Have you heard about Canada's Working Holiday?
Are you thinking of taking a year off to earn some money or travel and experience a new culture? Well, then a working holiday is the perfect solution for you. A Working Holiday visa is also known as an International Experience Canada (IEC) visa. Unfortunately, these visas are only available to certain countries and there is limited space for each. An IEC visa is valid for 12 months, although some country’s applicants are eligible for two back-to-back years. You must also be between the ages of 18 and 35 to qualify for an IEC visa. There are so many benefits of getting an IEC visa that we don’t even know where to start. Your office is probably one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, and you have a few to choose from; Whistler, Silver Star Mountain, Lake Louise, and Banff just to name a few. Here is a list of some of the benefits of a working holiday in Canada:
- Meeting people from all over the world
- You typically work 4 days a week and have 3 days off
- You will work between 15 and 40 hours a week depending on what you do
- You can ski to work
- There are so many jobs available during the ski season
- You will be able to experience life in Canada and travel
- There is a vibrant nightlife for the young people in each city
There are two stages of the application process:
Stage 1
- You will need to open a Kompass account and secure your place on a scheme by submitting an application form to assess your eligibility. Only your personal information will be needed but you must submit your forms quickly and make sure that they are correct. You want to submit your forms before the quota runs out for your country. If you have submitted your forms before the quota runs out you will receive a World Tracking Number (WTN) and if your number is below the total country quota, you will be placed on a “reserved” list.
- Payment via your Kompass account must be made within 10 days along with copies of your resume and passport photo page. The IEC team will then review your application and check your eligibility. This evaluation may take up to 14 days. If you are accepted you will be sent a Conditional Acceptance Letter (CAL) and further instructions for stage 2.
- While waiting, you should open a MyCIC account and complete the CIC’s “Come to Canada” questionnaire. This questionnaire will inform you about documents that you will need to collect for the next stage.
Stage 2
- Here and assessment of your admissibility to Canada and your eligibility to work in Canada will take place. If you have not already opened a MyCIC account, you should do so and upload your CAL document. Your CAL document and all other documents must be uploaded within 7 days of receiving your CAL. The documents that you will need to upload are; completed forms, resume, passport scans, photo, police certificates and for some places medical results.
- Once all these documents have been submitted you will be assessed by the CIC, this may take up to 42 days. If your application is successful you will receive a Port of Entry Letter of Introduction in your MyCIC inbox.
The application process for an IEC visa is not difficult but you need to apply quickly. A working holiday is a great way to spend a year and the experience and people will only add to your journey.