International Experience Canada 2013 for UK Citizens

[Fantastic Mister Fox]

Me and Mrs Fox are well into planning our round the world trip and part of the plan was to take up the option of our Work and travel Visa in Canada to help our bugdet stretch as far as we can. This visa is given to UK Citizens between the ages of 18 and 30. The age is based on the date that the Canadian Govt. receives the application not the date that you enter the country.

I turn 31 in 4 weeks time meaning that I have four weeks to submit my application before this opportunity is lost to me forever. The visa program is annual based on the traditional calendar year with limited places on offer per year. As yet in 2013 the program in the UK has not yet opened despite advice on the website through out January saying it would be open by the 1st February (on the first of February this was taken down and replaced with a generic the program is not open yet).

I have emailed the High Commision asking when the program will be open but they have not replied. is there anyone on here who may have a contact who may know what's going on.

[fraser2312]

Mr Fox

I am also looking in to move to Canada but find the visa process so frustrating, there just seems to be one hurdle after another, suppose if it was easy everyone would be doing it eh! I think my next move might be via an immigration agency .

Have you tried the CIC website?

Home - Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Canada

You might want to find out if you need to sit an IELTS test for your visa, I think most visa's require this. If you haven't sat this yet it might scupper your four week window as there is normally a waiting list. If this is the case why not try and get a job offer from a Canadian employer and apply that way, I don't think there's an age limit going down this route?

[dstehouwer]

Mirjam and I plan to do the same after our RTW trip.
We came home (=The Netherlands) in November, as the program would start somewhere December.
It was delayed, delayed delayed... and Mirjam turned 31 in the end of January.
Believe it or not: for the Belgians it opened before her birthday...

Now, the German program opened, but for the Dutch it is still closed. In a month I will turn 31... we'll see. Next weel we fly into Canada on tourist visa's.

The embassies do not react to your emails, are not helpful on the phone and our agent doesn't know what is going to happen either.
I thought the embassies in Africa were a pain, but hey: they were easier to work with!

All we can do is wait, and fly in. To relax a bit from this nonsence we've booked an extra stopover on our way to Canada... a week @ Hawaii will do us good! :-P

Canadian people just don't like ex-travellers ;-)

[dstehouwer]

the program opened up for the Dutch just a few days ago; seems we're in!
How about the UK?

[Fantastic Mister Fox]

Our second round opened up yesterday. Me and Mrs fox both have our numbers and are waiting for approval. 2000 visas went in 4 hours.

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2