For those who don’t know, in 2018, Simon and I made the bold decision to take a gap year and go to New Zealand. It was an amazing experience that we did on a Working Holiday Visa (we even discuss it in a dedicated article: Creating a Working Holiday Visa for New Zealand). But if we rewind to the beginning, especially when making "the big decision," many questions were running through our minds. Since we’ve been through it and fully understand your position, we’ve decided to share our experience to give you more insight into the subject.
The Working Holiday Visa (WHV), also known as the Vacances Travail Visa (for Canada, among others) or the Working Holiday Program (PVT), is a highly sought-after program for 18 to 35-year-olds.
As mentioned earlier, it allows you to embark on an adventure, explore new countries, fully immerse yourself in them, improve your language skills, and discover the local culture. In addition to that, it has a unique feature that sets it apart from a standard visa. The Working Holiday Visa combines both visa and work permit, allowing you to work in the country while being paid! Yes, a big advantage because it means you can start your trip with the minimum required funds and then finance your entire journey through the small jobs you find locally.
A Working Holiday Visa can be obtained in many different countries. However, since each country has its own agreements and specifics, here is a brief overview of the options available to you as a French citizen:
We’ve selected the data that seemed most useful here, but you can find a more detailed table on Working-Holiday-Visas.com.
In addition to this information, it’s important to note that you cannot do the same Working Holiday Visa twice, meaning you cannot go to the same country again on a new PVT.
On the other hand, there is no limit to the number of PVT applications you can make, allowing the most adventurous to explore a maximum number of countries between the ages of 18 and 35.
Applications for Working Holiday Permits are generally done online. Each country has its own website, often linked to the government site. It’s important to research thoroughly in advance to avoid mistakes, as there are some frauds.
So, once you’ve chosen your destination, here’s the order of steps to follow.
Following the approval of your application, you have exactly one year to enter the country and then an additional year to stay, explore, work, and enjoy.
We’ve summarized all the essential information here so you understand what a Working Holiday Visa is. So, to the question of whether a WHV or a standard visa is better, the answer really depends on what you want. If you plan to stay for more than 3 weeks in a country eligible for the program and work to earn money (legally), then yes, a WHV is better than a standard visa. Otherwise, there’s no need to go through this process.
1. It's really important to keep your visa with you! Once you get it, print it, scan it, and keep it close throughout your trip. We took a folder with all our personal and important documents when we traveled, and we also scanned and stored these documents on our drive so we always had them with us.
2. It might seem obvious, but whether it's for your PVT application or an extension, make sure to apply well in advance, as processing times can take a while.
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