Volunteer Work and Unpaid Opportunities

[Baloo]

It might do if you don't get caught 

They say the same about robbing banks - LOL

[AE0626]

Hi Fleurette,

I actually gave a wrong term for it. It was actually for a not for profit organization that was working on a year end project funded by the city of ottawa. It was just a series of events wherein they asked for volunteers for during the winter season. It focuses on coming up with various events for newcomers to have them well integrated into the winter season. I initially signed up as a participant but later on helped out with various tasks like taking attendance and just helping in ushering the participants.  It was my first winter and being new to the country i thought of it as a great way to mingle with new canadians like me and hear about stories and cultures from other countries. I met alot a people, some still in limbo like me and some with success stories withn canada that were truly inspiring!

It was more of the social aspect that truly made the experience worth while since I had no friends at that time and nothing productive to do with my time  Hope this clarifies

Thank you for your post! This topic is really interesting! Inlanders always have a lot of free time and would like to use this time effectively learning the language, culture and helping  people.

The law is not concrete in the specification of volunteer work which does not allow to get some expirience. There is no list of allowed positions and there is no real life examples. So I think inlanders take on their own a risk to be considered as illegally working people.  

When we applied for PR, I also started to research volunteer opportunities, but I  stopped it after reading the information, presented by eletyl. So I had decided not to take any risks.

Don't you mind me asking how do you get the government internship without PR. Did they ask you about legal documents when you were hired? What were your tasks there?

[AE0626]

Hi again to everyone. I spoke to one of the employees of the non for profit organization that I volunteered for and she said that volunteering for social causes and various social gatherings are ok. They actually encourage people to do it as they know of the frustration and 'depression' inlanders are going through.

The other private sector I volunteered at is a privately owned agency that helps cancer patients / survivors in dealing with everyday life by coming up with social events (like marathons and talent shows) for fund raisers. It is all unpaid as well

Lastly the staffing agency recently had a fund raising event to help raise money for homeless kids in developing countries.

In a time of incertainty and frustration, it is best to allow yourself to be surrounded by people and have the chance to get to know your surroundings and of course get to know people. Through this I was able to gain friends of different cultures and learn more about canada as I was going through the gruesome process of waiting for my papers.

An idea given to me by a friend was to look into the social events of Canada and check if there is any way to help. By doing this you would not only be productive but most importantly get yourself immersed into the various Canadian events! of course, be cautious as well for any possible mishaps or misunderstandings in legaities...

[fleurette]

Hi AE0626,
Thank you for the clarification!

It really looks as a volunteer work.
On my personal opinion it is legal to help other people for free working on fund raising events and helping with organizational tasks.
You must be proud of yourself that you spend an application processing time such an effective way!