Ireland Working Holiday Visa for Canadians

To obtain a working holiday authorization, there are a number of entry requirements to satisfy the garda national immigration bureau. For the Ireland Working Holiday visa, you have to prove you meet the following requirements:

• You must be a citizen of any of the ten countries, so Canadians are allowed!
• You must have a valid passport that’s valid for 30 days from the date of your proposed entry into Ireland
• It must be your first time participating in the working holiday visas program
• You must have a clean criminal record from Canada and any other country you have lived in
• You must have a receipt to show you paid the application fee for the working holiday visa
• You must hold medical insurance or private medical insurance

You must have sufficient funds and be eligible to take care of yourself throughout your time in Ireland. To prove you have sufficient funds, you must have a minimum of €1,500 and a return air ticket to leave Ireland or €3,000 without a return air ticket to leave Ireland.

Depending on which country you are applying from, there may be additional eligibility requirements.

The application process is not overly complicated.

The first step to getting your working holiday authorization is applying to the garda national immigration bureau for the Ireland Working Holiday visas from the Irish embassy that is located in your resident country before you travel to Ireland. Depending on where you live, it may require you to do some light travel to get to the Irish embassy.

Should you successfully meet all requirements highlighted above and the quota for your country is not already met, you’ll receive a working holiday authorization.

While this Irish working holiday visa permits you to work in Ireland for up to a year, there are still steps you must take to enter Ireland.

The reality is that immigration officials at the border will ultimately make the decision when you’re at the border by looking through your specific paperwork, including the working holiday authorization. The visa paperwork is imperative to have with you, as the immigration officer at border control needs to see it when you enter immigration in Ireland. Be sure to pack it in your carry-on, so you don’t need to stress about it.

If everything goes to plan and the immigration officials are happy with your documents, a landing stamp will be stamped directly into your current passport. This landing stamp shows that you have been granted permission to enter Ireland and can stay in Ireland for 90 days.

Why only 90 days? Because the next step is to register at the Garda National Immigration Bureau in Ireland at an immigration registration office as soon as possible.

If you are living in Dublin City or Dublin county, the location you need to go to is the Burgh Quay Registration Office in Dublin city center. All applicants have to pre-book their appointment in advance to visit the registration offices – you will not be able to register without being registered for an appointment.

An appointment can be made online up to ten weeks in advance, and you should apply online. You can register for your for an appointment prior to your arrival in Ireland.

Anyone living outside of Dublin City or county will need to register at the registration office nearest to them.

After you successfully register, your permission to remain past 90 days in Ireland will be official! If you don’t register in time, it’s possible you may have to leave Ireland.