You are considering visiting Canada but don’t have enough funds? Canada working holiday visa is your option. Through a working holiday, you can work and visit tourist attractions in Canada . You have the right to work in multiple locations and for different employers. It’s a good opportunity to practice your language skills and knowledge about its culture. Meeting people from all around the world is completely a different story.
In this blog, we will explain who is eligible for Canada working holiday visa, requirements, the application process, how to extend it, FAQs, and more.
Canada Working Holiday Visa
Working holiday visa is permission for young people who want to travel in Canada. The youth can enter Canada under this visa, work, and visit tourist attractions. Only a few countries can apply for a Canada working holiday visa. If your nationality is not in agreement with Canada, you can get help from a Recognized Organization.
Who is Eligible for Canada Working Holiday Visa?
To be eligible for a Canada Working Holiday visa, applicants must fulfill a few requirements. The requirements are as follows:
- The country you live in must have signed an agreement with the Canadian government. It means that you must be one of the IEC countries. You can find the list in the below section.
- If you don’t comply with the first requirement, you can get help from a recognized organization (RO).
- Residents or nationals of a few countries may only apply once or twice. The rules are different for every country. You should check that as well.
- There is an age limit for every country. For most countries, it is 18-35. You must be in this age range.
- Applicants must have a valid passport. It must be valid for the whole duration of stay in Canada.
- Have enough funds to cover the first expenses in Canada before finding a job. The minimum required fund is C$2,500. The equal amount in your currency will also suffice.
- Have health insurance valid for the entire stay in Canada.
- Not to be inadmissible. You must provide a clean police record.
- If applicants want to work in the following fields, they must go through a medical exam:
- Health services field occupations
- Primary or secondary school
- Teaching
- Childcare.
- If Canadian authorities request, you must provide Biometrics information.
What is a Recognized Organization (RO)?
If you are not from a country that signed an IEC agreement with Canada, you can use one of RO organizations to apply for a working holiday visa. Such organizations cost you a few dollars to guide you to find a job.
The list of RO organizations is as follows:
- AIESEC Canada
- GO International
- IAESTE
- International Rural Exchange (IRE)
- Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN)
- Stepwest
- SWAP Working Holidays
- The University of British Columbia
What Countries Can Apply for a Working Holiday Visa?
The countries that have reached an IEC agreement with Canada are as follows:
You can see the age limit for every country as well.
Asia
| South Korea | 18 to 35 |
| Hong Kong | 18 to 30 |
| Taiwan | 18 to 35 |
| Japan | 18 to 30 |
Europe
| Belgium | 18 to 30 |
| Czech Republic | 18 to 35 |
| Croatia | 18 to 35 |
| Denmark | 18 to 35 |
| Estonia | 18 to 35 |
| France | 18 to 35 |
| Germany | 18 to 35 |
| Italy | 18 to 35 |
| Ireland | 18 to 35 |
| Greece | 18 to 35 |
| Latvia | 18 to 35 |
| Lithuania | 18 to 35 |
| Netherlands | 18 to 30 |
| Norway | 18 to 35 |
| Poland | 18 to 35 |
| Slovakia | 18 to 35 |
| Slovenia | 18 to 35 |
| Spain | 18 to 35 |
| Sweden | 18 to 30 |
| Ukraine | 18 to 35 |
| United Kingdom | 18 to 30 |
South America
| Chile | 18 to 30 |
North America
| Costa Rica | 18 to 35 |
| Mexico | 18 to 29 |
Oceania
| Australia | 18 to 30 |
| New Zealand | 18 to 35 |
Application Process for Canada Working Holiday Visa
To apply for a Canada working holiday visa, you need to go through the following procedures:
1. Setting up an account
You must begin the application by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website:
- Applicants must create an account on the IRCC website.
- When you entered, you must take a test. It will ask you a few questions.
- The IRCC uses the test to determine if you are eligible for a Canada holiday visa.
- If eligible, the website leads you to a page to complete related forms.
- You must complete the forms with your personal information.
2. The pool of Candidates
When you completed the forms, you will enter a pool. You and other eligible applicants are in the working holiday visa pool. Please note authorities set a season (one year) to choose applicants. On this stage, you need to wait to receive an answer from officials.
Please note that you may be eligible to enter a different pool. You could enter the Young Professionals pool too. You have the right to choose one of them.
3. Receiving invitation
Canadian authorities choose candidates at different times during a season. You can check their timing.
If the officials accept you, they will send a notification to your account. You have ten days to accept or refuse it. If you accept it, you only have 20 days to submit the required documents.
4. Work Permit
Once you have decided to accept the invitation, you must apply for a work permit. Applicants have to hold a work permit to be able to work in Canada. Please note that the application for a work permit is also through your website account.
Applicants have to complete a few forms on their account.
Among the forms, there is one that asks about your Canadian employer. Please fill it out like this:
- There is a field called Offer of Employment Number. You should write the “A9999999” number.
- For the part that asks, “Has your employer paid the Employer Compliance Fee?”, choose NO.
- In the part of the employer address, write “Non-applicable – Working Holiday.”
When you completed the forms, the website asks you to submit a set of documents.
5. The required documents for Working holiday work permit
The required documents you have to submit on this stage is as follows:
A. Clean Record Certificate
Applicants have to submit a police certificate from the country they live in. If they have lived in another country/countries for more than six months, a certificate from that country is needed.
If you can not provide the certificates until your deadline, you have to prove that you have started to get them.
B. Resume/CV
The resume or CV you submit should explain:
- Your educational background.
- Diploma or qualifications you have achieved.
- Previous work experience.
- The job you are working at the moment.
- List of the companies or places you have worked.
C. Passport
The passport you provide must be valid at the time of application. Its validity must last until the date you will leave Canada. Please note that the validity of the work permit may not be longer than your visa. If your visa expires soon, it is wise to get a new one.
If you want to know how to move to Canada as a Pharmacist, read this article.
D. Photo
You have to upload a photo of yourself to the IRCC website. The photo must fulfill the phot requirements set by the Canadian government.
E. Letter from Recognized Organization
If you are applying for a Canada Working holiday through an RO organization, you must provide a letter confirming it.
When you submitted all the requirements, please visit your account often. The Canadian authorities might ask for extra requirements.
6. Fees
On the final step, you must pay the fees for your application processing. There are different fees for Canada working holiday visa. The fee for processing is C$100. You must also pay for a Work permit, which is C$100. If authorities ask for Biometric, you must pay C$85 for it.
7. Receiving Acceptance Letter
When authorities accept your application, they will send you a Port of Entry (PoE) letter. It often gets called a letter of introduction to Canada. Now you can make arrangements to travel to Canada. When you are in Canada, you must carry the introduction letter with yourself all the time. When you enter under Canada working holiday visa, you must have the following documents:
- Introduction letter or PoE.
- Passport.
- Proof to have enough money to cover your expenses in Canada. You must have enough for the initial three months of your stay.
- Health insurance. It must be valid in Canada.
- A copy of the supporting documents you have submitted in section 5.
How Long is Canada Working Holiday Visa Valid For?
Under a Canada working holiday, you can stay in the country for up to one year. However, the validity could change according to the country you apply from.
Is there an Age Limit for Canada Working Holiday Visa?
YES. Canadian authorities have set age limits for work visa applicants. The age limit varies in different countries. To see if you are eligible by your age, you can see the parts above.
Canada Working Holiday Visa fees
Canada working holiday visa costs you according to the following table:
| Service | Cost |
| Working holiday visa Fee | C$100 |
| Work Permit Fee | C$100 |
| Biometrics fee (if officials ask) | C$85. |
Can You Extend Canada Working Holiday Visa?
NO. You may not extend a working holiday visa. Applicants have to leave the country when the visa expires.
Can My Dependents Travel to Canada under a working holiday visa?
You can not bring your family or dependents under a working holiday visa. If so, they have to apply for an appropriate type of Canada visa.
Let’s sum up…
In this blog, we explained all the general information about Canada Working Holiday Visa.
We have covered who is eligible for Canada working holiday visa, requirements, the application process, FAQs, and more.
You can find all the Canada visa information in the world here.
To find out more about the visa that suits you, go through the menu of the site. You can find all the types of Canada visas at the left sidebar.
You can check Visa Library to find more information about other countries’ visas.
In case you have some experience, please write it down in the comment section. Your comments let the readers choose better and avoid mistakes. Conveying your experiences as comments is a great help for applicants.
