live in the
sunshine.
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swim in the
sea.
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drink the
wild air.
CHECK OUT THESE FACEBOOK GROUPS. REQUEST TO JOIN
READ ALONG & ASK AWAY
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X AUSSIES IN CANADA
X AUSSIES IN VANCOUVER
​X AUSSIES IN TORONTO
X IEC WORKING HOLIDAY FORUM
X O Canada! IEC DISCUSSION & SUPPORT
X IEC WORK CANADA
Great for single travellers. Hooks you up to a network of like minded travellers and always gives you a point of contact
Helps organize your visa. You just supply the docs they ask for
If you are going somewhere hard to organize staff accommodation (whistler) they will take of the hard part!
If you are going anywhere else, again you are just paying for a service you could easily do yourself when you land.
Piece of mind
Takes away half the adventure
thinking of using an organized program
PRO'S
CON'S
If you are out going you can just as easy use the Facebook groups listed above and save you $$'s
STEP 1 || GET A VISA
Congratuations you are thinking about an exciting new adventure in Canada. Australians are one of the lucky countries. We are eligle to get a two year mostly unrestricted visa.
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Head on over to the CIC website and follow the prompts to see if you are valid to apply. The most common visa is the Working Holiday.
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The main requirements of the working holiday visa are ...
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be an Australian citizen,
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have a valid Australian passport for the duration of your stay in Canada—your work permit in Canada will not be longer than the validity of your passport,
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be between the ages of 18 and 30 (inclusive),
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have a minimum of CAN$2,500 to help cover your expenses in Canada,
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have health insurance for the duration of your stay—you may have to present evidence of this insurance when you enter Canada,
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be admissible to Canada,
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have, before departure, a round-trip ticket or demonstrate that you will have the financial resources to purchase a departure ticket at the end of your authorized stay in Canada,
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pay the fees.
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The best piece of advice I can give is pay close attention to the instructions (we didn't and ended up forking out another $250 each because we didn't meet a deadline) and utilize the groups in the box to the left as they are absolute lifesavers! Its near impossible to get hold of CIC if you need to ask questions and more then likely someone else has already had the experience you are wanting to ask about.
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If you are not an organized person and like to have it all handed to you on a silver platter you can always utilize one of the many organizations out there that will apply on your behalf. People will give you mixed reactions on these. Some will say they are worth the money and others say not.
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I have had two working visas. One that I completed on my own and the other I used CCUSA (Camp Counsiller USA). Both were the right option at the time. Weigh up your options. Looks at the pros and cons. Ask for some more advice off people. But in the end, do what you think is best for you. Someone elses experience isn't necessary what you are after.
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Once you have completed your visa and have received your POE (Point Of Entry) letter, time to start looking at your flights!
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STEP 2 || BOOK A FLIGHT
There are so many options when it comes to booking a flight. If you are looking for a direct flight from Australia to Canada, I would look at Air Canada or the seasonal Qantas. But if you are like me and enjoy free stopovers there are so many options available these days.
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While I use third party site like Skyscanner to search my flight options. I always suggest only ever booking with the airline directly on their own website or if you are uncomfortable booking your own travel go see a travel agent.
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Why? Because you never know what website is a scam and what is legit. If you are finding prices lower then what the airline itself is advertising on their own webpage you should ask yourself why. How is it possible that someone could possibly sell a seat at a lower price than the airline itself!
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STEP 3 || MOVE!
Now its time to take the plunge, get on that plane and arrive in your new home!
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Ok, I made that seem a lot easier then it is, but you get the idea. All you need is a sense of adventure and an open mind.
Unfortunately once you have completed your first WHV there are very limited options to stay in the country. Once upon a time Australias could get as many WHV's as they liked, but these days its just one visa per passport. (Sad Face)
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WAYS AROUND
1. If you are lucky enough to have dual citizenship and have another country passport you can alway apply with that passport. Granted that you meet the requirements.
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2. PR (Permanent Residency) is the option most people opt for. There are multiple entry paths for PR.
The most common being 'Express Entry', which is a points based system and invitations are released.
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3. Work sponsorship
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Once your visa has expired and you are looking at staying on do A LOT of research to see what paths are available to do.