Working holiday visas: Australia, the UK, New Zealand and Canada compared

Ages 18-30 or 18-35, stays from 12 months to 3 years, savings and fees, which passports qualify, Canada's final 2026 round in October and how to stay after the year.

In detail

A working holiday visa lets people aged 18 to 30, or up to 35 with some passports, live in another country for a year and pay for the trip with temporary jobs. The four main programmes are in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada, and each is open only to the passports on its own list. Australia gives up to 3 years, the UK 2 years plus a third for Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders, and New Zealand 12 months or up to 36 for UK citizens. Canada closes its 2026 season with the final round of invitations in the week of 19 October 2026.

Rules follow the Australian Department of Home Affairs, UK Visas and Immigration, Immigration New Zealand and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in 2026.

Working holiday visas in 4 countries

Every programme is a reciprocal agreement between two countries, so your passport decides where you can go, and the age limit applies on the day you apply.

Australia: up to 3 years

• Two visas: the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) for 19 passports, including the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Japan and South Korea, and the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) for 30 countries, including the US, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Israel, Malaysia, Thailand and India.
• 12 months: you enter within 12 months of the grant, stay up to 12 months from the first entry, work up to 6 months for one employer and study up to 4 months.
• Second and third year: 3 months of specified work in regional Australia, such as farming, fishing, mining and construction, or tourism and hospitality in the north, give a second visa; 6 months on the second visa give a third. UK passport holders have received the second and third visa without specified work since 1 July 2024.

The 462 visa adds conditions: functional English, an education requirement, for most countries a tertiary qualification or 2 years of university study, and a letter of government support for citizens of Ecuador, Greece, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, San Marino, Slovenia, Thailand and Türkiye. Each country has an annual cap from 1 July, except the US, and citizens of China, India and Vietnam enter a ballot first. Processing takes around three months.

United Kingdom: the Youth Mobility Scheme

• Who: ages 18 to 35 from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea; 18 to 30 from Andorra, Iceland, Japan, Monaco, San Marino and Uruguay; citizens of Hong Kong and Taiwan apply after a ballot. Indian citizens have a separate Young Professionals Scheme.
• How long: up to 2 years. Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders extend once for 1 year, applying from the UK no more than 28 days before expiry, with a decision within 8 weeks.
• Money: £2,530 held for 28 days in a row, a £340 fee and the £776 immigration health surcharge for each year.
• Work: most jobs and self-employment with rented premises, equipment worth up to £5,000 and no employees.

The scheme is for people without children under 18 living with them or financially dependent on them, and it is granted once in a lifetime.

New Zealand: 12 months, up to 36 for UK citizens

New Zealand runs a separate scheme for each partner country. Citizens of the US and Germany apply at 18 to 30, citizens of the UK and Argentina at 18 to 35. The fee is NZD 770, and you show NZD 4,200 for living costs, or NZD 350 a month for UK citizens. You work in temporary jobs for up to 12 months and study for up to 6 months. Places are set for each country, and a scheme closes once they are filled: Argentina's is closed for 2026.

Canada: International Experience Canada

Canada's programme is open to citizens of 36 countries and territories, from Australia and the UK to Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Japan, at 18 to 35, or 18 to 30 for some countries. You create a profile, wait for an invitation to apply from the pool, then submit the work permit application and give biometrics. The final round of invitations for 2026 runs in the week of 19 October 2026, for profiles submitted before 9 a.m. Eastern time on 19 October; anyone invited before the season closes completes the application.

Which passport opens which programme

A second passport adds programmes. Italian citizenship by descent opens Australia up to the age of 35 and Canada; Portuguese and Spanish passports open Australia and Canada; an Argentine passport opens Australia and New Zealand. The routes are in citizenship by descent and what an Argentine passport gives.

After the year: how to stay

• Australia: an employer who keeps you on applies for the Skills in Demand visa, with permanent residence after 2 years.
• United Kingdom: a sponsored Skilled Worker job or the Global Talent visa.
• Any country: a work visa with a job offer, compared in how to work abroad, or a digital nomad visa with remote income.

Checklist before you apply

• Find your passport on the country's list and check your age on the day of the application.
• Prepare savings: about AUD5,000 for Australia, £2,530 held for 28 days for the UK, NZD 4,200 for New Zealand.
• For Australia's 462 visa: proof of English, your diploma and, where required, the government support letter.
• Health insurance for the whole stay.
• Apply early in the programme year: Australia's caps reset on 1 July, Canada's 2026 pool closes in October.

FAQ