Five common mistakes made by IEC Working Holiday applicants

Great, it’s a wonderful country with so much to offer. From the wild and rugged west coast to the massive metropolises of Toronto and Montreal, you will be able to plot a Canadian path that best suits your professional and personal needs. However, before you can fully enjoy Canada, you need to make sure to avoid any of the following mistakes commonly made by IEC Working Holiday applicants.

1. Not landing within 12 months of receiving your Port of Entry (POE) Letter of Introduction

You may have already applied for, or received, a document called a POE Letter of Introduction. If so, congratulations! This is your golden ticket to Canada, as you’ll need to present it on arrival in order to receive your work permit. However, what you may not know is that in almost all situations you have to land in Canada within 12 months of receiving the POE Letter of Introduction. Many applicants move to Canada as soon as they get this letter, but others may want to complete a study program, wrap up work, or build up their bank balance before arriving in Canada. But if you wait too long, your Canadian dream may be over before it even begins – you simply must arrive within 12 months. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for your move once your POE Letter of Introduction arrives.

2. Not knowing that the Port of Entry Letter of Introduction counts as participation on the IEC Program

As well as being your golden ticket to live and work in Canada, it is important to be aware that your POE Letter of Introduction also counts as proof of participation on an IEC program. This means that when you receive your POE Letter of Introduction, you are deemed to have participated in the IEC program, irrespective of whether you actually made it to Canada or not. We have received many queries in recent years from would-be IEC applicants who are shocked to find that they are not eligible for their desired program on a subsequent occasion because they had been issued a POE Letter of Introduction previously without actually moving to Canada. Don’t make this mistake!

3. Taking out a shorter insurance policy, or no policy at all, for your move to Canada

Another error that we see far too often from IEC applicants is the decision to take out an insurance policy that doesn’t cover the total duration of time in Canada they would otherwise be entitled to. So for example, if you’re from a country that has a 24-month working holiday agreement with Canada — such as Australia, Ireland, or the UK — but your insurance policy covers, say, 18 months, then your work permit validity may only be for 18 months, rather than 24, meaning you’re throwing away six months of time to live in, work in, and explore Canada.

Worse than that, we have also encountered individuals who have decided to take out no insurance policy whatsoever. The rules on this are clear – you must show a travel insurance policy covering the full duration of your work permit if you want to stay for up to 12 or 24 months, depending on your country of citizenship and category. If you fail to purchase an insurance policy then you run the risk of not being given a work permit at all. Similarly, if you decide to purchase a policy that doesn’t cover the duration of your stay then you may be issued a work permit to match your insurance policy, rather than the eligible work permit duration outlined in the agreement between Canada and your home country.

Key resource: Travel insurance is mandatory for IEC participants. To view your options and get the right deal for you, see our travel insurance page.

4. Waiting until the last minute to submit an important documents on your IEC application

Whether it’s making sure that your biometrics are submitted on time or guaranteeing that all your police clearance certificates are properly gathered and submitted, it really pays to not leave any part of your IEC application to the last minute. Nobody wants to be “that one person” who missed out the adventure of a lifetime or a great career opportunity in Canada because their WiFi crashed or the postal service was on strike that day. Don’t take unnecessary risks when it comes to your IEC application: make every effort to gather and submit items well before the deadline

Key resource: Find out the timelines and deadlines for an IEC application.

5. Failing to acquire your police certificate(s) before an invitation, then scrambling to meet the deadline

As you may be aware, a police certificate is one of the most important parts of your IEC application. You need to submit a police certificate for any country that you’ve resided in for more than six months since the age of 18, and if this is not your home country, or the country that you are currently living in, then this process could take more time than you think. Avoid this stress by acquiring your police certificate in advance of your invitation to apply for the IEC program. If you have done so but are still waiting, then you may upload a copy of the receipt showing you requested one, or a screenshot of the confirmation page or email you received when you ordered it online.

Key resource: Police certificates for IEC.

And that’s a wrap. Of course there are multiple other mistakes you should avoid to ensure that your IEC journey runs smoothly but these are five of the biggest errors to steer clear of. For further information on the IEC process and how to avoid some unwanted surprises, visit our dedicated IEC section.