IEC travel insurance (only Alberta) Free!!

Nk1888

Okay so here's a little tip if you have applied for the IEC visa and are planning on living in Alberta (Calgary, Edmonton etc...).

If you buy travel insurance for the two years it's going to cost a small fortune. Here's the thing, Alberta health care is free for anyone who has an IEC visa or any visa for that matter. So what you need to do is book your travel insurance through backpackers, ace, aib, blue etc. but make sure you only do it just before you leave Ireland (say a week) then when you arrive in canada and get your visa stapled in your passport, call the insurance company and cancel your insurance (if its within two weeks then you get a full refund) and apply for alberta health (much better coverage).

Enjoy the cash.

againstthetide

Nk1888 wrote: »

Okay so here's a little tip if you have applied for the IEC visa and are planning on living in Alberta (Calgary, Edmonton etc...).

If you buy travel insurance for the two years it's going to cost a small fortune. Here's the thing, Alberta health care is free for anyone who has an IEC visa or any visa for that matter. So what you need to do is book your travel insurance through backpackers, ace, aib, blue etc. but make sure you only do it just before you leave Ireland (say a week) then when you arrive in canada and get your visa stapled in your passport, call the insurance company and cancel your insurance (if its within two weeks then you get a full refund) and apply for alberta health (much better coverage).

Enjoy the cash.

That won't.cover medication.or ambulance trips just so you are aware. Also won't cover repatriation

Nk1888

againstthetide wrote: »

That won't.cover medication.or ambulance trips just so you are aware. Also won't cover repatriation

You're right it doesn't cover meds or a trip in an ambulance but taken the excess into account, I think it's worth canceling. Also when you do find work in Alberta, your bennifits will kick in usually after 3 months and cover those expenses. Except repatriation.

JustRoss23

you ledgend thanks very much for that i will do just that an extra 300 euro in the pocket cheers:D

MKcin

very good thinking Nk1888, thats exactly what il do! Thanks for the tip.

Nk1888

I'm happy you guys are taking the advice. That travel insurance too expensive. Just make sure you register for Alberta health straight away. safe trip

JustRoss23

cheers nk i will be going to calgary so i am gonna take your advice:D

againstthetide

You will be covered for Alberta health from the day you apply so it should be your first step when you get off the plane.
Any Alberta registry office should be able to do it for you there are loads around..
Don't be in an accident though cause an Ambulance trip will set you back in the region of a grand and medication does get expensive so don't get sick if you decide to not get Travel insurance

JustRoss23

hmm spend 300 euro on insurance or take the risk dunno what to do:o haha

WasterEx

Meh, I'll get the insurance. It's a safety net tbh, you never know what might happen to you.

JustRoss23

yea we could get hit by a grenade in the roadhouse;)

Nk1888

All good points, especially the grenade. It's absolutely a risk in terms on a trip in an ambulance/medication but 1000 bucks is a bit steep. Maybe if you hurt yourself in sunshine or lake louise skiing or snowboarding and you need an ambulance back to Calgary for medical assistance. In which case your travel insurance better cover winter sports. Also check the policy wording as to what you are covered for because the T&C's such as an excess of 200 bucks and upwards, for most of these policies are quite unbelievable having worked in travel insurance (claims) myself. So getting a common cold and needing antibiotics will still cost you the same amount with or without travel insurance.

But once again, againstthetide is correct and if you feel 300 euro is worth the safety net, well then it's defo worth it. It's just good to know your options.

pooljinx

so does everybody need 2 year insurance than to get your visa, like if I had insurance for a year would I not get the visa at all or would my visa only be for a year than untill my insurance expired, also does anyone have any tips such as this for British Columbia

Nk1888

I believe so pooljinx. You need a two year insurance plan to show immigration when you arrive in canada. Every visa will be valid for 2 years even if you're only staying for lets say 6 months. The only way around this that I can think of is if you have a return flight booked to Ireland that departs before your one year insurance is up. Happy trails in BC

hdowney

Nk1888 wrote: »

All good points, especially the grenade. It's absolutely a risk in terms on a trip in an ambulance/medication but 1000 bucks is a bit steep. Maybe if you hurt yourself in sunshine or lake louise skiing or snowboarding and you need an ambulance back to Calgary for medical assistance. In which case your travel insurance better cover winter sports. Also check the policy wording as to what you are covered for because the T&C's such as an excess of 200 bucks and upwards, for most of these policies are quite unbelievable having worked in travel insurance (claims) myself. So getting a common cold and needing antibiotics will still cost you the same amount with or without travel insurance.

But once again, againstthetide is correct and if you feel 300 euro is worth the safety net, well then it's defo worth it. It's just good to know your options.

100 bucks is quite steep yes, but is supposedly the norm for a trip in an ambo anywhere. The cost of running the ambo etc yasee.

Also if yall plan on getting refunds on yer travel ins then ye better plan on not getting dead, cos yer parents would have an expensive time of it getting ye home in yer lead lined coffins to bury ye if you don't have repat insurance!

JustRoss23

^^^
A bit much imho:o

hdowney

JustRoss23 wrote: »

^^^
A bit much imho:o

Not really tbh. Once you have your Alberta health ins the main things your backpackers will cover you for (if you need them [although they will still cover everything else but why claim when you can claim from the Alberta yoke!]) is ambulance bills, larger more expensive hospital stays (cos I am not sure how much you get in the way of hosp stays of the Alberta one) and of course repatriation. Now please god/table lamp/whoever you will NEVER need the repatriation portion of your insurance. But if you didn't have it and you did get dead yer folks/next of kin have the choice of finding the moolah to get out to Can and bring you home, or leaving you in Can as an unclaimed to be buried in an unmarked grave (I think I watch far to much cop/procedural shows! that I can talk about this like this!). I think that even for a second at the back of your mind it is something to consider. Obvs don't let it ruin your trip and take over your life, go have fun, get job etc etc but...

JustRoss23

hdowney

JustRoss23 wrote: »

am I scurrrr you !!! :P

Yea I think I just have one of them heads. I can be totally fun and all, but I do also have an analytical way of thinking through things. Dunno if tis a good or bad trait!

JustRoss23

no you just made me realise for the sake of 300 euro its better off to get it:D did you start stage 2 yet?:D

hdowney

JustRoss23 wrote: »

no you just made me realise for the sake of 300 euro its better off to get it:D did you start stage 2 yet?:D

I haven't I need to tweak my cv first, make sure everything lines up. Put back on a couple jobs I took off (so it doesn't look like a hapeing great gap in my cv, and then on to stage two. what about you?

JustRoss23

no the same i am going to go in now to town to print and sign and scan back up that family form and then i will probably send it off the stuff tomorrow:D

jjbrien

Lads its not just alberta. Ontario does free health care also for people on the IEC. There is a 3 month waiting period however. Still its best to get insurance as its a requiement of the IEC and if lets say you had a bad acciedent and needed to be flowen home Ontario or Alberta health wont cover that.

hdowney

Huh so the Ontario OHIP is a 3mth wait. Good to know. And I think I am right in saying you can apply for Alberta's right away

JustRoss23

yea you can with Alberta straight away where ?? i don't no:(

hdowney

Same place you'd get yer SIN mate

JustRoss23

ha cheers nice one another thing added to the list of stuff i have to get tis better to be organized now in the calm and have a list to work off when you land over there will make the process a lot easier:D

hdowney

JustRoss23 wrote: »

ha cheers nice one another thing added to the list of stuff i have to get tis better to be organized now in the calm and have a list to work off when you land over there will make the process a lot easier:D

Agree completely. I am going to have a list compiled of what I need to do, where I need to go to do it, what I need to bring with me to do it, how long the process is likely to take both on the day and any wait time afterwards etc. Best to be organised. running round like a headless chicken will breed anxiety methinks

JustRoss23

yea for sure and it doesnt take that long to make one 20mins and you will be grand as opposed to hours worrying in canada not knowing any1:D

againstthetide

Different place to where you get your sin health is handled by the registries who also look after driving licenses

hdowney

Ah. I knew you could get more than one thing in the place where you get your health card, but with all the information I am imbibing at the moment I am not surprised some of it got jumbled in my head