3 Tips for Canadians Applying for a Working Holiday to France

1. Plan ahead for your VFS Centre appointment

Once you’ve filled out your France-Visas application form at France-Visas, you will have to book an appointment to submit it to a VFS Global visa application centre (VAC).

The French government outsourced visa applications to VFS Global, a third-party service provider based in India. While you will have to go through VFS Global—they are legitimate!—feel free to skip the push for the many very optional and quite pricey services such as courier service, premium lounge and personalized service at the VAC, visa preparation assistance or photograph service. Paying for any of these services will not increase your chance of getting your visa application approved by the French government.

Appointment availability can be scarce depending on the time of the year and your local VFS Centre. It can take up to two months or more to get an appointment date, so plan ahead!

Simply go to the VFS Global website to schedule an appointment. If no dates are available, check back frequently. You can even reload the page and keep your fingers crossed! Patience is key.

2. Don’t stress over your application

Organization, common sense and patience are the key when applying for a Working Holiday to France. Don’t stress out about your application! Check out the step-by-step application guide and don’t hesitate to ask questions on our forum. As a reminder:

• For the address you must provide on the visa application form, you can use a hotel (even if you don’t actually sleep there!). You don’t need to commit to a city or a place (yet!).
• In your cover letter, stress the fact that you will go back to Canada at the end of your Working Holiday. You don’t need to have a return ticket at this stage.
• You don’t need to provide an “attestation médicale” and a “casier judiciaire” even if both are listed in the required documents.

3. Join an expat group on social media

Despite the point above, we’re not saying that applying for a visa or dealing with the French administration is easy! Things don’t always make a lot of sense at first and it’s normal to feel a bit lost. But don’t worry—someone, somewhere can answer your question, just ask the right people.

You’re not the first traveller ever to apply for a Working Holiday to France. Many have before and some even stayed in France. Their experience and feedback can be precious—just double check the info and make sure it’s still up to date.

So don’t hesitate to join a relevant Facebook group (find us here) to start building your network. Read blogs, browse forums (ours is here) and use social media wisely to find expats or Working Holiday travellers in France.

Good luck!