Working holiday craze grows bigger in China

Visa programs for New Zealand, Australia allow Chinese visitors to take part-time jobs

The craze for a working holiday in New Zealand will continue and become even bigger, as the concept of a gap year is gaining popularity in China.[file photo]

New Zealand is expecting strong demand for its 2015-16 Working Holiday plan for Chinese citizens, which opens for application on May 19, according to the country's immigration office.

Last year, the Immigration New Zealand website crashed due to the volume of traffic when working holiday visa applications for Chinese opened, and the quota of 1,000 visas was filled within nine hours.

The program was launched in 2008 as part of the free trade agreement signed by New Zealand and China. An annual quota of 1,000 working holiday visas is allocated to Chinese aged from 18 to 30, allowing them to travel in the country for up to 12 months and work part time.

"To grab a working holiday visa to New Zealand is like scrambling for a train ticket during the travel rush at Spring Festival," said Wang Lan, chief director of the Australia and New Zealand department at New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting.

"The craze for a working holiday in New Zealand will continue and become even bigger, as the concept of a gap year is gaining popularity in China. People eligible for the program are those born after 1985 who grew up in an opening-up period and have a sense of adventure," Wang said.

Australia has become the second country after New Zealand to grant visas to Chinese for working holidays.

When the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement was signed in November, the two countries also completed negotiations on a Work and Holiday Arrangement under which Australia will offer 5,000 work and holiday visas annually to Chinese.

"It may seem easier to apply for the Australian program with the quota of 5,000 visas, but the application is more complicated. For example, it requires a letter of support from the applicant's government, but we need further clarification from the Australian authorities," said Wang.

Eliza Chui, education commissioner for North Asia at the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai, told People.com.cn that the details of Australian Work and Holiday Arrangement will be released in May.