5 Things to Know About Working Holiday Visas

1. What is a Working Holiday Visa (WHV)?

The Working Holiday Visa is a temporary visa that lets you live and work in another country for up to 6 months to a year, sometimes 2 years or longer. You do not need a job offer for this visa.

Typically, for Working Holiday Visas, you would have to be between 18–35 years old to participate. Some countries would cap the age requirement at 30 years old, and some even lower.

2. Do you need a job to get a Working Holiday Visa?

Generally, work arrangements for this visa can be quite free and easy.

• You do not need to have any job offer in advance, so you could land in the country first, and find a job afterwards when you're there.
• It’s called a Working Holiday Visa for a reason, so you don’t technically have to work all the time but go on an extended holiday instead, though you are allowed to work and receive income from a local employer if you want to.

3. Other requirements for a WHV

Aside from the age requirement, you would have to show that you have money to support some of your living expenses for a start, and usually it’s less than USD 5,000.

• This is not the amount you have to pay to apply for the visa; this is the amount that you have to show as proof (such as in a bank statement) to show that you can at least support yourself for a little bit without working, to buy a flight ticket, and so on.
• The application for the visa itself usually costs a few hundred dollars.

In most cases, you would also need to provide a Police Check Certificate from your country of residence or citizenship to show whether you have any criminal records.

4. Is the Working Holiday Visa available for citizens of all countries around the world?

No. The Working Holiday Visa is an advantage that is available to citizens in many developed countries, who usually have many options to choose from. For example, citizens of New Zealand 🇳🇿 within eligible age ranges can apply for Working Holiday Visas in more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America.

Citizens in many developing countries do not have this option available to them even if they are otherwise qualified, because their country does not have a Working Holiday Visa agreement with other countries. Even if there are, they may not have as many options compared to those with a passport from developed countries.

5. When researching Working Holiday Visas for a specific country, you might want to look closer into the following:

1. Can the visa be renewed or extended, and if yes, what are the conditions?
   Some countries like Australia 🇦🇺, for example, allows you to renew a Working Holiday Visa up to 3 times if you work in a regional or a rural area in specific industries only.
   
   
2. Is there a limit on how many hours per week or months per year you can work while on the visa?
   
   
3. Can you study in a local institution while on the visa?
   For instance, some Working Holiday Visa holders in Japan 🇯🇵 can enrol in Japanese language-learning classes while travelling + working part-time.