Working Holiday Visa

[robgoode]

I wonder if someone can help me urgently. Me and my partner have been planning since June on going to Canada for a year on a working holiday visa. Got new passports and finally got police checks through today. Went online to print off and fill in visa paperwork to post tomorrow to find this message on the website:

The 2011 International Experience Canada of the United Kingdom is now closed.

Please note that we will not accept any applications mailed after Tuesday August 9th, 2011 (as attested by the postal mark). Please ensure that the mailing date is clearly and legibly indicated.

The information regarding the opening of the 2012 International Experience Canada initiative will be posted on this page this fall. Please visit this site frequently to also receive updates on improvements being made to the initiative for 2012

So this means there is absolutely no way of applying for a visa for 2011? I had signed up to the website and got forms emailed to me 3 weeks ago. I know its a long shot but is there no other way of trying to apply as we have both put in notices at work as we planned on having time off while we waited for visa to come through.

If there isn't then does anyone know when the applications for 2012 open up? Words can't describe how gutted we are. There was a delay on the police checks of a week which has lead us to missing the closing date (which wasn't noted on the website). Thanks for any help provided.

 

[scylla]

If you submit an application now - it will be returned to you. So the short answer is no - there's unfortunately no way for you to apply to IEC for this year.

I believe they should begin accepting applications again in January 2012. Hopefully someone else can confirm.

 

[Leon]

There is a limited number of IEC visas so once they are all gone, they close the program for the year in which case they can not list the closing date on the website prior, because they do not know exactly when they will run out. I once saw the embassy in Germany give away some visas later in the year but I don't think that is common and you would not be able to plan ahead for it.

Just plan for 2012 and keep an eye on the website to see when they open the program. It may be that the embassy in the UK opens in Janary but some countries open them earlier like in Oct. or Nov. in which case you could apply then but still can not use the visa until January at the earliest.

 

[jack1988]

Hi, ive just seen on the website that the submitting of application is still valid is this true or can i not apply now for the whp ? x

 

[scylla]

IEC for UK residents is closed and they are not accepting any applications at this time. See:

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/united_kingdom-royaume_uni/experience_canada_experience/index.aspx

 

[Maid_Marian]

Hi, I can confirm from experience that they'll open applications back up in January 2012, usually after the first week in the month. I applied through BUNAC, which is just a conduit for the same working holiday visas, and they close it whenever they run out. I applied in January 2010 and received about March 2010.

Just a heads up to check the date on your police check before applying in January 2012 - I know that they ask the certificates to be dated within a certain time frame, but I can't remember what it is (if it's 6 months, you'll need to do it again).

So sorry for the bad news - I know that this immigration stuff can be heartwrenching at times! x