Working holiday visas for US citizens

This page lists working holiday visa options for United States citizens. The programs covered are in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and South Korea. These visas generally allow you to stay and work for up to 12 months, though South Korea permits a stay of up to 18 months. Most programs are for people aged 18 to 30. Ireland’s authorisation has no upper age limit but is only for current students or recent graduates.

Application fees and required funds vary by country. For example, Australia’s first visa costs AUD840.00 and requires proof of about AUD5,000, while New Zealand requires NZD $4,200 in funds. Ireland’s authorisation fee is $270 with a requirement to show access to at least $1,500. South Korea’s visa application fee is $45. Some programs have specific education requirements.

Passport

United States

Programs found

5

Lowest upper age limit

30

Highest upper age limit

30

Programs that list US citizens

Country-specific conditions

Australia: Work and Holiday visa

• Fee: AUD840.00 (first visa)
• Funds: About AUD5,000 plus your fare out
• No annual cap is listed for the United States on the Home Affairs cap page.
• Education: A Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or equivalent (high school level).
• English: met automatically with this passport.

Canada: IEC through a recognized organization

• The United States is not on IRCC's list of IEC partner countries.
• IRCC's list of recognized organizations (Canada-based groups that support IEC participants, most of which charge a fee) includes one organization whose listed eligibility covers citizens of the United States.
• Using a recognized organization gives IEC participants up to 2 more lifetime participations, according to IRCC.

Ireland: Working Holiday Authorisation

• Fee: $270
• Funds: Bank statement showing access to at least $1,500
• Two-stage application to the Irish Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General covering your state (New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco).
• Only for US citizens in full-time post-secondary education or who graduated within the previous 12 months. No upper age limit. Return tickets and health insurance for the stay are needed in stage 2. It can be used more than once, with at least a year between authorisations.

New Zealand: Working Holiday Visa, United States scheme

• Fee: From NZD $770
• Funds: NZD $4,200
• Normally live in the USA.

South Korea: Working Holiday visa H-1

• Fee: $45 visa application fee
• Participants must be bona fide college students or recent graduates (within 1 year of graduation) with proof from their post-secondary institution, and show funds for at least 6 months. Apply at the Korean embassy or consulate covering your area.

What stands out

Several programs for US citizens have an education requirement that is not always present for other nationalities. To apply for Ireland’s Working Holiday Authorisation, you must be in full-time post-secondary education or have graduated within the last 12 months. Similarly, South Korea’s Working Holiday visa H-1 is for bona fide college students or recent graduates. Australia’s visa requires a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or equivalent.

For Canada, the United States is not on the list of IEC partner countries. This means you must apply through a recognized organization, which may charge a fee. New Zealand’s visa requires that you normally live in the USA.

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: Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462)
• Immigration New Zealand: Working Holiday Visa, United States scheme (New Zealand)
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): IEC through a recognized organization (Canada)
• Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland: Working Holiday Authorisation (Ireland)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea: Working Holiday visa H-1 (South Korea)

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