In 10 Days Time…

In 10 days time I’ll be…

– Jobless (just until I start at Whistler Blackcomb)
– Flat-less
– Car-less (though have been for a month!)
– Sat in the airport bar with fellow Working Holiday Clubbers heading to Vancouver
– Stressing that I’ve forgot something but not caring as much as usual as I’m going to Canada baby!
– In disbelief that we’ve actually taken the plunge to do this

Can’t believe how quickly the last few weeks have gone. I feel like I’ve wrote a still to do list loads of times and still not completed it. Here we go again… Still to do:

– Finish packing up our flat
– Finish packing our lives into 2 suitcases and hand luggage (actually started now, go me!)
– Finish at work (4 and a half days working days left!)
– Print all documents
– Check into flight

Three Weeks Today…

Arggghhhh can’t even explain how excited I am! It’s getting harder and harder to get up for work (doesn’t help it’s dark now when my alarm goes off) But also starting to panic that we’ll run out of time to get everything done. Still need to pack up our flat, buy a few more bits then pack our 2 suitcases. Still no idea how we are going to fit clothes for three different climates for about a year into a suitcase each without going over the 23kg limit!

My blog has hit over 1,000 views already now, so big thanks to everyone who has been reading so far. Hopefully I’ll have more interesting things to write about in 3 weeks time and have some photos and footage from my GoPro to share so it’s not just me rambling!

IEC Canadian Working Visa Application Timescales

The International Experience Canada (IEC) visa application this year was the first year to be completed fully online (usually it’s done part online, part post). So, as expected there was some hmm let’s say ‘teething problems’. First the applications didn’t come online until February, they were meant to be available in December. They opened in three stages with the 5,000 ish visas split into each stage. I was lucky enough to get mine registered in the first phase, when over a 1,000 places were taken in about 4 hours.

There were lots of other technical issues and problems with the whole system, but I was pretty lucky throughout… apart from not been told my application had been accepted a month ago! For anyone interested here are my timescales for the IEC process:

1st round of UK applications opened – 14th February
Application applied for – 14th feb
Payment request – 14th Feb
Payment sent – 14th Feb
Payment verified – 15th Feb
Conditional acceptance letter – 18th Feb
CIC application submitted – 3rd March
Application accepted (but was never told, due to technical issues) – 17th March
Verbally told accepted – 12th April
POE (Port of entry) letter received – 19th April

So I now have my POE firmly in my grip, it’s official we are going to Canada! Let’s hope they make the process a little less stressful next year.

Related articles

• The IEC Application Process 2013 (learninghowtobeacanadian.wordpress.com)
• Applying for the IEC Visa (erobson90.wordpress.com)
• How we got our Working Holiday Visa (ouryearincanada.wordpress.com)
• Hello and Welcome! (jebblescanadianadventure.wordpress.com)
• The International Experience Canada (IEC) Process (ournorthamericatraveladventure.wordpress.com)

The International Experience Canada (IEC) Process

International Experience Canada (IEC) is a program available to UK (and other countries) residents aged between 18-30, allowing you to get a one year work visa. There are 5,350 places available and last year they didn’t all go until May, about 6 months after the applications opened. This year was the only year the whole application process was done online, so was expected to have some bumps in the process. The process was done in two stages:

Stage 1 – IEC Application to determine program eligibility and sending of payment

Stage 2 – CIC Application to determine whether you get issued your visa or not

The program was expected to open in December, then January. January came and the website changed to say it would be opening soon. IEC finally announced the opening of the first round of the visas on Valentines Day at about 5pm. I was still at work when I saw the email to say it was open. I rushed out of work at 5.30, made a frantic phone calls to Kyle telling him to log on and fill in all our details (then another one to make sure he was doing it right!). I’ve never rushed so much to make sure I got my bus and the next train so I was home as early as I could then ran from the train station to make sure we’d reserve our place in the first round. I even forgot to get a valentines day card (soz Kyle!). We submitted both our applications by about 7, luckily as by 8pm the first 1,000 places were filled. The next two quotas filled just as quick, so we really were luckily to get our place in the first.