It’s a well-known fact that the world is a big place but, thanks to globalization, it has become increasingly smaller as societies continue to develop and get more connected. As a result, borders have begun opening worldwide, allowing people to travel and live anywhere on the planet like never before. Many countries have already established bilateral working holiday visa services that permit their citizens to fly off and settle down in other nations, and more countries are added to this ever-growing list on an ongoing basis. That means people no longer have to be tied down to their homelands these days as long as they have a valid passport and a sense of adventure.
Still, not all working holiday visa schemes are created equal, especially for Canucks. Maybe you’ve always wanted to live abroad but were put off due to travel restrictions and the thought of going through a long and grueling visa process. Have no fear because I’ve done all the research and legwork for you and, in this guide, you’ll find all the secrets on how to obtain a working holiday visa that will allow you not only to move abroad but also legally work anywhere in that country. These visas have definitely worked for me in the past, allowing me to move to South Korea in 2015 and Spain in 2017, where I still spend most of my time.
Wherever you’re from in the Great White North, I’ve written this guide to take you through all visa application steps from collecting necessary paperwork to helping you decide what to pack the day before you leave for your new home.
1. Start Thinking About Where You Want To Go
This step may sound easy but it might be difficult for some individuals to pinpoint exactly where they want to start over. This isn’t the only limiting factor, however, since there are only a few dozen nations that have working holiday agreements with Canada. These include countries and regions in Asia like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and working visa hong kong, countries in Oceania like New Zealand and Australia, and even other countries in the Americas like Mexico, Chile and Costa so it might be time to brush up on your Spanish.
If your heart is set on sailing to Europe, even better, it has double the number of visas available from several countries all over the continent from East to West.
As of the publishing of this book, there are nearly twenty in the Old World, including France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, San Marino, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the UK. There are countless (ok, thirty-two) places to choose from but keep in mind some are less accessible than others since each has distinct prerequisites to meet.
2. Be Younger than 30-35 Years Old But Older Than 18
It may seem unfair but the mission statement of the majority of working holiday visa agreements is to allow two countries’ young workers to live abroad to augment their finances or professional experience. It’s typically only geared toward young adults as a stepping stone in their careers and certainly isn’t open to retirees-turned-expats. Most countries have enough of those so this visa scheme is realistically best suited for younger candidates without many attachments and obligations at home.
Minors can’t apply, either, since every country you could apply to will require you to be of legal age in your homeland or at least older than 18 years old to apply alone.
3. Start Preparing For Culture Shock
Every country has their own novel culture that you’ll have to adapt to, from different social customs about personal space to cuisine that might seem strange to you at first glance. There may even be language barriers that you’ll have to overcome which might be difficult if you’re not a natural at linguistics and find it too daunting to pick up a second or third language. So, before you decide to take off across the globe, it’d be best to figure out just exactly where you want to go, lest you be filled with homesickness the instant you get there.