Working holiday visas for UK citizens

This page lists working holiday visa programs for citizens of the United Kingdom. These visas allow you to live and work temporarily in another country. The programs shown are for Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong. Key eligibility requirements include your age, with most schemes open to applicants aged 18 to 35, although some have a lower maximum age of 30.

The length of stay varies, from up to 12 months in Australia to a possible 36 months in New Zealand. You will need to show proof of funds, such as about AUD5,000 for Australia or CAN$2,500 for Canada. Application fees also apply, for example AUD840.00 for a first Australian visa or from NZD $770 for New Zealand.

Passport

United Kingdom

Programs found

5

Lowest upper age limit

30

Highest upper age limit

35

Programs that list UK citizens

Country-specific conditions

Australia: Working Holiday visa

• Fee: AUD840.00 (first visa)
• Funds: About AUD5,000 plus your fare out
• Includes British National Overseas (BN(O)) passport holders.

Canada: IEC Working Holiday

• Fee: CAN$184.75 IEC fee + CAN$100 open work permit holder fee
• Funds: CAN$2,500
• As a British citizen, you may participate in IEC twice: a first participation of 24 months under any category a second participation of 12 months under any category If you participated in IEC before 2015 for a period of up to 12 months, you are eligible for a second participation of up to 24 months in any category. Those who already participated in IEC twice are no longer eligible to apply.
• Other IEC categories for this passport: International Co-op (Internship), Young Professionals.

Hong Kong: Working Holiday Scheme

• Funds: At least HK$22,000
• Places: 1,000 per year
• Work: No more than 12 months of work.
• Study: Any number, up to 12 months in total.

Japan: Working Holiday visa

• Funds: Reasonable funds for the first part of the stay
• Places: 6,000 visas per year
• Must currently live in the country of nationality.
• Since 1 December 2024: can take part twice in a lifetime (two consecutive years or two separate one-year stays).

New Zealand: Working Holiday Visa, United Kingdom scheme

• Fee: From NZD $770
• Funds: NZD $350 a month
• Normally live in the United Kingdom or the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.
• Stays of 12, 23 or 36 months; a 12 or 23-month visa can be extended with a Subsequent Work Visa up to 36 months.

What stands out

Some programs have specific rules that stand out. For Canada, a British citizen may be able to participate twice, for a first period of 24 months and a second of 12 months. The New Zealand scheme requires you to normally live in the United Kingdom or its Crown Dependencies. For Japan and Hong Kong, there are annual quotas of 6,000 and 1,000 visas respectively. The visa for Japan also requires you to be living in your country of nationality when you apply.

This page covers the destinations in this directory only: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea. Singapore’s Work Holiday Programme is left out here because it depends on where your university is, not on your passport; see the Singapore sheet. A destination missing here may still run a program for your passport; check its official immigration site.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these official government pages:

• Australian Department of Home Affairs: Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)
• Immigration New Zealand: Working Holiday Visa, United Kingdom scheme (New Zealand)
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): IEC Working Holiday (Canada)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Working Holiday visa (Japan)
• Hong Kong Immigration Department: Working Holiday Scheme (Hong Kong)

Last checked October 21, 2026 (Oct 2026). Rules, fees and quotas can change after this date.