IEC Working Holiday travel insurance
From skiing or boarding in Whistler to the Rocky Mountains to trekking in the National Park in Jasper, Canada has many adventures for every type of traveller.
If you’re considering applying for a Canada visa for Australian travellers and participating in the International Experience Canada (IEC) program, you should look into the IEC visa and work permit requirements before comparing and purchasing a policy.
You’ll find that one of the requirements of the IEC program is that you need to have an IEC travel insurance policy.
But with so many different travel insurers out there, what type of IEC working holiday insurance policy should Aussies working in Canada take out?
A good place to start in your IEC travel insurance comparison, is finding a policy that can provide up to 2 years cover to match your IEC visa length and visa requirements.
Once you have found 2 year IEC travel insurance, you can then start comparing the benefits on policies. After all, if you’re planning on taking advantage of all that the IEC visa offers, two-years is a long time and you want to make sure you have all the cover you will likely need!
Questions to ask about your IEC trip to help you compare IEC travel insurance benefits
How long is your visa?
Travel insurance dates should match your visa dates and length.
How many days, weeks or months until you depart?
Cancellation can be covered if something unexpected happens and you can’t travel.
Will you be skiing or snowboarding?
If so, you’ll want to compare policies that provide snow cover in the event you're injured on the slopes.
Are you the adventurous type who might try bungee jumping, white water rafting, tandem skydiving etc?
In case the unexpected happens, an Adventure Pack can cover you for adventurous activities.
Are you taking any luggage with you that you want covered?
Lost, stolen or damaged luggage items like mobile phones, Go Pros, head phones, sunglasses, handbags etc can be covered up to set amounts.
Plan on hiring a car and exploring Canada?
Rental Vehicle Excess Insurance can provide cover for the costs of the excess in the event the hire car is damaged.
Which travel insurance benefits should I consider for the IEC?
Aside from the mandatory cover that the IEC visa requires you to have, you can be covered for other aspects of your working holiday, including the flights that you’ve already paid for, and the luggage that you’ll be taking.
However, with all the different insurance options out there, we understand that it’s sometimes hard to know which IEC visa insurance is the right one for your type of working holiday.
As everyone’s IEC trip won’t be exactly the same, you should have a think about what you want to do on your working holiday in Canada and what you want to be covered for.
The travel insurance benefits you can receive for your IEC trip will vary between insurers and the level of cover you select. So, when you’ve worked the above out, you’ll be able to compare travel insurance policies to find the best IEC insurance for you.
Below is a list of the benefits that you can look out for, to assist you in your search for the best travel insurance for your Canadian working holiday.
Medical benefits
Repatriation Cover
If you’re injured or sick when you’re travelling, Fast Cover have a 24/7 emergency overseas medical assistance team that will be able to organise repatriation if they deem it necessary for you to return home to Australia for treatment.
The emergency medical assistance team can organise your transport to your home in Australia and for you to be accompanied by a registered and approved nurse if required.
Overseas Emergency Medical & Hospital Expenses
This benefit provides cover for unexpected overseas medical expenses such as doctor’s consultations, prescribed medications such as antibiotics, hospitalisation and medical treatment.
In serious cases, you may also be repatriated home to Australia if it's deemed necessary.
24 Hour Emergency Assistance
The 24/7 emergency medical assistance team can provide you with support, not just in a medical emergency, but if you are unsure of where to get help while you’re overseas.
Hospital Cash Allowance
Your policy may be able to provide you with some extra cash if you’re hospitalised for more than a certain period to cover any daily hospital expenses.
Pre-existing Medical Conditions
Some pre-existing medical conditions can be covered by travel insurers. If you have a pre-existing medical condition and wish to be covered for it, you should look for an IEC travel insurance that can provide you with cover.
Cancellations and Trip Disruption benefits
Cover for Unexpected Cancellations
If you, your travelling companion or relative become unexpectedly sick or injured before you leave for your IEC working holiday and you’re no longer able to travel, the cancellation benefit covers you for rescheduling fees and lost deposits for travel bookings you’ve already paid for, like flights and accommodation.
Travel Delays
Are you planning on travelling to other countries while overseas on your IEC visa like to the USA, Asia or Europe? The travel delay benefit can provide cover for your out-of-pocket expenses, including accommodation, food and transport if your planned transport is delayed for more than 6 hours from the scheduled departure time.
Additional Travel Expenses
If your working holiday is disrupted because you, your travelling companion or a family member back home is sick or injured, a natural disaster occurs or your travel documents have been stolen, you may be able to claim for additional accommodation, travel or travel document replacement costs.
Special Event Transport Expenses
If you plan to be back in Australia for a birthday and your planned transport is delayed or cancelled, Special Event Transport Expenses cover may reimburse you for the cost of another mode of transport to ensure you get to your event or destination on time.
Sports and Activities benefits
Snow Sports
We won’t try and compare snowboarding and skiing, whatever your preference, participation in winter snow sports on the IEC may not be automatically covered by your travel insurance policy for Canada. The snow sports benefit can provide cover in the event:
- You’re injured while doing snow sports like skiing, snowboarding or heli-skiing
- Your snow sports equipment is lost, stolen or damaged
- You’re sick or injured and you can’t use your prepaid lift passes, equipment hire or lessons
- Your resort is unexpectedly closed
Rental Vehicle Excess
If you’re planning to rent a car while you’re working in Canada, you might find that there’s a significant excess that applies should you damage the rental vehicle.
This travel insurance benefit will allow you to claim for the excess you would pay if your rental car is damaged in an accident so it can be a good idea to compare the cost of this benefit under travel insurance with the cost from the car hire company.
Adventure Activities
Will you be going on hikes in Canada? Or do you plan to go bungee jumping? You should check to see if these activities are covered under your IEC insurance policy.
For some activities, you may need to purchase an Adventure Pack add-on for an additional premium, so that you may have cover should you become sick or injured while doing the activity.
Riding a motorcycle
Riding a motorcycle, scooter or moped? This benefit can provide you with cover if you’re injured while riding your motorcycle, moped or scooter. This benefit may not be automatically included with your policy, so if you plan to ride, check to see that it’s covered.
Luggage benefits
Luggage & Personal Effects Cover
Having cover for your belongings can save you money and a lot of heart-ache. It would be devastating if your GoPro, camera equipment, laptop or phone was lost, stolen or damaged while on your IEC working holiday.
Luggage and Personal Effects Delay Expenses
If your luggage is lost or misdirected, you may end up needing to buy extra clothing, toiletries, or supplies. You can make a claim for these expenses if you have this policy benefit included.
Travel documents
It can be frustrating having to replace a lost or stolen passport or credit / debit card. At least with cover for travel documents, you know you’ll be able to claim for the extra cost involved in replacing it.
Financial benefits
Personal Liability
Every so often, a traveller can become involved in a legal case regarding someone’s death or injury or damage to property. The personal liability benefit may provide cover for settling or defending a claim against you, or the payment of compensation.
Accidental Death
A death benefit can be paid to your estate if you become injured during your IEC holiday and die within 12 months, or if you’re travelling and your transport sinks, crashes or disappears and you’re presumed dead and your body isn’t found within 12 months.
Loss of Income
If you become disabled while travelling for the IEC after suffering an injury, such as from a motorcycling accident or you slip and fall over, then you may be entitled to a weekly benefit from your travel insurer.
Theft of Cash
Travellers are advised to take particular care of their wallet when they travel on the IEC. If someone does steal your money or belongings off your person, you can make a claim and be reimbursed if this benefit is included in your policy.
Whatever benefits you’re looking to be covered for on your IEC working holiday, you should compare benefits and read the insurer’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for the full policy benefits and conditions. The PDS will provide details of what benefits are offered for each policy type and it will also include the conditions around when that benefit would apply, and when it wouldn’t.
Compare IEC Travel Insurance Benefits FAQs
Our Comprehensive policy is our most popular policy.
The Comprehensive policy provides cover for unexpected: cancellation, medical emergencies, lost/damaged/stolen luggage and personal effects, travel delays, missed connections to special events, accidental death, permanent disability, loss of income, personal liability, loss of travel documents and credit cards and theft of cash.
The benefit limits for the Comprehensive policy are also higher compared to our Standard Saver and Basics policies.
The Comprehensive policy is available for all international trips and can be tailored to suit your trip.
Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions.in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
The Snow Sports Plus policy provides cover for Snow sports and is available to travellers aged 69 and under.
The Snow Sports Plus policy provides cover for unexpected: cancellation, overseas medical emergencies, lost/damaged/stolen luggage and personal effects, travel delays, missed connections to special events, accidental death, permanent disability, loss of income, personal liability, loss of travel documents and credit cards and theft of cash.
The Snow Sports Plus policy is available for all international trips and can be tailored to suit your trip.
Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions.in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
Read more about skiing and travelling:Our Comprehensive policies provide you with more cover for your trip, and the benefit limits are also higher compared to the Standard Saver policy.
Comprehensive policies can cover you for:
- Unlimited Medical
- Trip Cancellations Costs
- Luggage and Personal Effects
- Special Event Transport Expenses
- Travel Delays.
Standard Saver Policies can cover you for:
- Unlimited Medical
- Trip Cancellations Costs
- Luggage and Personal Effects.
Both policies are also flexible and depending on which policy you take, allows you to:
- Increase cover for specified high value items, and
- Add on additional options like Rental Vehicle Excess, Motorcycle Pack, Bicycle Pack and Adventure Pack.
For more information, refer to our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
The Standard Saver policy provides cover for unexpected: cancellation, overseas medical emergencies, lost/damaged/stolen luggage and personal effects, personal liability and loss of travel documents.
The Standard Saver policy is available for all international trips and can be tailored to suit your trip.
Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions.in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
