Hi, my daughter is trying to apply for an IEC but due to a glitch in the system, she is unable to submit her application to enter the pools. She has asked for technical help but it's been since the 15th of Feb and still no go. She will be landing in Vancouver on the 25th of March and being from Australia, she only needs an eTA to enter the country. She can support herself financially for 6 months and also has a 6 month health insurance policy so we were wondering if she should apply for a TRV now before she gets there (not much time) and then when she is there to change it to either an open work permit or keep trying the IEC application? If she applies for a visa (which she doesn't really need) will it cause problems with her IEC application? It's hard to know what to do. Any help would be very handy. thank you.
Which type of Visa?
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She doesn't need a TRV to enter Canada - she just needs ETA. There is no reason for her to apply for a TRV.
If she wants to work in Canada once she arrives and for some reason the IEC doesn't work out, then she would have to apply for a closed work permit (she won't qualify for an open work permit). To qualify for a closed work permit she will first have to find an employer willing to offer her a full time job and that employer will also need to obtain an approved LMIA.
If she wants to work in Canada once she arrives and for some reason the IEC doesn't work out, then she would have to apply for a closed work permit (she won't qualify for an open work permit). To qualify for a closed work permit she will first have to find an employer willing to offer her a full time job and that employer will also need to obtain an approved LMIA.
Thank you Scylla, much appreciated. We knew she didn't need the visa but thought it might help to change status. So when the system glitch is fixed and she can submit to go into the pools, and then hopefully gets her offer letter, she will be in Canada. Do you foresee any problems there? Will she need to go out of Canada and come back in to be issued with the IEC Visa? She will be going to Alaska for a few days then coming back to Canada to stay for hopefully the 6 months, or more if she gets the IEC approved. I really appreciate your response, we have no one here to call, the VAC in Sydney, does not deal with IEC at all.... 
If she leaves Canada for a few days and then returns to activate her IEC - there won't be any issues. Yes - she will need to exit Canada and re-enter to activate the IEC.
If she leaves Canada for a few days and then attempts to re-enter as a tourist, that's a different story. Re-entry (or even entry) as a tourist is never guaranteed. Coming to Canada as a tourist means that you are only coming here temporarily for a visit and have no plans on remaining in Canada long term. If you start coming and going as if you live here, it increases the chances of problems at the border. So if she doesn't have the IEC and wants to remain in Canada as a visitor for a full six months, I would avoid trips out of the country.
If she leaves Canada for a few days and then attempts to re-enter as a tourist, that's a different story. Re-entry (or even entry) as a tourist is never guaranteed. Coming to Canada as a tourist means that you are only coming here temporarily for a visit and have no plans on remaining in Canada long term. If you start coming and going as if you live here, it increases the chances of problems at the border. So if she doesn't have the IEC and wants to remain in Canada as a visitor for a full six months, I would avoid trips out of the country.
Oh wow, thank you for that information. She's actually meeting someone (a US citizen) in Vancouver and they are going to Alaska to pick up his car and dog then coming back because he works in Canada from April to September every year and she will be hanging with him for the majority of the time she is there most likely. She also has a Canadian friend who lives in Winnipeg that she wants to visit while she's there!! I'll tell them to be aware of that fact. Thanks again for your time and advice, much appreciated