International Experience Canada

Canada-Belgium Working Holiday Program 2010 - information for Belgians

• Introduction
• Procedures
• Eligibility Criteria
• Processing times and phases
• Register / download application
• Reimbursement Policy

Introduction

Since January 1st, 2007, an agreement is in force between Canada and Belgium to facilitate and increase youth mobility. The Working Holiday Program (WHP) allows 420 Canadians and 420 Belgians between the ages of 18 and 30 to explore new horizons with a temporary work permit in hand.

The WHP offers young Belgians the opportunity to discover Canada, to visit over a period of several months and to take one or more casual jobs to help finance their stay. Applicants selected under this program may stay in Canada for up to one year.

N.B.: Canadian citizens wishing to participate in this programme may consult the web site of the Consulate general of Belgium in Montreal.

Procedures

For applicants to the 2010 program, the Embassy of Canada in France which will process your application, is launching a pilot project that will enable applications to be tracked electronically.

To download the new application kit, you must provide your e-mail address. You will be kept up to date by email of the status of your application, from the time it is received at the Embassy to the completion of its evaluation.

If you haven't already created an e-mail account, now is the time to do so!

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read that document. This software is freely available on the Adobe Website.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be between the ages of 18 and 30 inclusive on the date the application is received;
• Be a Belgian citizen and be domiciled in Belgium;
• Hold a valid Belgian passport (Your passport must be valid for a minimum of 24 months plus the processing time posted on our website).
• Not have previously participated in the Canada-Belgium Working Holiday Program;
• Possess sufficient funds to cover expenses in Canada for the first 3 months of the stay (700 euros / 1,000 CAD per month);
• Subscribe to comprehensive insurance coverage (health care / hospitalization / repatriation) valid for the duration of the stay. Proof of this insurance coverage must be presented to Immigration officials upon arrival in Canada. It is strongly advised to wait until the application has been approved before taking out the insurance.
• be prepared to pay the required participation fees. The amount of the participation fee is listed in the column on the right. Please consult this page for the applicable euro value of the fee on the day of your application.

Processing times and phases

You will be kept up to date by e-mail, in real time, of the status of your application, from the time it is received at the Embassy in Paris to the completion of its evaluation.

Your application will be evaluated at the Embassy in Paris in two phases: first, by the Youth Mobility Unit and then by the Visas and Immigration Service.

To find out the current processing time that applies to your file, please consult the column on the right of this page.

REMINDER: All applications that are incomplete or non-compliant will be refused without having been examined. In order to re-submit an application for participation in the Working-Holiday Program, you will have to download a new kit. Your old application kit will no longer be valid.
Any documents that are not in English or French must be translated.

Note:

• Your letter of introduction will be valid for 12 months from its date of issue. It will indicate the deadline before which you must present yourself at a Canadian port of entry in order to obtain your work permit.
• Your temporary work permit will be issued at the point of entry to Canada upon presentation of your letter of introduction, passport and proof of insurance coverage. It will be valid for a maximum of 12 months from your date of entry.
• You may enter and exit Canada during the validity of your work permit. You must ensure that you meet the entrance requirements of the country you plan to visit. The Embassy of Canada cannot respond to questions concerning entrance requirements or travel restrictions for countries other than Canada.
• The WHP work permit cannot be extended or renewed.
• The Embassy does not have lists of job offers, accommodation or information regarding insurance policies.

Important:

You are advised not to make any definitive arrangements until you receive the letter of introduction (i.e. purchase your plane ticket, etc.).

Register / download application

If you would like to participate in the Working Holiday Program for 2010, you must follow the steps outlined below in order to receive your program application kit:

• Provide and confirm your e-mail address;
• Follow the link in the confirmation e-mail to personalize your application kit;
• Download, when you choose, your personalized kit.

After following the steps above, you will have all of the information and documents necessary to complete your application, which can then be sent to the Embassy in Paris.

Registering online is the ONLY way to access an application kit for any of the 2010 Youth Mobility Programs.

Reimbursement Policy

The Program Participation Fee (PPF) will be refunded to individuals (applicants) who have been found to be ineligible or inadmissible (i.e. on criminal or medical grounds, etc.). However, once the applicant has been issued a letter of introduction (LOI), it will no longer be possible to obtain a refund of the Program Participation Fee. Program Participation Fees are not transferable under any circumstances, neither from person to person nor from year to year.