAPM

tfc484 wrote: »

For people who have received their LOI, how long did the second phase of the application take?
Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks !

I was under the impression that once you have your LOI you go to Canada and they issue your work permit at border control...

bananarep

Hi all,

I'm in Toronto did this last year n applied again last week for 2nd year visa. Here's what I did:

I didn't activate my visa until I had a job as I didn't want to waist months of my visa (yes it can take months if ur looking for a career not just any job). Entered as a tourist but had a return ticket within the 6months.

I got 2year ins with backpackers and my own flights usit are a rip off. The orientation is pointless- there's loads of Irish here just join a community before you come n people will help you get sorted.

Toronto is expensive I would say 5 months not working, apt right downtown costs 10k- but alot of money was spent on social events to build a network n get a job!

I rented a fully furnished apt for 3months before I arrived so my bf n I just went straight there when we arrived so didn't spend crazy money on hotels n gave us time to suss out our budget n look at other places. We actually ended up taking the apt for the year as the location is perfect.

Good luck to all the new arrivals youll love it here, it's a great country