The expanded Taiwan-Austria reciprocal working holiday agreement went into effect Jan. 12, offering young adults the opportunity to experience different cultures and lifestyles while enhancing people-to-people connections, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Under the latest version of the program, each country will issue 75 working holiday visas valid for one year, up from 50 visas valid for only six months, to eligible citizens aged 18-30. Since its launch in 2015, the program has sponsored around 120 Taiwan and Austria youths, according to the MOFA.
To promote the initiative, the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Austria took part in the central European nation’s leading travel show Ferien-Messe Wien, held Jan. 11-14 in Vienna.
In addition to the Austria working holiday program, the MOFA also recently announced the expansion of a similar agreement between Taiwan and South Korea to include 800 total participants, up from 600. The changes, which came into effect Jan. 1, were made in view of rising demand from both sides and designed to deepen cultural exchanges between youths from both countries.
Since its launch in 2010, over 5,500 Taiwan and South Korean youths have been sponsored by the program, the MOFA said. In addition to Austria and South Korea, Taiwan has established working holiday agreements with 13 other countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia and the U.K. (KWS-E)
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