Dealing with all the red tape and bureaucracy of governments back home is bad enough but when trying to deal with foreign governments and policy it’s enough to drive you mad! To date I have successfully applied for 4 working holiday visas in different countries (Canada, The Netherlands, Germany and France) and have passed many a sleepless night worrying about my applications and had numerous frustrations and setbacks during the process.
Here are a few somewhat obvious but often forgotten things you can do with any visa application to increase your chances of a smooth and relatively pain-free process;
1. Thoroughly read the visa requirements
It goes without saying, but truly, know the requirements and your rights inside and out, back to front. Print them off and check them off as you gather your supporting documentation and take that with you also when you apply. From personal experience this has even proven useful to show the government workers I dealt with that in fact they were giving me false information. I was told in Germany that I could not apply for the visa from within the country when it clearly states on their website that I could, and thanks to knowing the rules inside and out AND having it printed to prove it, I was able to show them their error and force them to process my visa!
2. Go overboard with your documentation
Really, take it from someone who used to work for the government, you do not want to be missing documents. Make copies of absolutely everything, this is not a time to be worrying about destroying rainforests! Take your documents in triplicate even! Keep everything neat and tidy and in the order requested on the visa check-list and then let the worker sift through what they want. However, as per point number 3 below, at first only give them what they request, have any extra documents with you in case they ask for them but do not provide them from the outset.
3. Do not offer too much information, only answer when you are questioned further for details
Never make the mistake of telling your full intentions or situation! Most of the time visa applications are straight forward and easy. However it is never advisable to give away too much information. For example you don’t want to mention that your boyfriend is German and you are going over to join him… Remember that the government doesn’t WANT people immigrating to their country so you’d best just keep that one to yourself! Or don’t mention that you plan on travelling for three months through Europe first before heading to your destination country to find work… They don’t actually WANT you to work while you’re there because they see it as ‘stealing’ jobs from the citizens! Just give them only the documentation required and keep quiet until they ask you a question, and then only answer exactly what they have asked you and do not provide further detail until they ask for it! It’s pretty much anything you say can and WILL be held against you.
4. Remember that some things can be cancelled and refunded…
This is a very useful thing to remember if an application requires you to have, for example, a return ticket home, or full comprehensive medical insurance for the duration of your stay. Sometimes depending on your travel plans it is not practical to have these things. Case in point, you are applying for the French work visa which requires a return ticket home at the end of your stay, no exceptions, however you in fact plan to go to Germany after France and apply for the German work visa. The French will not accept merely a ticket to a country other than France, or proof of funds to purchase a ticket home. The only thing they accept is a ticket back to your legal country of residence. Well, never fear, many airlines offer a fully refundable ticket for a higher price… Put it on your credit card if you must, but all you need is the ticket as proof for your visa. Once the visa is processed you can cancel the ticket and get your money back. The same goes for travel insurance, many policies have a 14 day cooling off period and if you cancel within that time you receive a full refund. Carefully check all the refund conditions and thoroughly read the fine print to make sure you don’t make any big expensive mistakes with this.
5. Borrow money if you can
Most work holiday visas require proof of a certain amount of money in your account to show that you will be able to support yourself during your stay. Usually all they need to see is the bottom figure, and rarely ask for or look at the transaction details. Sometimes you just don’t quite have the amount of money they are demanding, or you are applying for the visa ahead of time and haven’t finished saving the money yet, or you are also relying on credit cards or parents to back you up if necessary however they do not accept credit limits for your application! If you just don’t have the money, if possible, ask someone (parents are usually the best!) who can temporarily loan you any amount you are short by, for long enough to simply print off a bank statement and then return the money to their account.
6. You can use a hostel address on your form!
Many of the work holiday visas, especially for Europe, require you to provide an address of where you will be living when you first arrive in the country. Most times in my case this is impossible as I usually don’t know my plans until the very last minute, and/or I couchsurf and don’t want to list my host’s address without their permission. In fact most of the time I feel this is the most redundant question on the form, how on earth are you meant to know where you will be living when you haven’t even found a job in the country yet! But never fear, you can simply enter a hostel address in this section and in fact it doesn’t even matter if you have absolutely no intention of actually staying in that hostel! The worker will scarcely glance at the address, they just need to see that the section of the form is completed- do not leave it blank under any circumstances!
7. Be on time and look your best.
When it comes time to attend the embassy or consulate that will be issuing your visa, treat it as you would a job interview. Dress nicely and do not be late! Remember that a lot of time the people working at these offices hate their jobs! First impressions count, if they don’t like the look of you when you turn up they might be less helpful and decide to nit pick through your application and pounce on any minuscule mistakes they find just for their own personal satisfaction at making your life hell and their day more interesting! You want to turn that paper pusher behind the desk into your friend, get them on your side and have a nice quick problem free process!
8. Know that often the things requested on the visa application form might never in fact be requested in person, don’t sweat the small stuff!
This has happened to me with every single application I have made! I have agonised over details such as address of where you will be living on arrival to your new country (um hello, I don’t have a job yet and I’m a backpacker, how am I going to start renting before I even get there?) or proof of adequate savings (I was never even asked to show my bank statements when I arrived in Canada). Make sure of course that you have everything necessary and jump through all the hoops that they demand, however just keep in mind that at the end of the day most of the time the official will barely even glance at your documentation and all of that blood, sweat and tears you went through to provide it was not really worth the stress! Just don’t jump across the desk and throttle the worker in your frustration when you realise that all of those sleepless nights and new grey hairs could have been avoided!
And finally;
9. It’s like ripping off a band-and, the faster you do it the less it hurts…
A fact I myself keep forgetting! I despise paper work and dealing with red tape! Every time I have to apply for a new visa (or do my tax return!) I put it off and put it off and do little bits at a time and drag it out and basically draw out the whole process into long agonising weeks of anger, frustration and obscene cursing at governments the world over! I never seem to learn, but if you can at least take it from me, the sooner you get it done the better! Just choose a day and sit down to compile all of the necessary information and fill out the forms and get it all done and over with! Hopefully, unlike me, you will not waste valuable weeks fretting over the process! The sooner you have your interview and hand over your application, the sooner you will have that visa stuck in your passport and can stop worrying about it and start looking forward to your trip!
Good luck! For visa-specific help on any of the four visas I have personally had experience with, please see my posts regarding them under the Visa category on the left side bar.
If anyone has successfully applied for any visas not mentioned here and would like to write a guest post to help out other readers, please contact me, I’d love to hear from you about your experiences!