Canada Mega Thread - Information and Advice
Yeah you’re not the first person to be stumped by that… and definitely won’t be the last either.
Think I got 12-13 weeks before I want to head off and I’m hoping to have close to 13-14k + my motorbike selling for 6. So I should be more than fine 
.
Thinking I might go through the USA and maybe hit the world cup after. Or get a summer job in Canada. Or head to Europe.
Or if everything falls through, I can come back to Sydney.
Ok, I just did mine (today, posting it tomorrow).
1. Fill in the form that starts from here: https://www.whpcanada.org.au/email.php
2. It will send you an email once you’re done (and one to go back and continue if you need to)
3. Print out the attachment to that email. It will be red and have all your answers on it.
4. Go to your bank or Australia Post and get a money order of $150 (*Could change, check here: https://www.whpcanada.org.au/fees-frais.shtml)
5. Staple 2x Passport applicable photos on the 4th page of the application your printed in point 3. In the boxes provided.
6. Sign page 4 of the application in point 3.
7. Photocopy the picture page of your passport
8. Staple everything in this order: Money order, Page 1, 2, 3, 4, Passport photo page.
9. Send to the below address:International Experience Canada
Consulate General of Canada
Level 5, 111 Harrington Street
Sydney NSW 200010. Wait for a response
You just made my life 100 times easier, thankyou
Also got confirmation of my lifty job - flights are already booked for 27 October but I don’t start work until the 1st of December.. thinking of pushing my flights back to 13 November, but not sure I would end up saving much as I won’t be working either way! May as well get over there and get organised in a leisurely way I guess.. SO STOKED TO HAVE SECURED WORK!
Fark yeah :D I’m off to Canada
People we need snow dances to be done lots and lots of snow dances..
How did you guys get secured work? Did you go through working holiday club or something?
Yeah Stacey and I went through an organisation to get jobs so that’s the only way to get something confirmed this far out that I’m aware of..
Ok, I just did mine (today, posting it tomorrow).
1. Fill in the form that starts from here: https://www.whpcanada.org.au/email.php
2. It will send you an email once you’re done (and one to go back and continue if you need to)
3. Print out the attachment to that email. It will be red and have all your answers on it.
4. Go to your bank or Australia Post and get a money order of $150 (*Could change, check here: https://www.whpcanada.org.au/fees-frais.shtml)
5. Staple 2x Passport applicable photos on the 4th page of the application your printed in point 3. In the boxes provided.
6. Sign page 4 of the application in point 3.
7. Photocopy the picture page of your passport
8. Staple everything in this order: Money order, Page 1, 2, 3, 4, Passport photo page.
9. Send to the below address:International Experience Canada
Consulate General of Canada
Level 5, 111 Harrington Street
Sydney NSW 200010. Wait for a response
You just made my life 100 times easier, thankyou
Hey Jackson,
Glad I could help. Welcome to Boardworld.
Any idea of where you want to go / what you want to do? Are you another Whistler person or are you doing one of the other awesome mountains?
There is a second part to this application which is just as confusing and stupid so I’ll write it all up tomorrow when I’m less inebriated. Then I can post both of them as an update to the front page so people don’t need to search as much. Keep an eye out
Yep through TWHC
There is a second part to this application which is just as confusing and stupid so I’ll write it all up tomorrow when I’m less inebriated. Then I can post both of them as an update to the front page so people don’t need to search as much. Keep an eye out
On one of the pages I wrote a very loose explanation of what had to be done with the second part but it was hardly formatted for ease of use.
How much are you guys expecting to pay for travel insurance? I put in a quote on world nomads and it came out at like $450with skiing backcountry and such included. Is 450 competitive for 6 months? I plan on extending it once im over there
Quick Compare the Market quote:
Doesn’t say anything about the snow so maybe check out some of the brands and see what their snow cover is like…
Agree with Tj check other companies terms and conditions/product disclosure.
But from the above $450 seems reasonable to me. Not many I have seen include back country.
But you also need to clarify what backcountry means.
In resort slack country may be covered. Back country may only be covered if you are paying an experienced guide etc etc.
Bringing you home to Aus if the worst happens is always something to think about.
I did a look at the Virgin Money one at the top and that only covers medical while overseas. Looks like 450+ is pretty normal. $600 for TID’s full cover.
Here is what is covered:
Skiing (snowblading) (3)
Skiing / snowboarding (backcountry / outside of resort boundary)* (3)
Skiing / snowboarding (by helicopter / snow cat)* (3)
Skiing / snowboarding (dry slope) (3)
Skiing / snowboarding (on piste or off piste within resort boundaries) (3)
Skiing / snowboarding (terrain park within resort) (3)
Those marked with asterisks are dependant on policy “wording” haha u wot m8
Here is the updated “How to apply for your Canadian Work Visa” step by step guide:
Applying for a Canadian Visa as an Australian:
1. Fill in the form that starts from here:
https://www.whpcanada.org.au/email.php
2. It will send you an email once you’re done (and one to go back and continue if you need to)
3. Print out the attachment to that email. It will be red and have all your answers on it.
4. Go to your bank or Australia Post and get a money order of $150 (*Could change, check here: https://www.whpcanada.org.au/fees-frais.shtml)
5. Staple 2x Passport applicable photos on the 4th page of the application your printed in point 3. In the boxes provided.
6. Sign page 4 of the application in point 3.
7. Photocopy the picture page of your passport
8. Staple everything in this order: Money order, Page 1, 2, 3, 4, Passport photo page.
9. Send to the below address:
International Experience Canada
Consulate General of Canada
Level 5, 111 Harrington Street
Sydney NSW 2000
10. Wait for a response
——————————————————-
You should then get an email that is titled “International Experience Canada Conditional Acceptance Letter” which points you to the next steps.
——————————————————-
Then you need to do the Canada part:
1. Go to: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/mycic.asp and register for a GCKey.
2. Log into your account. You will have a checklist of things you need to upload. It will look like this:
- Application for Work Permit Made Outside of Canada (IMM1295)
- IEC Conditional Acceptance Letter
- CV/Resume
- Passport or travel document
- Digital Photo
- Police Certificate
- Family Information Form (IMM5707)
3. Filling in the forms:
3.1. Application for Work Permit Made Outside of Canada (IMM1295)
- IMPORTANT - You do not need to sign this form, you can use a digital signature. If you get an error telling you stuff about Adobe Acrobat when trying to open this form, go back, right click on the link and go “Save page as” and then fill in the form on your PC.
- You will probably not have a UCI number. Leave blank
- Service in English. Unless you can speak French and want French of course.
- Fill in the rest of the form (it’s pretty straight forward) and click Validate. It will tell you if you’ve missed anything. Save and upload.
3.2. IEC Conditional Acceptance Letter
- This is attached to the “International Experience Canada Conditional Acceptance Letter” that you received after part 1.
3.3. CV/Resume
- Short and sweet. Canada wants to know where you studied, where you worked, what sort of jobs you have done. They don’t care that you hold the record for most hot dogs eaten, pages of stuff about your Linux expertise or that you can tile bathrooms at a good pace. 1-2 page(s) of Education, Previous jobs and Current job will do. Try not to have gaps in between jobs. This helps if you were off for 4 months to use the year that you were there rather than specific months…
3.4. Passport or travel document
- Copy of the photo page of your passport
3.5. Digital Photo
- Digital version of your passport photo.
- Don’t shrink it to try and make it passport size. Mine was relatively big (Think 600 wide x 800 high).
- Keep your face as about 75-85% of the photo, minimal WHITE background and not too much shoulders. Try to keep the aspect ratio like your photo on your Passport. Mine was approved from a photo taken from my d-slr.
3.6. Police Certificate
- You will need this to apply for jobs anyway. Go down to your local police station and apply. You need 2 forms of ID (100 Points) and will cost you about $52. Can take up to 8 weeks to get back so apply early. But if you are clean, you can get it as quick as 1 week later.
3.7. Family Information Form (IMM5707)
- You may need to right click and “Save Target As…” with this form as well due to Adobe Acrobat errors.
- This one you CAN NOT use a digital signature.
- Fill in the form, print it off, sign all 3 lines and scan it back in.
4. Submit it to CIC for approval.
Also posted to the front page so people can see it
Nice write up TJ, people who look at this thread couldn’t have an easier time with all of the preliminary documentation 
Ok, I just did mine (today, posting it tomorrow).
1. Fill in the form that starts from here: https://www.whpcanada.org.au/email.php
2. It will send you an email once you’re done (and one to go back and continue if you need to)
3. Print out the attachment to that email. It will be red and have all your answers on it.
4. Go to your bank or Australia Post and get a money order of $150 (*Could change, check here: https://www.whpcanada.org.au/fees-frais.shtml)
5. Staple 2x Passport applicable photos on the 4th page of the application your printed in point 3. In the boxes provided.
6. Sign page 4 of the application in point 3.
7. Photocopy the picture page of your passport
8. Staple everything in this order: Money order, Page 1, 2, 3, 4, Passport photo page.
9. Send to the below address:International Experience Canada
Consulate General of Canada
Level 5, 111 Harrington Street
Sydney NSW 200010. Wait for a response
You just made my life 100 times easier, thankyou
Hey Jackson,
Glad I could help. Welcome to Boardworld.
Any idea of where you want to go / what you want to do? Are you another Whistler person or are you doing one of the other awesome mountains?
There is a second part to this application which is just as confusing and stupid so I’ll write it all up tomorrow when I’m less inebriated. Then I can post both of them as an update to the front page so people don’t need to search as much. Keep an eye out
Cheers mate, sent off part one today!
I was actually in Canada earlier this year in Feb and March and I managed to get to Silverstar, the 3 Banff mountains, Kicking Horse and Whistler (Unfortunately only a couple of days there). I loved the vibe in Banff and ended up staying there for about half of my 2 month trip, but later regretted staying for so long because I only got two days of riding in at Whistler towards the end of my trip.
My preferences to do a whole season are Whistler, Banff and Sun Peaks (in that order haha), Just from reading what’s been said about Sun Peaks on here makes it sound like a really sick mountain and I now regret not checking it out!
I saw on the WB website that there’s a job fair on November 1st & 2nd at the Blackcomb Daylodge, so I might apply for that once applications open.
Thanks man I just had a read of it then! The instructions on the IEC website look like they’ve been put together to be as confusing as possible haha
Cheers mate, sent off part one today!
I was actually in Canada earlier this year in Feb and March and I managed to get to Silverstar, the 3 Banff mountains, Kicking Horse and Whistler (Unfortunately only a couple of days there). I loved the vibe in Banff and ended up staying there for about half of my 2 month trip, but later regretted staying for so long because I only got two days of riding in at Whistler towards the end of my trip.
My preferences to do a whole season are Whistler, Banff and Sun Peaks (in that order haha), Just from reading what’s been said about Sun Peaks on here makes it sound like a really sick mountain and I now regret not checking it out!
I saw on the WB website that there’s a job fair on November 1st & 2nd at the Blackcomb Daylodge, so I might apply for that once applications open.
Thanks man I just had a read of it then! The instructions on the IEC website look like they’ve been put together to be as confusing as possible haha
Hey dude, sounds like you had an awesome trip even if you didn’t get too long in Whistler. If you end up doing a season there, maybe having less time there last time will be a blessing in disguise.
With the Whistler job fair, I’d try to get to the end of September one if you can. Pretty sure the early November one is only to fill the positions of the people who last minute bail out or the people who get there and decide it’s not what they want and leave before the season starts. Could be very minimal / sh!tty jobs left.
Be a bit wary with all the stuff you have read here about Sun Peaks. (not trying to turn anyone away) For these reasons:
1. Everything (most) you have read is from me. There might be a bit of bias lol.
2. I’ve never been to Canada. This whole thread is my trying to be as organised and ready as possible etc.
3. I don’t want to do Whistler for a few reasons, none that should turn someone else off Whistler at all (Main ones are that so many people here have done a season, Much larger village loses that close snowfield vibe a bit, Lift lines and Rain down lower mountain.)
4. I talk up Sun Peaks because that’s where I want to go. Therefore convincing myself it’s the right choice. (I do this a lot in real life as well, convincing myself)
5. It should be easier to get a share house in Sun Peaks than Whistler for a decent price. If the others here (ayeshaje and her bf) end up getting jobs as well, we can rent a place for the season and find some people to move in, lowering the cost per person and creating a great group of friends before the season even starts.
If you have any questions etc, let us know. If you end up getting a weekend off and want to come to Sun Peaks, let us know and we might be able to help each other out or something like that