pvtistes.net Timeline (from 2005 to today)

Here is a short timeline of the history of pvtistes.net 🙂

You can also listen to this episode of our podcast, which goes back to the origins of pvtistes.net:

<strong2005

• July 5, 2005: Launch of the website with no domain name, hosted for free on Free.fr — 1 member!
• July 18, 2005: The word “PVTiste” is coined and the domain name pvtistes.net is purchased. Fun fact: when you typed “pvtistes” into Google, it would ask if you meant something else! Today, there are over 200,000 results on Google and the word “pvtiste” is officially registered with the INPI (French patent office).
• July 28, 2005: 1,000 forum messages and 100 members reached!
• August 25, 2005: Our traffic keeps growing and our hosting can’t keep up. We move the site to a more powerful server.
• October 5, 2005: We’ve multiplied our unique visitors fivefold in just one month (July 2005: 1,022 visitors – August 2005: 5,200 visits). We’re struggling to answer all the questions, so we start looking for new moderators.
• November 24, 2005: We organize the very first pvtistes gathering in Paris. Fun fact: the first “PVT couple” is born… Today, they’re married and have a daughter!

2006

• February 8, 2006: We reach 1,000 members!
• October 2, 2006: The Canadian Embassy stops accepting Working Holiday Visa (WHV) applications in person.
• December 18, 2006: We now have 4,000 members.
• 2006: The site expands to include other WHV destinations, such as Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

2007

• March 21, 2007: For the first time ever, the WHV Canada quota is reached.
  (Note: At the time, there were only 3,000 spots available, compared to 7,000 in 2010!)
• June 29, 2007: Launch of our Wiki (which no longer exists today).
• October 3, 2007: 7,000 members!
• December 17, 2007: The WHV Canada program is hugely popular — just a month and a half after opening, the quota is already filled.
• December 20, 2007: The Canadian Embassy invites us to thank us and explain how their process works.

2008

• January 22, 2008: New quota for the 2008 WHV — 4,085 spots allocated to the Working Holiday Program.
• February 15, 2008: 9,000 members.
• March 8, 2008: 10,000 members.
• March 19, 2008: pvtistes.net takes off! Dedicated sections for other WHV destinations are launched.
• June 26, 2008: Cisco features us in a TV spot — a short report about the WHV!
• July 2008: The pvtistes.net football team reaches the finals but doesn’t win.

2009

• January 7, 2009: 14,000 members.
• January 2009: South Korea joins the list of WHV destinations.
• January 30, 2009: WHV 2009 quotas are reached. The Canadian Embassy also shares its New Year wishes.
• August 14, 2009: Launch of the “thank you” button to reduce forum flooding.
• October 26, 2009: 20,000 members — the milestone was passed a few days earlier.
• November 5, 2009: A dedicated section is opened for our Belgian friends, who are increasingly active on pvtistes.net!

2010

• March 2010: We appear on the French TV show *Télématin* — pvtistes.net on Télématin!

2011

• October 2, 2011: 40,000 members.
• November 16, 2011: Opening of WHV Canada 2012 — record traffic: over 30,000 of you logged onto pvtistes.net.
• November 19, 2011: The high number of visitors continues — we start thinking about a new hosting architecture.
• November 2011: The Argentina WHV becomes available.
• November 24, 2011: 42,500 members — almost 6,000 Facebook fans even though our page is brand new!

2012

• February 5, 2012: 45,000 members and 9,600 Facebook fans!
• July 5, 2012: pvtistes.net celebrates its 7th anniversary.
• July 28, 2012: 50,000 members and 17,000 Facebook fans.
• September 22, 2012: Launch of the new site and preparation of our new iPhone app!
• November 8, 2012: 700,000 messages on the forum!
• December 12, 2012: 60,000 members and over 25,000 Facebook fans!

2013

• March 4, 2013: pvtistes.net appears on the 8 PM news on France 2.
• March 29, 2013: The Belgium–Taiwan WHV agreement comes into effect.
• May 4, 2013: Launch of our dedicated forum app.
• June 30, 2013: 75,000 members, 38,000 Facebook fans, and 2,000 Twitter followers.
• July 1, 2013: The France–Hong Kong WHV agreement comes into effect.
• July 5, 2013: pvtistes.net turns 8 — WHV travelers from around the world send birthday wishes!
• July 8, 2013: We offer our Canada WHV guide as a free PDF.
• August 15, 2013: 80,000 members, 41,200 Facebook fans, and 2,190 Twitter followers.
• November 1, 2013: 93,500 members, 49,200 Facebook fans, and 7,200 Twitter followers. Over 8,000 French users sign up for our SMS alert to be notified of the WHV Canada 2014 opening.
• December 12, 2013: Signature of the Working Holiday Visa agreement between Brazil and France. The news makes waves on the site and social media!
• December 19, 2013: 100,000 members, 53,000 Facebook fans, and 10,600 Twitter followers.
• December 31, 2013: Australia is the top WHV destination, with nearly 25,000 French WHV travelers in 2013.

2014

• February 1, 2014: WHV Canada 2014 opens! The embassy’s servers crash — chaos erupts on the forum and our social media.
• March 1, 2014: The third WHV Canada 2014 quota session closes, leaving thousands disappointed.
• April 5, 2014: WHV travelers send us their videos from Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Canada to take part in our collaborative video: “Happy pvtistes“.
• April 23, 2014: Belgium signs a WHV agreement with South Korea.
• April 30, 2014: The site has over 112,000 members, nearly 59,000 Facebook fans, and 13,800 Twitter followers.
• May 17, 2014: pvtistes.net hosts a conference on Asian WHVs at the Cité des Sciences in Paris.
• June 3, 2014: *Le Monde* organizes the Forum Expat in Paris, in partnership with pvtistes.net.
• July 2014: Creation of our country-specific Facebook pages.
• September 2014: For the first time, the WHV Hong Kong quota is filled!
• November 2014: The WHV Argentina quota is reached for the first time as well!
• End of 2014: pvtistes.net has over 130,000 members, more than 70,000 Facebook fans, and over 15,000 Twitter followers.

2015

• February 5–7, 2015: Huge turnout at the Expolangues fair — thank you for coming!
• March 27, 2015: We participate in the “S’expatrier, mode d’emploi” fair. On the same day, the WHV Canada 2015 opening date is announced!
• July 5, 2015: pvtistes.net celebrates its 10th anniversary!
• July 2015: *Télématin* features a report on the WHV and pvtistes.net.
• August 2015: We begin our search for 3 WHV reporters heading to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
• September 2015: pvtistes.net hits 160,000 members, 80,000 Facebook fans, and 20,000 Twitter followers.
• End of October 2015: pvtistes.net gets a makeover. This redesign aims to offer a more enjoyable browsing experience and to better organize the massive amount of content available.
• November 2015: The WHV Chile and WHV Colombia programs become available to French nationals!

2016

• This year, pvtistes.net participates in a record number (over 60!) of info sessions, WHV meetups, and fairs in France and Belgium, in partnership with Le Monde, Studyrama, L’Express, l’Étudiant, the CIDJ, and several BIJ and CRIJ.
• April 2016: Three years after our Canada WHV Guide, we release a free PDF guide on WHV in Australia.
• September 10, 2016: pvtistes.net organizes its very first fair entirely dedicated to WHV in Paris. This first WHV Fair is a success beyond our expectations!
• August/September 2016: Three new WHV agreements come into effect for French nationals — with Taiwan, Mexico, and Uruguay.
• October 10, 2016: pvtistes.net reaches 190,000 registered members and over 120,000 Facebook fans (across all pages).
• November 10, 2016: We offer a printed version of our Canada WHV Guide. In just a few months, more than 1,000 copies are sold. Thank you!
• December 15, 2016: We publish a free PDF guide on WHV in New Zealand.

2017

• January 2017: 200,000 people are registered on the site!
• April 2017: We hit the symbolic milestone of 100,000 Facebook fans (150,000 fans across all pages)!
• July 5, 2017: pvtistes.net celebrates its 12th anniversary!
• August 2017: WHV Canada 2017 sets a record with 11,050 spots allocated to French nationals — the highest ever for this program.
• September 2017: For the first time, we tour France (and make a stop in Brussels!) to inform you about the WHV and answer your questions as part of the pvtistes Tour.
• November 2017: We upgrade our mobile app (iOS and Android) to give you access to all our articles, guides, interviews, and more.
• November 30, 2017: pvtistes.net now has over 230,000 registered members and more than 4,000 followers on Instagram.

2018

• February 2018: A new free guide is added to our collection — the WHV South Korea Guide.
• March 1, 2018: Over four years after it was signed, the WHV Brazil–France agreement comes into effect!
• April 1, 2018: The Argentina–France WHV, previously limited to 18–30 year-olds, is now open to 35-year-olds!
• April 2018: We reach 250,000 members on pvtistes.net!
• May 2018: We now have over 5,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 110,000 on Facebook (over 170,000 across all pages).
• July 5, 2018: pvtistes.net celebrates its 13th anniversary!
• October 2018: Our team answers your questions during a live chat organized by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
• October 2018: France and Peru sign a WHV agreement!
• November 2018: Our app is updated — you can now access all forum discussions directly from your phone!
• December 2018: Our Canada WHV Guide has been downloaded over 70,000 times!

2019

• January 2019: The WHV celebrates its 20th anniversary in France. To mark the occasion, we offered monthly giveaways on the site throughout 2019!
• February 2019: Nearly 7,000 of you follow us on Instagram, over 110,000 on Facebook, and over 24,000 on Twitter.
• June 2019: We’re happy to launch a new free PDF guide: the WHV Japan Guide.
• July 2019: Australia and France agree to raise the WHV age limit to 35! More info.
• July 2019: WHV participants can now apply for a 3rd year in Australia, under certain conditions.
• September 2019: We publish a collection of 34 WHV testimonials from all destinations: Paroles de pvtistes, downloaded and loved by thousands of readers.
• October 2019: On October 4, the 2019 WHV Canada season ends. A record 15,050 spots were offered to French citizens!
• October 2019: We host the 2nd WHV Fair — a successful event attended by 1,500 of you!
• October 2019: pvtistes.net takes part in the first “Mois du Québec” and hosts WHV meetups across France (Marseille, Rennes, Strasbourg, Lille, Toulouse…).
• November 2019: Over 325,000 users are registered on pvtistes.net, with more than 12,500 on Instagram, nearly 25,000 on Twitter, 1,900 on YouTube, 1,100 on LinkedIn, and over 190,000 across all our Facebook pages.

2020

• First half of 2020: We hosted WHV meetups and fairs early in the year, but the COVID-19 crisis led us to switch to online info sessions. From June, we started offering a weekly COVID-19 update on Instagram to keep you informed country by country.
• During the crisis, we stayed by your side with advice and updates, mainly via our general COVID-19 article (read over 150,000 times!), as well as more specific resources.
• June 2020: Nearly 350,000 registered users on the site and 200,000 followers across all our Facebook pages.

2021

• We continued offering info sessions on Facebook, YouTube, and live Q&As on Instagram. Our COVID-19 article was updated regularly.
• February 1, 2021: The Peru–France WHV agreement comes into effect, but visa applications are paused due to the pandemic.
• June 1, 2021: Exactly 20 years after the Canada–France WHV agreement was signed, we hosted a full day of events focused on Canada!
• June 2021: France signs a new WHV agreement with Ecuador.
• Summer 2021: We release WHV interviews — in video format!
• We launched WHV country-specific newsletters to keep you informed with the latest updates.

2022

• January 2022: Over 385,000 members on pvtistes.net, 26,000+ on Instagram, 26,000+ on Twitter, 9,000+ on YouTube, 3,600+ on LinkedIn, and 395,000+ across all Facebook pages/groups.
• January 2022: To celebrate Australia’s reopening to vaccinated WHV holders, we launched an Australia Week!
• February 2022: We did the same for New Zealand with a dedicated Info Week.
• March 2022: Then came South Korea Week!
• April 2022: The Peru–France WHV agreement finally comes into effect.
• June 2022: pvtistes.net joins TikTok!
• July 2022: pvtistes.net celebrates its 17th anniversary and reaches 400,000 members!
• August 2022: The Ecuador–France WHV agreement launches!
• December 2022: We host our second Advent calendar giveaway on Instagram.
• In 2022, we hosted over 200 events!
• We published dozens of new articles and guides about Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and Mexico — thanks to our awesome editorial team!

2023

• February 2023: The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Colombian Consulate, and pvtistes.net host a live info session about the WHV program, with a focus on Colombia.
• June 2023: We organize the first-ever WHV Australia Fair to celebrate 20 years of the France–Australia WHV agreement.
• June 2023: pvtistes.net has over 432,000 members, more than 35,000 followers on Instagram, 26,000+ on Twitter, 20,000+ on YouTube, 7,000 on LinkedIn, and 475,000+ on Facebook.
• August 2023: For the first time, pvtistes.net participates in the Delta Festival (WHV info booth).
• September 2023: We meet with you in Toulouse, Montpellier, and Marseille alongside three partners.
• October 2023: First-time participation in Bordeaux’s Animasia Festival (booth and conferences on WHV Japan and South Korea).
• November 2023: Launch of our English-speaking content team (Jackson and Aiyana).
• December 2023: We now have 10,000 followers on TikTok!
• December 2023: Launch of our online WHV prep workshops (and return prep too) — thousands of you have attended for destinations like Australia, Canada, Japan, Argentina, and more.
• 2023: Release of our free WHV Mexico Guide.
• In 2023, we hosted over 300 events, including 130 online workshops!

2024

• 2024: pvtistes.net and two partners met with you in Angers, Nantes, Rennes, Nancy, Metz, and Strasbourg!
• January 2024: Launch of WHVaustralie.com, a 100% Australia-focused site (our most popular WHV destination).
• May 2024: During the Latin America and Caribbean Week, we co-host a WHV conference with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs — with representatives from every Latin American country that has a WHV agreement with France.
• June 2024: In partnership with Tourism Australia, we collect testimonials from 9 WHV travelers in Australia.
• November 2024: pvtistes.net appears in Google reviews for the first time.
• In 2024, we hosted over 350 events, including 200 WHV prep (and return) workshops!

2025

• As in previous years, we partner in 2025 with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for the “S’expatrier mode d’emploi” fair (booth + conference) and Latin America and Caribbean Week (joint WHV conference).
• January: Release of the WHV France Guide — 100% free and for the many WHV holders coming to France!
• February: Complete overhaul of our mobile app with a budget simulator, pre-departure and arrival checklists, and a travel buddy feature!
• Spring 2025: Several media outlets explore WHV Australia (its success and some disillusionments) and interview our team — including Le Parisien.
• May 2025: We dedicate the month to jobs and training in Canada through 10+ online roundtables with employers sharing job offers.
• May 2025: You are now 488,000 registered users on pvtistes.net, over 44,000 on Instagram, 17,000+ on TikTok, and 33,000+ on YouTube.
  Across all platforms (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest), our community now totals over 1.5 million people! 😍😍
• Our 20th anniversary is just around the corner… and we’re celebrating it with you in Paris on June 28, 2025!