You’re a freelancer who’d be interested in becoming a digital nomad, or you’re already on the road, and you’re wondering how you’re going to do that in terms of visas ? If you’re 35 or under, and if you’re a resident of a participating country (sorry, people of the US), the working holiday visa might just be the perfect combination for you !
First, what’s a working holiday visa ? It’s a residence permit allowing travelers to stay in a country for a duration of one year. It allows them to work, study, and of course travel across the selected country. There are limitations regarding the number of hours and the kind of jobs you can do, same for your studies. This visa is great way for young people to experience living abroad without the difficulties of trying to get a work permit or the cost of a student visa (as in, school expense). In most countries, working holiday visa are granted to people who are up to 30 years old, but since the pandemic, some countries have extended that age, going up to 35. Not every country did that, so you need to check yourself for the country you’re interested in.
Why is it interesting for a digital nomad ? Because it allows you to have a base ! I’m French, so I will take that as an example : when you’re French, your passport allows you to stay up to 90 days in pretty much every country in the world without visa. 90 days is already great, 3 months is not nothing, for sure ! But when you’re traveling, there’s so much to see, and especially since the pandemic, it’s not as easy as before to just go with the flow and move quickly from one country to another. First, because of the covid regulations (that are changing from one country to another + borders that can be closed at anytime), and second, because of the prices. For example, traveling in Asia used to be very cheap, but now if you take a look at the price of plane tickets, this is a whole different story. With a working holiday visa, you’re 100% that you’ll be able to stay for a year in a country, and depending of the country, it might allow you to also travel to neighboring countries, without any rush.
This is how I’m going to start my digital nomad journey. As I’m writing these lines, I’m preparing my documents to apply for a working holiday visa for South Korea. I lived in South Korea for a year when I was a student (2016-2017), and I dearly miss the country. I’d like to explore the country a lot more, and I’m also dying to go back to Japan. I’ve always loved to stay for a long period in countries that I love, so there was no way I wouldn’t take advantage of the working holiday visa. Also I’m not getting any younger, so that’s a bit a now or never haha, but the pandemic has been so hard on me, I just can’t wait to finally go on a new adventure !
So, what do you think ? Would it be a good solution for you ? Have you ever done a working holiday visa ? If yes, how was it ? If no, would you like to do one ? Let me know in the comments !
In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely day. See you next Wednesday !
Marie.
Marie K. Ricci - Author | Translator 