Guide · IEC working visa
Insurance For Your IEC Working Visa And Ski And Snowboard Internship
This one is for internship clients who will be paid to work in Canada. The cover is different, the price is higher, and it decides how long your visa lasts. Worth getting right.
Inside
1 Why proof of cover decides your visa
2 What your cover has to do
3 Cancellation and curtailment
4 Three ways to keep the cost down
5 What a working-visa policy really costs
6 Which policy to actually buy
7 Questions we get every year
Read This If You Are Working In Canada.
This advice is only for those intending to get paid work out in Canada. Course-only clients have a separate, simpler guide.
We are not insurance providers and cannot recommend an individual policy. You need to do your own due diligence and check the contract is the one you need. What we can do is point you in the right direction and give some honest advice.
The IEC is a once-in-a-lifetime visa
It gives you one to two years to work in Canada depending on nationality. UK and Australian residents can get up to 24 months; many European countries get 12 with options to re-apply or extend. You will not get it again, so use it wisely. Other routes back into Canada exist, but they are more complicated and not guaranteed.
You will only get your full allotted visa duration if you have proof of medical insurance to cover the whole period.
Why That One Rule Matters Most.
The border grants your visa against the proof of medical insurance you show when you activate it.
So if you arrive with just six months of cover, that is your visa, no matter how long it could have been. You cannot extend it in the future. Plans can change, so do not waste the opportunity. Match your cover to the visa length you actually want.
Three Covers, Three Different Start Dates.
This is the thing clients get wrong most often, and every year it catches somebody out. It is one policy, but the parts of it switch on at different moments.
01
Cancellation cover: live from the day you pay the insurer
It is active from the moment you buy the policy, automatically. You do not ask for it and you do not put a date on it. If illness or injury stops you travelling at all, this is what refunds what you have already paid us.
02
Medical cover: live from the day you depart
This is the start date you enter on the policy. Flying on 1 November? Put 1 November, not the day you bought it. Travel insurance is cover for being away from home, and the medical side does not exist until you leave.
03
Curtailment: takes over once you have flown
You cannot cancel a trip you have already started, so cancellation ends and curtailment begins. This is what pays out if something cuts your season short and sends you home early.
Read this bit twice
You are not medically insured in your home country. If you are hit by a car three weeks before departure and badly hurt, lose an eye, break a leg in two, your travel policy pays nothing towards your treatment. That is what your own healthcare is for. Every payout table in the policy wording, all those figures for loss of a limb or an eye, applies to what happens once you have left.
What that same accident does trigger is your cancellation cover, because you can no longer travel. Depending on your limit, you get back what you have paid us. Two different covers, two different jobs, two different start dates.
And do not confuse the start date with the duration
The start date is your departure day. The duration is what the border officer grants your visa against when you activate it. A policy starting 1 November and running 24 months gets you a 24-month visa. A policy starting 1 November and running six months gets you six months, locked, with no extension later.
What Your Cover Has To Do.
Confirm each of these in writing before you buy. Miss one and the policy is the wrong shape for a season.
01
Run the full length of your visa
This is the one that sets your visa length. Cover the whole period you intend to stay.
02
Cover your course and private skiing for the season
You need cover for your instructor course and your own skiing across the five-month period. That is a requirement of our internship courses.
03
Cover an instructor course, not just skiing
Some providers do not cover a course under their winter sports cover. You only need to alert them that it is instructor training, not name the specific course. Check that yours covers it.
04
Give winter sports cover for the whole season
Some insurers add winter sports but cap it at, say, 28 days. That is useless when you are on the slopes for five months. Check the day limit.
Working: What The Ski School Covers.
Once you are employed, some of your risk moves onto your employer, which changes what you need to buy.
When you are working, your liability and medical on the job are covered by the ski school and their Work Safe cover, which every employer in British Columbia and Alberta must carry. So you do not need to add expensive work cover to your own policy just to be protected while teaching. You still need your own cover for the slopes when you are not working.
But watch cancellation if you are hurt at work
Without a work add-on, an accident on the job may not trigger cancellation or curtailment. Be realistic about how serious an injury teaching children would have to be to end your internship. Honestly, the real accidents almost always happen off the clock, free skiing or training.
Medical Cover: Do Not Overthink Canada.
The scary-looking numbers are built for American hospital bills, not Canadian ones.
Canada's system is much like the UK and Europe. Several Canadian insurers tell us they have not seen a bill go over CA$600,000, even for the most severe accidents. But because Canada sits in the worldwide category with the USA, the lowest cover is skewed high, usually a million or more. Do not worry about taking that lower group for your time in Canada. If you plan to pop into the USA at any point, that is a different story, so check before you cross.
Cancellation And Curtailment Is The Real Decision.
Bronze, silver, gold: the medical is usually fine at every tier. The money you get back if you have to stop is where the tiers actually differ.
Cancellation pays out if illness or injury stops you travelling at all. Curtailment pays out once you have flown and something sends you home early. Adding either raises your premium noticeably, and curtailment only refunds what you have not used, so an injury two months in returns very little, while an injury in week one means almost the whole package is still at stake. Every year someone gets hurt early, and some have no curtailment cover when it happens.
Ask yourself the honest question
"If, on day one, I break my ankle on the lift and have to fly home, how much of the course fees am I prepared to lose?" Set your cover level against that answer, not against the cheapest quote.
What You Lose If You Cancel With Us.
Our current booking terms, so you can see exactly what cancellation cover is protecting. Charges are a percentage of your total booking price.
Before 20 weeksloss of booking deposit (£300)
20 to 12 weeksloss of full deposit (£1,300)
12 to 8 weeks50% of total cost
8 to 0 weeks100% of total cost
The IEC exception, and two things to check
Once you receive your IEC working holiday invite, the full £1,300 deposit is non-refundable if you cancel, regardless of the 20-week point. The one relief: if you do not receive your working holiday visa through no fault of your own, all monies paid are refundable, whatever the standard policy says. Also check what happens if you come home for a period and then return to Canada, as it may affect your policy, and whether you can travel to other countries on the same cover.
Three Ways To Keep The Cost Down.
Two years of cover is never cheap, but there is more than one way to buy it. Whichever you choose, the start date you enter is your departure date, not the day you book. Your cancellation cover is already running from the moment you pay.
01
Two 12-month contracts
Buy a year at a time. If your plans change you can cancel the second contract when you come home early. Check whether that one is refundable first.
02
Basic visa cover plus a winter-sports policy
A basic policy across the full visa length, then separate full winter sports cover for the roughly five-month season. Cheaper up front and still fine for most summer work, though skiing again next winter can cost more overall.
03
Full two-year cover
The best value if you are staying out or doing two seasons. You pay more up front, but you are covered, usually worldwide, for two full years.
Questions To Ask The Insurer.
Before you buy, put these to whoever is quoting you and listen carefully to the answers. If a policy falls short on any of them, keep looking.
01
Am I insured from the date I pay, or from when I fly?
Both, but for different things. Cancellation cover runs from the day you pay and protects the money you have paid us in the weeks before departure. Medical cover runs from the start date you enter, which is the day you fly. You are not medically covered at home. Ask them to confirm both in writing.
02
Do I need winter sports coverage?
Yes. It is not standard, so it has to be added, and you must confirm it covers an instructor course, not just recreational skiing.
03
Will my credit card cover me?
Almost never for a course. Card and family cover rarely include curtailment to your course cost, and often exclude skiing, the park and long stays.
04
What is curtailment and cancellation?
Cancellation is the money you get back if illness or injury stops you travelling at all. Curtailment is what pays out if you have already flown and something sends you home early. Ask the limit on each and compare it to what you have paid us.
05
Am I insured off piste or in the park?
Out of bounds is covered under both True Traveller and Big Cat, provided you have checked the avalanche forecast and are carrying the correct equipment for the conditions. Go out with a guide and you are fully covered. What you cannot do is head out of bounds unprepared.
The park is the real exclusion to watch. True Traveller covers the park but not jumps. Big Cat’s winter sports plus is the only add-on we have found that covers small and medium jumps.
06
How long does my insurance need to be for?
The full length of your visa. On the IEC this sets your visa length, and it cannot be extended once activated.
07
Do I need separate insurance for working as an instructor?
Usually not, because Work Safe covers you on the job. Ask whether an injury at work would still affect your curtailment.
08
What is the winter-sports day limit?
Some policies cap skiing at 14 to 28 days regardless of how long the cover runs, which is useless across a five-month season.
09
What are the medical and repatriation limits?
Repatriation can cost more than the flight out, so make sure both are included and the limits are realistic.
10
Can I get money back if I come home early?
Usually only for unused elements, and add-ons are often non-refundable. Ask specifically about early-return refunds.
11
Do I need to disclose pre-existing conditions?
Yes, always. Not disclosing one is among the most common reasons a claim is rejected. Get confirmation in writing that you are covered.
What A Working-Visa Policy Really Costs.
Read this before the starting prices, because the low numbers mislead people. For a working visa you must cover your full visa length, not just the five-month season.
Basic two-year cover, thin cancellation cover and a real riskaround £900
A common, sensible two-year policyaround £1,150
Comprehensive two-year cover with strong cancellationaround £1,400
Do not be tempted by a low headline price
The per-provider figures below are starting medical prices for the duration shown, before winter sports and cancellation add-ons. A five-month figure is season-only cover, not a full internship policy, and will not give you the two-year visa. Treat the starting prices as a floor and budget for the real figures above.
Providers Clients Have Actually Used.
Starting prices move every year, so treat them as a guide and confirm against a live quote. You still need to read the policy wording yourself. The first two suit UK and EU residents.
UK & EU residents
True Traveller
Solid cover with a two-year option. Off piste and out of bounds are covered provided you check the forecast and carry the right equipment. The terrain park is covered but jumps are excluded. A ski or board course is covered. Take two years and the second year's ski cover is effectively free.
Starting medical, winter sports added: 5-month season £460 · 1 year £750 · 2 years £905. Those budget-tier figures include £1,000 of cancellation and curtailment cover. Move up a tier and the cost climbs.
Get a True Traveller quote →UK residents only
Big Cat
Much like True Traveller, and the only provider we have found that adds park cover with a winter sports plus for small and medium jumps. It refunds part of a 24-month policy if you come home early. Our one reservation: a smaller company, slower to pay at times, and they want every scrap of documentation.
Starting medical, winter sports added: 5-month season £460 · 1 year £630 · 2 years £885. Note that the budget tier carries £0 cancellation and curtailment cover, so you need to move up a tier to get any.
Get a Big Cat IEC quote →TuGo, arranged through Acera, a Canada-based specialist
A Canadian insurer specialising in winter sports medical cover for all mountain professionals, and especially strong for anyone heading out of bounds, for whatever reason. The policy is underwritten by TuGo and arranged through Acera Insurance, so you will see both names on the paperwork. They look after a wide range of mountain workers across British Columbia. Well worth a look, and you can request a quote through the link below.
Get a TuGo quote through Acera →Prices are correct at the time of publishing. Providers change their pricing regularly, so always check for the latest figures when you request a quote.
If You Are Not UK Or EU.
The mains above are priced for Britain and Europe. For everyone else, start here.
01
World Nomads, for most nationalities
Great value for US residents and reasonable for Australians and New Zealanders, with a wide list of countries covered. For UK and EU residents they work out expensive next to True Traveller and Big Cat, so we do not recommend them there.
02
Travel Insurance Saver and Zoom, for Australians
Both offer reasonably priced IEC cover with winter sports. You can only book 12 months at a time, so contact them about a second year or a 24-month option.
03
Fast Cover, for New Zealand residents
Reasonably priced IEC cover with winter sports, again in 12-month blocks, so ask about extending to the full visa length.
The recap
Which Policy Should I Actually Buy?
The short version by situation. Find the line that sounds most like you. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 and correct at the time of publishing, so always confirm against a live quote.
If this is youOur suggestionWhy
Absolutely certain you will never return to Canada
True Traveller budget, 5 months, around £460
The genuine cheapest option, and it still carries £1,000 of cancellation and curtailment cover. You are also throwing away nineteen months of a once-in-a-lifetime visa to save a few hundred pounds, so be certain.
Heading to university straight after the season, but you might change your mind
Big Cat, 24 months. Budget around £670, Premier around £990
Take a two-year Big Cat policy. Cancel when you get home and take a partial refund, which brings your overall cost down dramatically while still getting you the full two-year visa. See how it works below. BUT if you do go back to Canada you will have to buy insurance again, and it will cost more. Best option for anyone genuinely undecided.
On the tightest possible budget, but definitely want the full visa
True Traveller Value, 24 months, around £900
Much the same price as Big Cat budget, but it includes £1,000 of cancellation and curtailment cover where Big Cat budget includes none. If you are watching every pound, you may as well have the thousand.
You want to be an instructor and you want full security
True Traveller or Big Cat premier, 24 months, around £1,400
The premier tier on either insurer carries £7,500 of cancellation and curtailment cover. If your course fee is the thing you cannot afford to lose, this is what that costs.
The terrain park is a real part of your winter
Big Cat, winter sports plus
True Traveller covers the park but excludes jumps. Big Cat is the only provider we have found that adds park cover including small and medium jumps. That is the one clear reason to choose Big Cat over True Traveller, but it costs an extra premium.
You want the quote that is easiest to actually compare
True Traveller
Enter your dates and it shows budget, mid and premier side by side, then updates all three as you add winter sports. Big Cat makes you click into each tier separately and start again every time you change a date.
You are an EU resident rather than UK
True Traveller
Big Cat sells to UK residents only. True Traveller covers UK and EU residents, so for most Europeans it is the natural first quote.
You have a pre-existing medical condition
Whichever insurer confirms it in writing
Price is the wrong thing to optimise here. Declare it, get written confirmation that you are covered, and go with the insurer who gives you that. Undeclared conditions are among the most common reasons a claim is refused.
Popping into the USA on your days off
Check your medical limit before you cross
Canadian bills rarely exceed CA$600,000, so the lowest tier is ample for Canada alone. The USA is a different story entirely. Confirm US cover with your insurer before you drive south.
You are not a UK or EU resident
World Nomads, Travel Insurance Saver, Zoom or Fast Cover
World Nomads for US residents and most nationalities. Travel Insurance Saver or Zoom for Australians. Fast Cover for New Zealanders. All sell in twelve-month blocks, so ask about a second year or a 24-month option.
We are not insurance providers and cannot recommend an individual policy. These are opinions based on what our clients actually buy. Always read the policy wording and confirm the cover yourself before you pay.
Getting Money Back If You Come Home Early.
Big Cat is the only one of our providers that refunds part of a policy on early return, and the terms are specific.
Big Cat's early-return refund, in their words
Refunds are only available on 24-month IEC policies, and they cannot refund the first six months of any policy.
"Say you took out a 24-month budget IEC policy costing £567.22, then you wish to cancel the policy after 9 months. Our 9-month budget policy costs £338.46. So we deduct £338.46 from £567.22 = £228.76. Then we apply the £50 cancellation charge." Add-ons such as winter sports are never refunded.
How To Use That, In Numbers.
Two Big Cat routes to a full two-year visa, if you cancel on returning home after a five-month internship. Figures rounded to the nearest £10.
£990
Premier policy
Cover and a payout cushion
Two years is £890 with no add-ons, or £1,390 once you add the non-refundable winter sports cover. Cancel on return after five months and you are refunded £400, bringing your real cost to £990. You activated your full two-year visa, had winter sports cover throughout, and carried £7,500 of cancellation and curtailment cover.
£670
Budget policy
Cheapest, but no safety net
Two years is £570 with no add-ons, or £890 once you add winter sports. Cancel on return and you are refunded £220, bringing your real cost to £670. You activated your full visa and the medical cover is perfectly adequate, but there is no cancellation or curtailment cover at all, so nothing comes back if you are injured in week one.
Why cancelling early still makes sense if you are unsure
If you are genuinely unsure about skiing again next year, taking the two-year policy and then claiming the Big Cat refund on your return brings your final cost down, while still getting you the full two-year visa on the way in. And if you do travel on, you already hold two years of worldwide cover: instruct in New Zealand afterwards and you are covered, winter sports included.
Read this before you buy short
If you return to Canada the following year, you will buy new insurance on entry to Canada. It will end up costing you more.
So the short-and-cheap route only wins if you are certain you are not going back. If someone is genuinely convinced they will never return to Canada, they can buy five months at £460 with £1,000 of cancellation cover and be done. You can do it. You are slightly mad to do it, because you have thrown away nineteen months of a once-in-a-lifetime visa to save a few hundred pounds.
Honestly, it is usually easier to take a 24-month package and stick with it unless you know for certain you are not returning or travelling on. Check the small print for exclusions either way. It is a minefield and pretty boring, but very, very important.
Questions We Get Every Year.
Does the length of my insurance really fix my visa length?
Yes. The cover you show when you activate the visa is the visa you get, locked in, with no extension later. Buy for the full time you want to stay.
What start date do I put on the policy?
The day you depart your home country. If you fly on 1 November, your start date is 1 November, not the day you buy it. That is when your medical cover begins, because travel insurance covers you for being away from home.
Your cancellation cover is a separate thing and is already live from the day you pay the insurer. It happens automatically, you do not have to ask for it, and it is not affected by the start date you enter.
Am I covered if I am injured at home before I fly?
Not medically, no. If you are hit by a car three weeks before departure and seriously hurt, your travel policy pays nothing towards your treatment. That is what your own healthcare is for, and every payout figure in the policy wording applies only once you have left the country.
What it does do is trigger your cancellation cover, because you can no longer travel. Depending on your limit, that gets back what you have paid us. Two different covers, two different jobs.
What is the difference between cancellation and curtailment?
Cancellation applies before you go. Once you have flown you cannot cancel a trip you have already started, so curtailment takes over and covers you being sent home early. Check you have a sensible limit on both, because they pay out at different stages of your season.
Do I need to pay extra to be covered for working?
Usually not. The ski school's Work Safe cover handles your liability and medical while you are on the job. You still need your own policy for the slopes when you are not working, which is where most accidents happen anyway.
Am I covered if I get hurt at work?
Medically, yes, through Work Safe. But cancellation and curtailment may not apply to a work injury unless you have a work add-on. Be realistic about how serious an injury would need to be to end your season.
Is the lowest medical cover really enough for Canada?
Yes. Because Canada is grouped with the USA, even the lowest tier is a million or more. Only rethink it if you plan to travel into the USA.
Can I get my money back if I come home early?
Only for the parts you have not used, and add-ons are usually non-refundable. Big Cat refunds a portion but not the first six months or any add-ons, and charges a fee. Read the refund terms before you rely on them.
Where To Go From Here.
The current options, the course-only guide, and a sheet to print.
On the site
IEC travel insurance options
The current internship insurance options and starting prices, kept up to date on the main site.
→
Not on a working visa?
Insurance for course-only clients
The simpler guide for clients who are training, not being paid to work out in Canada.
→
Print it
The insurance fridge checklist
A one-page sheet to tick off before you buy, so nothing important gets missed.
→
Disclaimer. This page is guidance only. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the information on it. It is your responsibility to verify and double-check all details before taking out any policy with any company.
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