Canadian citizens can now apply for working holiday visas while visiting Taiwan as part of government efforts to deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jan. 10.
Under the revised rules, Canadians can submit their requests at the MOFA’s Bureau of Consular Affairs in Taipei City or its branch offices in the central metropolis of Taichung, Kaohsiung and Chiayi cities in southern Taiwan, and the eastern county of Hualien.
Previously, candidates were required to apply through the Taipei representative offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. The greater convenience offered by the updated regulations is expected to boost enrollment, the MOFA said.
Signed in 2010, the reciprocal agreement, also known as the Taiwan-Canada Youth Mobility program, offers eligible citizens aged 18-35 the opportunity to apply for a one-year multiple entry working holiday visa.
Some 9,000 Taiwan and Canadian youths have participated in the program to date, the MOFA said, adding that the accord has played an important role in boosting connections and cross-cultural understanding among young people from the two sides.
In addition to Canada, Taiwan has established working holiday agreements with 15 other nations: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea and the U.K., according to the MOFA. (KWS-E)
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