Activating IEC Working Hiliday wp will in-validate closed wp?

[samanta60]

Hi all
I am currently working on a closed wp in Canada.
If I activate my IEC Working Hiliday work permit by flagpoling tomorrow, does my current work permit become invalid?

Based on my current wp I have Alberta health insurance. I really need to keep it.
For my IEC Working Holiday wp I am purchasing IEC health insurance. The insurance company told me if I buy Destination Canada IEC health insurance I still can keep my Alberta health care coverage.
That is all good, except activating IEC Working Hiliday wp will invalidate my closed wp due to which my Alberta Health Care will become invalid???

Please HELP... I have to decide by this evening..

 

[ozlis]

Yes it will.

What many people do is buy the policy to activate their permit and then cancel once they are over the border again.

 

[samanta60]

Thanks Ozlis,

1) I also thought getting a new wp (or activating IEC wp) will invalidate my current work permit, but there has been lots of discussions in the link below:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/holding-two-valid-work-permit-simultaneously-t82474.0.html;msg5715420#msg5715420

which says a new wp does not affect validity of the current wp. In that threat there are real experiences that some forum members had with such a situation where both their wps remained valid till the expiry date.
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2) Now regarding the thing that you mentioned, about people canceling their IEC health insurance after getting over the border, I thought a IEC wp is not valid unless the person holds a IEC health insurance. Is that not right?
or maybe you mean they become eligible for provincial health insurance and get that, before canceling the IEC health insurance policy? I don't know even if this would be fine?

Any ideas?

 

[ozlis]

They take the old permit out of your passport when they put the new one in. Unsure if they actually cancel it in the system but the new permit would over-ride any of the conditions.

As for the insurance, that is entirely your risk to take. Lots of people dont even have the insurance when they get the permit issued, it is entirely down to the border officer that you get on the day.

 

[samanta60]

They take the old permit out of your passport when they put the new one in. Unsure if they actually cancel it in the system but the new permit would over-ride any of the conditions.

As for the insurance, that is entirely your risk to take. Lots of people dont even have the insurance when they get the permit issued, it is entirely down to the border officer that you get on the day.

Oh, I didn't know that they take the old permit out of the passport.
Did you have this experience? others are saying the officer told them they can still have the old work permit when they got a new wp issued.

 

[ozlis]

Yes, both times they removed the permit from my passport. There was only about a week left on each so it wasnt an issue for me.

 

[samanta60]

Thanks Ozlis, I just hope they will let me keep my current wp, as I am going to work for my current employer still for a while.

I have another question that you may help me. I assume you activated your IEC wp from within Canada (is that right?), did they ask for your return flight ticke as well??

 

[ozlis]

Is there a reason that you need to activate your new permit early? Why not wait until your current permit is closer to expiring?

Anyway, yes I did both of mine at the land crossing and was not asked for flights or funds.

 

[samanta60]

The reason is that I am going to work part time for both employers for a short while and then move completely to the new job.

As far as I read, IEC can be activated by flagpoling: going to US side of border, asking them to give you administrative refusal, walk back to the Canadian side and re-enter Canada to get IEC wp activated.

 

[samanta60]

Finally, I went to border and activated my IEC wp. First they said they will take away my current wp, and since I am going to be on IEC from now on my child cannot go to school or get any benefit because on IEC one cannot have dependents.
I said I just want to keep my current wp. He talked to his co-workers and maybe they called some other officers to check if this is even allowed and at the end they let me keep my current work permit as well till it expires. So now I have two wps where one is IEC Working Holiday.

I thought this experience may be useful for someone in future in a similar situation.