Step-by-step guide to activate Visa

Hammer89

Afternoon,

Was just wondering if someone could point me in the right direction over how to activate my working holiday visa for Canada.

I'll need to get a move on in April before the yoke expires and I was just looking for a step-by-step guide on how to get set up etc.

I've got my POE printed out, so is it just a case of flying over there, whipping out the documents and getting validated? Probably not, but I'd appreciate some guidance.

Thanks.

mossy14

All you need to activate your visa is, your poe, proof of your 2 year insurance, and proof of funds of a minimium 2500 canadian dollars. Pretty straight forward really.

Hammer89

Okay brilliant.

And what's the story with health insurance? If you have to prove its existence then that probably means it must be Irish health insurance, or does it matter?

mossy14

You just need to print out your travel/work insurance certificate and use that as your proof. If you already have health insurance here then contact them and see will they cover you in canada.

Hammer89

I've been on to Aviva in Ireland and apparently they don't cover their clients over in Canada, apart from a 30-day cover abroad, which is obviously no good, so that means I'll need to suss Canadian cover? If so, can anyone recommend a company because, as you can tell, I haven't got a clue.

Faith

Get travel insurance. This is all clearly outlined in the FAQ thread.

face1990

Yup it's travel insurance you need. Just make sure it's to cover you for 2 years and covers the main requirements (hospitalisation and repatriation). Winter sports is a good add-on to get.

Hammer89

Yes I was on to VHI and they do Canadian travel insurance for a once-off payment of €320, which covers you for the two years supposedly.

However, and this is my last question on the matter I promise, but what's the best website for booking the absolute cheapest flights possible? I don't mind about stop-overs and whatnot.

ravingitup

Hammer89 wrote: »

Yes I was on to VHI and they do Canadian travel insurance for a once-off payment of €320, which covers you for the two years supposedly.

However, and this is my last question on the matter I promise, but what's the best website for booking the absolute cheapest flights possible? I don't mind about stop-overs and whatnot.

I booked a flight just a couple of days ago on lastminute.com - booked a return journey in March/April (I'm just travelling over to activate it for now, you see) for €375. I got my flights with AirCanada through lastminute, with a Dublin - Heathrow -Toronto route. I was delighted with the price, pretty good for a return journey I thought. I'd recommend that website.

Just a question for the floor, do VHI cover you for stays in Canada under sixty days then, meaning I shouldn't have to get travel insurance for a short activation trip? (of under 3 weeks)

face1990

The visa will only be issued for the length that your insurance is valid (that's if you're asked for proof of insurance at immigration, which they are supposed to ask for).
So to get a two year work permit you need two years of insurance cover.

ravingitup

face1990 wrote: »

The visa will only be issued for the length that your insurance is valid (that's if you're asked for proof of insurance at immigration, which they are supposed to ask for).
So to get a two year work permit you need two years of insurance cover.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. It's probably not worth the risk. I know that not everybody is asked for proof of insurance at immigration (some are just asked for POE's) but the more I think about it, it's not worth the risk if they do ask for it.

onworld

Is anyone aware of a travel insurance policy that offers a pro-rata refund if cancelled?