What is the Working Holiday Visa? How do I get one?

You’ve probably heard of the Working Holiday Visa. It also goes by some other names, including the:

• Working holiday permit/authorisation/program
• Work and holiday visa
• IEC (International Experience Canada) permit
• Youth mobility scheme visa/permit

They are all referring to the same type of international youth mobility program. Different countries may use different names, but the programs all basically allow young adults to live and work abroad for a set amount of time.

For simplicity, in this article we’ll use the term Working Holiday Visa (WHV) to refer to all of them.

What is the Working Holiday Visa?

A Working Holiday Visa is an authorisation that allows you to live abroad and even work to fund your travels. They are created via bilateral agreements signed by governments from around the world to promote cultural exchange between young adults of their respective countries.

What are the advantages of the WHV?

There are a few major advantages of the WHV:

• The WHV is a very flexible visa with relatively minimal requirements—the vast majority of destinations have no formal requirements for foreign language fluency, education level, or professional experience.
• The WHV provides open work authorisation. This means that you are not tied to any specific employer, if you choose to work (as it is not mandatory).
• You are not required to have a job offer for your visa application. The primary purpose of your working holiday should be for holiday, with work being just a way to fund your experience.
• You can apply for it yourself, without employer sponsorship, and without hiring an expensive immigration lawyer or a third party service.

Who can apply for it?

Most nationality-destination combinations are intended for young adults between 18 and 30 years of age. For a smaller number of combinations (e.g., some involving Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, France), the age limit is 35 years old.

Use our search tool to see what the age limit is for the destination(s) that you are interested in.

What destinations are available to my nationality?

More than 60 countries participate to some degree. For example, the governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, South Korea, and Japan have all signed agreements with one another.

Use our search tool to see all the destinations that are available to young adults from your country. Simply enter your citizenship and age, and you’ll see a list of countries waiting to be explored.

How long is the WHV valid for? How many times can I get it?

It depends on where you are from and where you are going, but in general, WHVs are good for 1 or 2 years. In some cases participants can stay up to 3 (e.g., Brits in Canada and vice versa), or even 4 years (Canadians in South Korea). The duration is determined by the bilateral accord that was signed by the respective governments.

However, if you want to go to multiple countries on a WHV, there are no restrictions! For example, a British citizen could very well spend 3 years in Canada, followed by 2 years in Australia, 2 in Korea, 1 in Japan etc., as long as he continues to meet the requirements set forth by each individual accord.

Are there any downsides to the WHV?

While the WHV offers great flexibility, you should be aware of the following limitations:

• For most destinations, the WHV is not renewable.
• With the exception of Canada, you cannot be accompanied by dependents or a partner on your WHV; each participant must apply independently.
• Work or studies should not be the primary purpose of your stay. Some destinations also impose a cap on the number of months you can work for the same employer.
• Many destinations impose an annual quota for the number of WHVs issued to each nationality. For more popular destinations, you should apply early in the program year for the best chances.