6 ways to get your working visa

So many countries offer working holiday visas these days, allowing you to earn some extra money while you travel and take in the culture. Here are the countries that offer such visas and how to go about applying for them – and, for those that don't, the other visas that are available to you.

1. Australia

Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship

Australia's Working Holiday programme allows people aged between 18-30 to travel and work within the country for 12 months. Travel is open, you can enter and re-enter as much as you want during this time, but the employment must be the secondary purpose, and only be for six of the 12 months. Employment can only be extended in exceptional conditions.

Visitors from America apply for the Subclass 462 visa, while travellers from the UK, India and Canada for the Subclass 417 visa. New Zealand passport holders can work in Australia without restriction.

For non-US applicants, generally you can apply for a second working holiday visa after completing three months of work on your first visa. Working holiday visa holders are permitted to undertake any kind of temporary or casual work.

2. UK

UK Border Agency

The UK's Youth Mobility Scheme is available to nationals of Australia, Canada and New Zealand aged 17-30, allowing holders 24 months to work and travel during the full two-year period. Although this is a time limit which cannot be extended or put on hold, travel is open for you to leave or re-enter the country to your heart's content.

There are no restrictions on the type of work you are allowed to do, except that you can't start up your own business, work in professional sports or as a trainee doctor. You also don't need a UK sponsor.

Indian citizens require a general visitor visa for tourism, which extends to no longer than six months and does not include employment. However, if you visit the UK on a regular basis, you can apply for a multiple-entry, long-term visa for one, two, five or ten years.

You can also apply under British ancestry if you are want to work in the UK and are a Commonwealth citizen and can prove that at least one of your grandparents was born in the UK. This allows you to stay and work in the UK for five years or more.

3. America

American Visa Bureau

Those hoping to visit America just for travel from the UK, Australia or New Zealand can be covered for three months' travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), as long as an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application is completed. Under the B2 American Tourist visa, you can extend this up to six months, however no employment or financial gain is permitted. The J1 visa does cover on the job training for the extent of an exchange program, both for casual and more specialised work environments.

America unfortunately does not offer work holiday visas, but there are temporary employment and tourist visas available. The H1B required a bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in the specialty, the relevant work experience and any lisence, registration or certificate needed to authorise practice. These are generally issued for three years, and may be extended. L1 applicants must be related to an American organisation, have continuously worked for the organisation for at least one year in the past three and be a person of specialised knowledge.

There are 10,500 E-3 visas open on a first-come, first-serve basis to Australian nationals, provided they have an offer of specialty employment already in place. These are valid for two years and can be renewed indefinitely on a two-year basis. Canadians can also be employed under a TN visa as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

4. New Zealand

Immigration New Zealand

Conditions for a working holiday visa in New Zealand vary from country to country, but Australian nationals are able to live and work in New Zealand at any time for any duration. Working holiday visas are available for US, UK and Canadian citizens. British eligibility requires that applicants be between 18-30, and can apply for a 12 or 23-month stay, although must not work for more than 12 months of this time.

Americans and Canadians have the opportunity of 12 months with a working holiday visa. Applicants from the US must be between 18-30, whereas Canada extends this up to 35. Most travellers can also enrol in one training or study course of up to three months during this time. Visa holders are free to leave and re-enter the country at will during the allotted time.

For purely tourist purposes, Canadians can visit New Zealand for up to three months without a visa. British citizens for up to six months.

5. Canada

Canadian Visa Bureau

Canadian working holiday visas, or International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits are open to nationals of Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and the age restrictions, type of work allowed and duration varies.

New Zealanders between 18-35 can apply for a year's work permit, while British nationals between 18-30 can apply for a year. Australians aged 18-30 can apply for a visa for up to two years.

In terms of temporary work visas, not all jobs require a visa (such as clergy, film and media crew, public speakers, judges etc), although may need a temporary resident visa. The Canadian Visa Bureau has also advertised that certain IT workers can have their work permits processed faster, due to demand.

Most don't need a visa just to visit Canada, although Indian nationals do. A temporary resident visa may be required. Under NAFTA, US citizens are also able to access Canada more quickly and easily for business.

6. India

Indian Visa Application Centre UK

India unfortunately does not offer working holiday visas; those hoping to visit the country must instead apply for a tourist or an employment visa.

Employment visas for India require that you be employed by an Indian company or do honourary work with registered NGOs in India. The visas will have limited validity, irrespective of the length of contract you have with your organisation, but can be extended for up to five years.

Tourist visas are available for three months, six months or a year, and are non-extendable and cannot be converted into any other type of visa. Depending on how often you plan to leave and re-enter the country, you must apply for a single, double or multiple-entry visa.

This visa advice has been sourced for citizens of the UK, US, Canada, India, New Zealand and Australia. Many visas are open to other nationalities. Please see individual visa application websites (above) for further info.

Top 5 mistakes to avoid when applying for immigration to Canada

If you ask an immigration consultant why should one pay thousands of dirhams in return for their advice during the application process, the reply you’re likely to receive is that the application process is not as simple as it may seem.

A lot of mistakes are made when applying for a permanent, temporary or even visit visa to Canada, a very popular immigration destination.

According to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), thousands of application forms are sent back every year due to these mistakes.

Sometimes, a correction can be made, but at other times, the mistake leads to the rejection of the application, upon which the applicant must start all over. Because popular programmes apply intake caps, time is a critical factor and should not be wasted.

With more than 60 different immigration programs and different criteria for each programme, the process of selecting the right programme, collecting the required documentation, filling out the application form, and submitting everything on time is not an easy task.

Fortunately, the CIC is aware of the challenge. In order to mimimise the risk of avoidable mistakes leading to the rejection of an application, it has cautioned aspirant immigrants of the top 5 mistakes that applicants make – and how to avoid them.

#1 Mind your language

Insufficient language test scores: Language proficiency remains one of the most important criteria for almost every immigration program in Canada. The applicant must be proficient in English or French in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

In order to demonstrate this proficiency, test scores must be submitted. These test scores must be derived from certain language testing systems, and meet the standards set by the CIC, failing which the application will not be accepted.

For each programme, proficiency is measured according to the Canadian Level Benchmark (CLB) system, explains CIC. However, different standardised tests may be accepted for proof of language ability depending on the immigration program one is applying under.

“For instance, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one of the tests accepted as proof of English proficiency for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Applicants submitting IELTS scores must meet at least CLB level 7 in all four language abilities. This amounts to a score of 6.0 in each language ability. If even one ability is scored less than a 6.0, the applicant will be deemed ineligible for immigration through this program,” said the CIC.

#2 While you were away

Inconsistencies in history: When applying for a permanent residency, and in some cases for a temporary residency too, the applicant is required to fill out a detailed personal, travel and educational history.

‘Detailed’ here means that no timeframe should be left unexplained. Every period of time, even as short as a week, must be accounted for, or the application becomes invalid. The CIC explains:

“Even short vacations should be noted on a travel history. For personal history, periods of time when you were unemployed should still be accounted for. You should double- and triple-check this part of your application to make sure that dates align properly. These dates should also correspond with supporting documents such as letters of reference.

#3 Don’t blame the messenger

Non-compliant employment letters: Most programs require that work experience be proven by providing an employment letter from previous and current employers. These letters ought to be formulated following a certain format, and become invalid of information is missing.

The letter must be printed on company letterhead and contain company information such as address and contact information. The following details must be included:

Position held

Hours

Salary and working conditions

Description of job duties

Employer’s signature

#4 Dependence day test

Listing Ineligible Dependents: Canada adopts a lenient family sponsorship programme with an uncapped intake of dependent spouse. However, there is a lot of confusion over the definition of spouse.

“For Canadian permanent residency applications, only spouses, common-law partners, and/or eligible biological or legally adopted children may be listed as dependents by the principal applicant. However, some applicants misunderstand this limitation and list other family members such as parents or siblings as dependents. These individuals may not be included on an application, and doing so may slow down and application’s processing time,” said the CIC.

Parents and grandparents can be sponsored through the Parent and Grandparent Programme (PGP), which will re-open on January 2, 2014.

There is an intake cap of 5,000 applicants for the year to come.

#5 Grouse of representatives

Using an unauthorized representative: Although an immigration consultant may offer guarantee of a flawless application process, there are also cases where the immigration consultant turns out to be the primary obstacle to a successful application.

“Unfortunately for applicants, there are many fraudsters claiming to be immigration representatives, when in fact they are not authorised to represent individuals. These phony representatives are not accountable to the government or a professional order, and will often request large sums of money for a ‘guaranteed’ visa,” said the CIC.

“Representatives may be paid or unpaid, but if paid they must be a lawyer or immigration consultant authorised by the government to assist Canadian immigration applicants. An immigration lawyer must be registered with the law society in their province of residence and an immigration consultant by the ICCRC (Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulation Council),” it added.

FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER VISA

Canadian Immigration encourages skilled worker applications for Permanent Residence from people with skills, education and work experience that will contribute to the Canadian economy.

Applications for Permanent Residence under the Federal Skilled Worker Class can be submitted by foreign nationals who are skilled workers and professionals.

ELIGIBILITY FOR FSW CANADA

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has set specific basic requirements that all applicants must meet in order to apply for a Federal Skilled Worker visa.

To meet the basic visa requirements, applicants must pass a points-based assessment. Points can be claimed in areas related to an applicant's age, English or French language ability, work experience, qualifications and ability to adapt to life in Canada. The current pass mark for the Federal Skilled Worker visa is 67 points.

To qualify for a Federal Skilled Worker visa, applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:

• Possess an offer of arranged employment in Canada; OR
• Have at least 1 year's work experience in a designated high-demand occupation. Applications based on a designated high-demand occupation will be restricted to 10,000 until June 30, 2012, with a limit of 500 applications per occupation, processed on first-come, first-served basis.

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family members after you arrive in Canada. The money must be available to support the costs of living for yourself and your family. You cannot borrow this money.

The applicant is also required to satisfy certain health and character requirements to meet the FSW visa criteria.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH THIS VISA ?

If your application for Federal Skilled Worker Visa is successful, you and your family members will receive permanent resident visas. You will become permanent residents of Canada when you move to Canada.

As permanent residents, you and your family members will have the right to:

• live, study and work in Canada for as long as you remain permanent residents
• access most social benefits accorded to Canadian citizens.
• apply for Canadian citizenship, and if granted, apply for a Canadian passport once you have been a legal permanent resident for three of the four previous years.

Important Note: EFFECTIVE December 23, 2010: If you are submitting a language test with your application, the results are now valid for 2 years from the time you took the test, instead of 1 year.