In the past year or so, I’ve encountered a lot of young people who are living and working abroad with a “work/travel” visa. Now, I’m a young person who will be living and working abroad with this same visa type (a totally unexpected turn of events, but a welcome one!).

Though the name changes based on country, what a “work/travel” visa allows is for its holder to travel to a country for a few years, and to be employed in that country during the duration of the stay. However, employment is not a necessity for this visa type, so it is very conducive to traveling and exploring the country as well as working.

First, let’s remember that my personal experience with applying for a work/travel visa is for a “Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme” to live and work in the United Kingdom. All applications will have slightly different processes based on where you are from and where you intend to go, so keep in mind this post is based on what I experienced while submitting my application. Still, as a certified Nervous Traveler™, I think that some general information on the process is good for alleviating the nervous tension that I had throughout the application process. So, if you’ve decided to apply for one of these travel visas, what can you expect?

It’s almost all done online

The majority of the visa application process is filling out forms and answering questions based on your personal history and intent in the country. The application process isn’t crazy long, but if you aren’t able to complete the whole thing in one go, you’re able to log in and out of your application through the email you’re registering with.

It feels like normal paperwork

For the most part, the questions you need to answer are what you’re used to when filling out paperwork – think your birthday, location of birth, current address, email and phone number, etc. There are a few sections that you might have to seek out some information on, such as your parents birth information (country and year), your passport information, and your travel history (how many times you have traveled in the past 10 years, to what countries).

It’s not the time to be making jokes

This should go without saying, and I don’t think anyone who is serious about their visa application would do this, but don’t mess around with the questions in your application. You will be asked about your criminal record, but also about your involvement in terrorism, potential sympathy for terrorist ideologies, and a few similar questions. Don’t treat these questions as jokes, or you probably won’t be receiving your visa any time soon.

The application meeting isn’t worth stressing over

As a certified Nervous Traveler™, I worried about my application meeting in the days leading up to it – typical for me when I don’t know what to expect. Here’s a brief rundown of how it went: In applying for the UK, the application process is done through a company called VFS Global. They have offices in certain Canadian cities that you will need to go to for your application meeting. Luckily I didn’t have to travel for my appointment, but if there is no office in your city, you’ll have to get to one were there is. There is security when you arrive, so you’ll be swept down with a metal detector when you arrive. Don’t bring a big bag or a laptop, as they will be confiscated by security until you leave. I would recommend only bringing your application paperwork, wallet, and phone. You’re allowed to be on your phone while you wait for your appointment to start, as long as it is on silent mode. In the actual meeting, there’s not a lot of talking. Mostly, online documents will be filled out based on the documents you brought to the meeting. Your passport and other documents will be packaged up in an envelope to be sent to the primary visa center. You’ll also have your fingerprints and a headshot taken as part of your biometric passport. Boom, that’s it, you’re done.

The waiting is the worst

After your application is submitted and your meeting has passed, there’s not much else you can do. And it can take a while to hear anything back. I waited three weeks for an email to acknowledge that my application had been received, and was told to wait another three weeks to hear back on the visa company’s decision on my application. Oof.

So that’s where I’m at now. Waiting for a confirmation on my visa. I’ll update as soon as I know what’s next, and ideally it’s going to be an announcement that by the end of the summer I’ll be off to England!