Can I do volunteer work in Canada with no work visa?

Question

I'm off to Vancouver in a few weeks and just wanted to make sure i can do volunteer work with no work visa/permit.

thnx =]

Answer 1

A working holiday visa is a travel permit which allows travellers to undertake employment in the country issuing the visa for the purpose of supplementing their travel funds.

Most working holiday visas are offered under reciprocal agreements between certain countries, to encourage travel and cultural exchange between their citizens.

There are often several restrictions on this type of visa:

    * many are intended for young travellers, and as such have an age restriction (usually 18-30)

    * there are usually limits on the type of employment taken, or the length of time the traveller can be employed

    * the visa holder is expected to have sufficient funds to live on while they seek employment

The original participating countries in this were Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

It allows young people to experience living in a foreign country, without undergoing the usual costly expenses of finding work sponsorship in advance, or going on expensive university exchange programmes.

Answer 2

The previous respondents were all incorrect, to a degree. If you are doing part-time volunteer work, say, as a big brother/big sister, working at a crisis hotline, or volunteering for a couple of hours a week at a hospital, you do not need a work permit for those kinds of activities. However, if you are volunteering for an organization in a position that would typically be paid, for example, answering phones or filing paperwork for a non-profit that simply cannot afford to pay you, or other similar "unpaid internship" type positions, you MUST have a work permit, even if you are NOT getting paid. They do not charge you for these permits, but you are still required by law to apply for them.

For more information, you should visit the CIC website (link below) or contact your nearest Canadian embassy/consulate. If you fall into the latter situation, you will need to apply for your work permit as soon as possible.

Answer 3

no you wont, you only need one when they are paying you.  as to volunteer you dont need a social insurance number