Applying for 2nd IEC

holler!

hi all, this question has probably been asked numerous different ways many times but here goes anyway... hopefully someone can shed light for me

i'm here on my 1st IEC which expires at the end of April 2013 and am keen to stay on given the disasterous economy at home.

my situation is that i arrived in Toronto at the end of April this year and spent 6months travelling across Canada and into parts of the US, i wanted to determine where i'd like to stay on and work and luckily had the savings to allow me to do it, i also volunteered along the way in exchange for food and baord.

I've been in Vancouver since Oct and have been job hunting like mad - have to say in my experience you don't hear back from 95% or more of the applications you send out but you have to keep trying. been through 4 rounds of interviews for one role in particular and am about to sign a contract. i work in life sciences if anyone's interested (compliance and validation) quite a tough industry to get a break here in BC as opposed to somewhere like Ontario where there's lots of big pharma.

i'm wondering when should i apply to renew my IEC i.e do the next batch of visas become available on Jan 1st?

is it likely that if I'm working that my visa would be renewed i.e is 'preference' given to those who are here already and have secured work?

Also anyone know whether the new visa will be 24 additional months or just 12, there seems to be some confusion about this.

thanks for any input, am keen once i secure this role to stay on as long as i can and take advantage of all that Canada/Vancouver has to offer

emec

holler! wrote: »

i'm wondering when should i apply to renew my IEC i.e do the next batch of visas become available on Jan 1st?

is it likely that if I'm working that my visa would be renewed i.e is 'preference' given to those who are here already and have secured work?

Also anyone know whether the new visa will be 24 additional months or just 12, there seems to be some confusion about this.

You should apply for the 2013 Visas in January, the minute it opens. This should be in Jan, but it has not been announced when yet. They might go very quickly this year.
Make friends with moving 2 vancouver on facebook, they should post when it opens. Great resource as well.
After you get it, you have a year to activate it. In your case, you should cross a border in April and activate your new visa then.

No preference is given to anyone applying for any reason, it is first come, first served.

The 2013 visa is for 2 years, allowing you to stay in Canada for 24 months from when you activate your visa.

Well done on getting the job, there is very little pharma work at this side of the country!

holler!

thanks for the reply emec, pretty thrilled about the job.
i was hopeful but realistic in my search but all you need is one good break

i'd heard and read a load of negative stuff on various forums about getting work in your field over here, especially in the really popular cities like To and Van, but chose to keep positive and press on!

really want to get the additional 2yrs, i know it'll be seriously over-subscribed... fingers crossed!

Wally!

holler! wrote: »

hi all, this question has probably been asked numerous different ways many times but here goes anyway... hopefully someone can shed light for me

i'm here on my 1st IEC which expires at the end of April 2013 and am keen to stay on given the disasterous economy at home.

my situation is that i arrived in Toronto at the end of April this year and spent 6months travelling across Canada and into parts of the US, i wanted to determine where i'd like to stay on and work and luckily had the savings to allow me to do it, i also volunteered along the way in exchange for food and baord.

I've been in Vancouver since Oct and have been job hunting like mad - have to say in my experience you don't hear back from 95% or more of the applications you send out but you have to keep trying. been through 4 rounds of interviews for one role in particular and am about to sign a contract. i work in life sciences if anyone's interested (compliance and validation) quite a tough industry to get a break here in BC as opposed to somewhere like Ontario where there's lots of big pharma.

i'm wondering when should i apply to renew my IEC i.e do the next batch of visas become available on Jan 1st?

is it likely that if I'm working that my visa would be renewed i.e is 'preference' given to those who are here already and have secured work?

Also anyone know whether the new visa will be 24 additional months or just 12, there seems to be some confusion about this.

thanks for any input, am keen once i secure this role to stay on as long as i can and take advantage of all that Canada/Vancouver has to offer

Hey holler! I've been trying to get a job in the life science industry in Vancouver for well what seems like forever.
I have a degree in Biotechnology and I'm looking to get into any aspect of it at this stage.
Any words of advice that you could share?

holler!

Wally! wrote: »

Hey holler! I've been trying to get a job in the life science industry in Vancouver for well what seems like forever.
I have a degree in Biotechnology and I'm looking to get into any aspect of it at this stage.
Any words of advice that you could share?

hey Wally!
it's a tough industry to crack into for sure, life sciences definitely not as big here as in some of the other provinces. what sites have you been using to job search and what type of role are you looking for (i could keep an ear out for you, sometimes contacts are key though i managed with none) i found workopolis and lifesciencesbc to be the better ones and actually some decent QA jobs are advertised through craigslist also.

try to stay as positive as you can and keep applying no matter how down-trodden you feel on the hunt - all it takes is one lucky break! i have to admit well over probably 95% of the jobs i applied for i never heard a thing back from. for those positions you're really interested in maybe try following up with HR after a time to enquire about your application and maybe get some important feedback as to why you didn't make it to the next round. also be sure to state in your cover letter that you have a valid Canadian work permit! any other q's please feel free to ask, i'll help if i can.

Wally!

Hi holler,

I'm looking for a job in a research position or QA position and and I would be extremely grateful for any help you could give. I've applied for a few jobs through craiglist but mainly I've been working through eluta, lifesciences and a few others. Job in the field seemed to have slowed down recently. Still just have to keep on sending out some CV's and try my luck and thank you for the advice.