UPDATED FOR 2015- IEC FAQ Thread - please read here first and ask any questions here!

hippoparty

Be glad you didn't go with Scotiabank.

ATG

Uh, quick question. I have my IEC Point of Entry letter, but do I also need to apply for a work permit, or do you get that at immigration at the airport?

Am I correct in thinking all I need at immigration is Insurance, Funds, Passport, POE Letter?

circular flexing

ATG wrote: »

Uh, quick question. I have my IEC Point of Entry letter, but do I also need to apply for a work permit, or do you get that at immigration at the airport?

You get the permit at the border.

Am I correct in thinking all I need at immigration is Insurance, Funds, Passport, POE Letter?

Correct.

ATG

circular flexing wrote: »

You get the permit at the border.



Correct.

Many thanks buddy! Heading off in about 2 weeks now. Seriously excited!

heiid4

I completed the application and got the letter and workpermit. But that was just under a year ago and they have changes the website. Going back to MyCIC now and theres a sign in bank selection, so i cant get into myCIC to get my POE letter. I have the CAL letter and my kompass login, fine.
Anyone else with the same issue?

circular flexing

heiid4 wrote: »

I completed the application and got the letter and workpermit. But that was just under a year ago and they have changes the website. Going back to MyCIC now and theres a sign in bank selection, so i cant get into myCIC to get my POE letter. I have the CAL letter and my kompass login, fine.
Anyone else with the same issue?

You should be able to log in here

https://clegc-gckey.gc.ca/j/eng/l

magma69

Can I give upload my current passport for my application but use a new one when entering the country because my current one will be expired during my stay?

GerPower

magma69 wrote: »

Can I give upload my current passport for my application but use a new one when entering the country because my current one will be expired during my stay?

You should be okay but i do remember something when i applied that you had to make sure your passport wouldnt expire but as you already have the visa, i would just bring your old passport with you and they will issue you the permit on your new one.

Word of advice if you are flying Westjet and stopping over in St Johns make sure you have all the documents and travel insurance as they do check everything and depending who you get some will make you empty your bags as well.

Another thing do not bank with Scotia Bank, they may have a great offer of putting $100 in your account when you open it but when it comes to transferring cash home they will only allow you to use Western Union. Others have recommend TD Bank and BOM.

Enjoy it and make sure you bring a good cushion of cash with you as Canada is very expensive. I would try have a job lined up too in advance as the job search there can be difficult.

magma69

Appreciate the advice Ger. Thanks.

KingKongQuinn

Hi guys,

Just picking some brains here. I was granted my visa last year and it expires on 01/07/2016. Basically, I'm not in the position to go before that date but I don't want to lose the visa. Does anyone know if its possible to take a short trip over to activate the visa and come back once I get the stamp. I figure I'd have to get the travel insurance in order to get the visa granted when I land. Is there any way around this or has anyone experienced anything similar.

Thanks

KingKongQuinn

KingKongQuinn wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just picking some brains here. I was granted my visa last year and it expires on 01/07/2016. Basically, I'm not in the position to go before that date but I don't want to lose the visa. Does anyone know if its possible to take a short trip over to activate the visa and come back once I get the stamp. I figure I'd have to get the travel insurance in order to get the visa granted when I land. Is there any way around this or has anyone experienced anything similar.

Thanks

Hi,

I’m in the same boat, got my POE last year and it expires in late June. I’m heading over in June for two weeks to activate my visa then coming home for a few months to finish my work contract and save more money, then I’m heading back to Canada late in the year.

Unfortunately there’s no other way around it, you will need 2 year insurance if you want a 2 year visa but depending on your policy it will become invalid once your home for a certain amount of time so you will need to buy new insurance when returning to Canada.

Det. John Kimble

Hi, I have the same problem. I cant get access to my POE letter. Does anyone have a link to where I'm supposed to sign in and retrieve the POE?

clegc-gckey.gc.ca
This link only lets me log in to my GCKEY.

Det. John Kimble

False alarm...I figured it out and now have my POE Letter. Expires the end of June :O

martyc92

Hey everyone! Just have a few questions if anyone can help at all:

I applied for a letter of invitation last week, and received the invitation the NEXT DAY. I wasn't expecting it to come so quickly and was expecting to have more time to make up my mind about taking it, and also to prepare all of the necessary documentation. So just wondering if I can possibly postpone/delay accepting the invitation past the specified 10 days? Or even delay the application process past the specified 20 days if I accept the invitation?

If not, does anyone have experience of declining an invitation and going back into the pools? What are the chances of my name being selected again? I'm not really ready to accept my current invite at this moment in time, but I'm reluctant to decline it if I'm unlikely to get another one. Was expecting to have at least a few weeks after applying to get stuff sorted first

Lastly, since I've lived in the US for 6 months in the last few years, it appears I need a police cert from there. It could take up to 3 months to arrive apparently, but I only have 20 days after accepting my invite to submit my documents. Anyone know what I can send in place of the actual cert to hold them over until it's received? Like a letter of explanation or something like that? If anyone has experience doing this before, I'd love to hear from you! Is it definitely necessary to send a US police cert with my application? I lived and worked there on two j1 visas, which lasted 3 months each in the last few years.

Cheers in advance for any help guys!

bergemasco

Hi all, just a quick question if anyone can help me.

How many digital photos are required for the IEC application?

There's not much info on the CIC site other than the requirements for full citizenship which requires 2.

Other people seem to think it's just the 1 but I'm super anxious about the application and would love if someone could clear this up.

Thanks!

Chain Smoker

Hey guys, was just wondering whether I'd have any issues arriving in Canada to spend a week or two travelling if arriving from the US following the expiration of my US visa. This could be via an airplane or a bus, I'm not sure which yet. And I may or may not need to fly within the country from city to city too.


I want to spend a few weeks there rather than flying directly home.

Cerisepink

Hi all! I'm heading over to Canada at the end of August and staying until my work permit runs out, my question is how long can I stay in Canada after my work permit runs out? Can I travel for a week or two or do I need to book a flight home for when it's up? Any help would be great thanks

WoolyJumper

I got the list of forms required, including proof of a medical exam. Anyone knows what the medical exam involves? Apparently you have to go to special registered doctors. Not your own. I'm not the best patient so I'd like to know what I'm letting myself in for

Cerisepink

Cerisepink wrote: »

Hi all! I'm heading over to Canada at the end of August and staying until my work permit runs out, my question is how long can I stay in Canada after my work permit runs out? Can I travel for a week or two or do I need to book a flight home for when it's up? Any help would be great thanks

That's okay I found the answer! Jeez this thread is gone pretty dead? Has everyone gone to Canada or what?!ha

FaronAlood

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for a bit of help. The CIC website seems to be going haywire whenever I try to further my application! As soon as I click "Continue Profile" it goes to the eService page then suddenly stops loading it, or it just refuses to load it outright. As you can imagine this is very frustrating because I'm just trying to get my application started as soon as possible.

Has anyone else experienced problems like this with the CIC Website, or has any recommendations? I tried visiting the Canadian Embassy in Dublin today but unfortunately they don't deal with Visas, only the London one does.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

UnitedIrishman

Hi,

I've applied through the Canadian website for the IEC visa, I've completed the first stage of it and just have a few questions.

When roughly am I likely to hear back about further stages of the application?

And what other costs, if any, apart from having $2500 in the account, insurance and visa cost (think around $200 but may be wrong) are there before going?

Thanks!

circular flexing

UnitedIrishman wrote: »

And what other costs, if any, apart from having $2500 in the account, insurance and visa cost (think around $200 but may be wrong) are there before going?

Thanks!

Those are the only costs (aside from flights) but I wouldn't come over with anything less than $5000, especially if you don't have a job lined up and are planning to go to Toronto or Vancouver.

I think the visa is $255 ($155 visa fee + $100 open work permit fee)

UnitedIrishman

circular flexing wrote: »

Those are the only costs (aside from flights) but I wouldn't come over with anything less than $5000, especially if you don't have a job lined up and are planning to go to Toronto or Vancouver.

I think the visa is $255 ($155 visa fee + $100 open work permit fee)

The plan is to go to Calgary, a few of my mates are there already so would have a place to stay straight away and they think they'll have a job for me and if not they might have a contact for a job.

DyldeBrill

Hey all!

I have little to no clue about the IEC but have recently decided that I'm looking to head over for 2017. Do they open up again in January, and is there anything I can do beforehand just to have ready for my application?

luckygirl101

Hi
Wondering if anyone on here has any idea what the pharma industry is like in Canada? Is there many jobs available in this field & if so which cities would be best?
Thanks

luckygirl101

Hi
Wondering if anyone on here has any idea what the pharma industry is like in Canada? Is there many jobs available in this field & if so which cities would be best?
Thanks

hochspitch

Does anyone know if it's possible to get your SIN number before moving over there? I'm seeing online that there's an application form you can send by mail to get your SIN number for temporary residents but I'm not sure if that applies to IEC visas.

circular flexing

hochspitch wrote: »

Does anyone know if it's possible to get your SIN number before moving over there? I'm seeing online that there's an application form you can send by mail to get your SIN number for temporary residents but I'm not sure if that applies to IEC visas.

No you have to wait until you have your actual work permit before getting a SIN. It's no big deal anyway, go to a Service Canada office and you'll have one within 10 minutes. There's apparently even a Service Canada office in Toronto airport so you might even be able to get one before leaving the airport.

hochspitch

circular flexing wrote: »

No you have to wait until you have your actual work permit before getting a SIN. It's no big deal anyway, go to a Service Canada office and you'll have one within 10 minutes. There's apparently even a Service Canada office in Toronto airport so you might even be able to get one before leaving the airport.

Oh deadly, thanks. Hoping to get myself set up as quick as possible so that's handy.

hochspitch

Can anyone recommend a bank to set up with in Toronto? One that's practical? One with the least amount of fees? Anything? I can be easily persuaded.