BUNAC Work Canada

Hey I'm looking to go to Canada on the IEC scheme after I graduate from uni next summer- I was hoping could someone tell me how recent the medical and ACPO have to be before I apply? And if I apply to go in August, do I get to stay for a whole year or only until the end of 2014 and then have to re-apply for 2015 from within Canada if I want to stay longer?

Going by the last IEC application conditions, the police check had to be less than 3 months old. If you're wanting to work in healthcare/childcare, you have to wait until you are contacted for a medical.

Each year's cycle opens in winter - this cycle it was Feb 2013, the year before January 2012, and before that December 2011. Again going by the last cycle, if you are wanting to go in August 2014, you will need to apply during the next application release, sometime in winter 2013/14. Once you are accepted, you have a year to enter the country. On arrival in Canada, you will be granted a 12 month work permit, as long as the immigration officer is satisfied with your proof of funds and insurance.

Thanks for the info I'm guessing judging by that it's going to start in Feb or later this for next year too then? Seeing as it seems to get later and later. I've got my form for the police form, gonna wait til near the end of the year to send it off. I'll steer clear of childcare and I'm not qualified for healthcare, so that should avoid me needing a medical!

The main reason it was so late this year is that they swapped from a paper system to an online-only one. Huge difference! Yep, I wouldn't worry too much about the police certificate for a good while yet, especially since in the most recent cycle it was only required for the 2nd stage of the application i.e. after you had secured a visa spot.

How likely is it that that will be the case again with the upcoming cycle? I can't see anything on the website that's all- I'd hate to wait and then get screwed at the first hurdle, but likewise I'd hate to get it now and end up with it expiring if the cycle opens later that 3 months after the certificate's date stamp.

To be honest, anything could happen, they've been changing it so much recently. It could stay 100% the same or change completely. I doubt with an online system they would demand the police cert on the first stage of application, it wouldn't make much sense unless they advertised the opening of the program well in advance. The thing is, with the police certificate is you can get it within 3 days if you're willing to pay the high cost anyway. I did this back in 2012.

Yeah my only problem with this is that I also have to get one from Germany, as I lived there for a year so I have to submit a British and German police certificate- British on I'm less worried about but the German one'll take longer to get here, requires me to go to London to have the German embassy certify it, and then needs to be translated as they're only available in German and not in English before it's sent to arrive in Canada, all of which will probably take 3 weeks to a month all told.

Sorry if I missed something, but why would you need to send it to Canada? A scan is all that is needed, thankfully!

Oh really? That's great! I thought I was gonna have to send this all off as physical paperwork, kinda assumed they'd want the originals (and as I'm not applying for visas to other places I certainly won't need them for any other purpose!). Thanks for telling me that!

EDIT: also I looked back through some of your old posts to see if you'd given advice to other people I hadn't thought to ask for- I noticed you're applying for PR there? Just wondering, if this is work-sponsored, did you have the skills before you went over or did you acquire them during your IEC?

The first stage of the IEC is actually done in London, so when it used to be a paper application the originals stayed in the UK for the most part. Back when I first applied the application was sent to France, but that's another story! So yep, the online application makes it a whole lot easier now.

My boyfriend is sponsoring me as his common law partner, something that has been going on well before my time on the IEC! . It is however entirely possible to be able to apply for residency while on the IEC, the most popular routes are via the Experience Class (1 year's work experience in a 'skilled' occupation, there's a list) or being sponsored by your province (example, BC's Provincial Nominee Program).

Haha fair enough. I actually have a Canadian girlfriend right now ,but we've only been going out for about 4 months so it's a bit early yet to ask if she'd think about sponsoring me for a visa! That's why I'm keen to look into roads I could go down on my own for now juuuust in case I like the place enough during my IEC that I decide to stay there on a more permanent basis.

Sorry to be a pain, but do you have a link to the list of the skilled occupations? Closest thing I found was the "come to canada" wizard, and when I filled it out and said I didn't have work experience in any of the occupations it specifically named, but did have skilled experience, and it said I could still be eligible, so now I'm confused (cos the list on there that I said "no" to was pretty long).

Anyone know when the 2014 cycle of the Working Holiday Visa's are released?

I'm a tad confused, I know they typically do three rounds of applications and that it's first come first serve but how do you actually go about doing this? I first need to apply for an account on IEC?

Hey guys, me and my friend are really wanting to work in Canada starting the winter season next year. I've been looking into it and getting an idea of everything we need and how it all works.

I've had a number of jobs in the hospitality/retail sectors. My friend however is worried about the interview stages (I know we are miles away from even getting there yet) as she has had the same job for the past two years in a small store, it's customer service based though! She's worried she doesn't have the relevant experience for the jobs in Canada. I think she has loads of great qualities and will be fine. What do you guys think? Are Canadian employers harsh on experience or do they give everyone a chance?

Also, I am thinking about doing the work Canada programme with a company called Smaller Earth. Anybody had any experiences with them and would you recommend BUNAC more?

Thanks for any help you can give!


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Your friend has customer service experience, which is great. If you're looking to work at a ski resort, I can assure you that in general they're not looking for lots of experience, it's more about personality and enthusiasm. Most jobs are, after all, minimum wage. Networking and being pesistent is important when looking for work, it's not enough to just submit a resume and that's it. Keep calling back and get your name/face into their head. If they like you, but they don't hire you for whatever reason, they might pass your details onto someone who can. This happens more than you'd think!

Personally, I wouldn't bother going with a company at all. BUNAC for one thing, doesn't offer much at all for the cost; they can attempt to help you with the application (which changes every year anyway, so they're in the dark as much as anyone) and they have a few 'intro to Canada' things after you arrive. Other companies claim to be able to find you a job, when all they can really do is set you up with an interview, which is usually for a minimum wage job anyway. As you can tell I'm not a huge fan of work abroad companies (there is SO much info online now after all) but it's a personal choice.

Thanks so much for the advice gemini! That was really helpful. It sounds like you've worked in Canada too? Do you mind me asking what part of Canada you worked in and what job(s) did you have?

I'll definitely look into doing it without a company. I guess me and my friend are just nervous as we've never done anything like this before and doing it on your own seems a bit daunting!

Also, one more question. Me and my friend would obviously like to live together over there but we also understand that to save money whilst working it may be better to take accommodation with work (if they provide it) as it will be cheaper. Would you recommend taking provided logdings or is it doable to rent our own apartment whilst there?

Thanks for any more help you can give!

I've been living in Canada for almost 2 years now - I live on Vancouver Island and work at a ski resort 9 months of the year. For the last 2 summers I've been working at a campground too. I could have found non-seasonal work but I came to Canada to learn how to snowboard so it worked out pretty well!

You would be able to find lodgings with some seasonal jobs, such as ski resorts, hot springs resorts, ranches etc. If you're planning to live in a city then, yep, it's certainly do-able to find your own place. My boyfriend and I have always rented our own place, and everyone I know living/working in Canada has either got their own apartment/suite or shared with a few others.

Thanks again gemini! It sounds like an amazing experience! The Smaller Earth programme we were going to go with do seem really helpful (they called us up today telling us that their winter season programme has now opened) but me and my friend did some more research last night and we can't justify the cost of the programme which is almost £650! It says on their website they can guarantee you a job before you leave for Canada but really, can they? Surely it's all about yourself getting the job.

I'm now looking at BUNAC which is a lot cheaper compared to Smaller Earth but reading around, I've read that even BUNAC can't do much for you. I'm really in two minds about going this alone or going with a company. We have never done anything like this before and we want to make sure we do it right.

For first timers, what would you recommend?