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The France-Canada Youth Mobility Agreement is an opportunity for young Canadians to stay in France for up to 36 months (including 24 months under the working holiday category) to deepen their understanding of French language, culture, and society.
Every year, many Canadians head to France on a Working Holiday Visa. France sets an annual quota of 7,000 for Canadians on this program, but so far the quota has never been reached. The WHV is an excellent way to explore this amazing country on the other side of the Atlantic that shares a history and language with Canada. This guide will walk you through the WHV application process.
Eligibility criteria
- Age: You must be between the ages of 18 and 35 inclusive as of the application date, which means that you can apply until the day before your 36th birthday.
- Passport: You must hold a Canadian passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the last day of your stay in France.
Program description and rules
- The WHV is a type D visa (long stay), with mention of vacances-travail.
- You can participate in two working holidays (with or without break) of 12 months each, for a total of 24 months.
- You have work authorization in France, but employment should not be the primary motive of your working holiday. That said, the Accord does not impose any formal restrictions on work hours or domain of work.
- During the validity period of the visa, you can freely leave and re-enter France.
- The France-Canada Youth Mobility Agreement does not include a specific provision for dependents or a partner accompanying a visa holder under this program. If you have dependents or a partner who wishes to travel with you, they will need to apply separately.
- There are no language requirements, but your application must be in English or French.
- As a part of your application, you must provide proof of private medical insurance covering medical expenses, hospitalization, and repatriation for the duration of your stay (further explained in chapter 3).
If you meet the eligibility criteria and can commit to respecting the rules of the program, then read the next chapter for an overview of the application process.
(57) Comments
Hi, does anyone know if I need to have a certificate proving I know French from a university class or something ? I’ve been learning French on online apps and I think I’m pretty good but I don’t have any proof that I’ve learned it in school or know up to a certain amount. Will this hinder my visa application ?
You don’t need to know any French for the WHV.
Graham is correct, there are no language requirements.
This is the most frustrating paperwork process. I have spent almost my entire 1 yr of working holiday visa UNEMPLOYED because there’s no CLEAR instructions how to obtain a social security number. I’ve gone to temp agencies(one of them a not so nice person almost laughed in my face 😒 telling me it’s IMPOSSIBLE to be hired without the numéro security sociale) and many places while job hunting and they all REQUIRED a social security # even though I explained and showed documents of my visa AND my external insurance. I also filled out the form and applied for it at CEPA (waited 3+ months) only to be told I am not entitled to one because it’s a VISA VACANCE TRAVAIL. so, this has been many setbacks and tears, don’t get me started with renewing process 😪
As is explained in chapter 4 of this the following dossier, it is true that some employers may be reluctant to hire someone without a NSS if they have never done so before. WHV holders have work authorization in France. It may take some patience and explanation, if the employer is willing to listen. https://pvtistes.net/en/dossiers/key-documents-procedures-whv-holders-starting-a-job-france/4/
Hello! Does anyone know if it’s possible to renew the working holiday visa in Canada, aka return to Canada and do a renewal through VFS Global? I’m having trouble finding information about this and it’s impossible to book an appointment at the prefecture right now.
Any info would be very helpful, thanks 🙂
Hi Alison, I was wondering if you got an update about this as I am in the same situation. I was on a working holiday then came back a few years later in Vancouver. I’ve been trying to find information about renewal as well and there’s none. I’ve contacted the consulate and they gave me a solid no but the VFS agent in Vancouver said I can renew it over again as long as I’m qualified..
Yes, it is possible to renew from Canada and VFS Global. You would simply follow the same steps as your first application.
Hi Jackson,
Would it be possible to renew at VFS global centres in Canada even after the primary WHV expires? It’s because my current WHV expires in two months but I don’t hear rendez vous date from my prefecture and was told that it may take up to 3-4 months to have RDV. Thank you.
Hi Ghaya. Yes that should be no problem. You can make an appointment at VFS for a second year, even if you first visa is expired.
However note that currently, renewal is only available to citizens of Canada. See this article on how Canadians can renew via APS https://pvtistes.net/en/extend-working-holiday-france/
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