Thank you for your inquiry into the Young Worker Program. This
officially recognised youth program enables young Canadians to live and work
in the Netherlands for a period of up to twelve months with the objective of
gaining work experience in their chosen field of study or expertise.

In order for you to be able to participate in this program, you must satisfy the following requirements:

• You are between 18 and 30 years of age;
• You are a Canadian citizen, living in Canada;
• You are a full- or part time student at a recognised educational institution or have graduated within the previous 12 months;
• You are not accompanied by dependants;
• You possess a valid Canadian passport;
• You possess a return ticket, or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket;
• You possess sufficient funds for your maintenance during the initial period of stay in the Netherlands ( min. of 75 Euro);
• You agree to hold medical and comprehensive hospitalisation and liability
  insurance to remain in force throughout your stay in the Netherlands;

• You have no criminal conviction;

• You are prepared to pay the prescribed fee for the residence permit.

It is suggested you start the application process at least 3 months prior to desired date of departure as obtaining the proper papers may be time consuming. You will need:

• A letter of acceptance by the employer for work related to your field of study;
• A copy of the “tewerkstellingsvergunning” (employment authorisation) obtained by the employer for you;

• a long form birth certificate, NOT OLDER THAN 6 MONTHS, which can be obtained at the Registrar General’s Office in the province you were born. Call 1-800-622-6232 to get the location and telephone no. If you were born in Quebec, you may contact/go to:
  Direction de l’etat civil, 2050 rue de Bleury, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2J5
  tel. 514-846-3900, toll free 1-800-567-3900.

The next step is to have this birth certificate legalised by the Canadian and Dutch Governments. The original of the (long form) birth certificate should be sent to the following address (keep a copy for yourself).

Department of Foreign Affairs
and International Trade Canada
JLAC Att: Mr. Mario Nunez
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0G2

Please contact the Netherlands Embassy in Ottawa, or one of the Consulates
Generals (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal) to find out the charges for legalising this document, and enclose a money order or certified for each document to be legalised. Ask F.A. to forward the document and cheque to the Embassy and make sure you mention your return address and telephone number. After the document has been received in Ottawa, it will be legalised and returned to you as soon as possible.

Once you have these papers, it is time to apply for the Young Worker Program.
Again, you must contact the Netherlands Embassy in Ottawa, or one of the Consulates
Generals (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal), depending on where you live, for information on which papers you need to submit with your application.

Be advised that it will take some time to obtain all the papers, so start
early if possible. DO NOT GO TO THE NETHERLANDS WITHOUT FINALIZING YOUR APPLICATION as you need to apply in the country of residence. It cannot be done in The Netherlands. Make sure you take the legalised long form birth certificate, the twv and the letter of acceptance by the employer with you to Holland.

For additional information, please contact the Netherlands Embassy/Consulates in your area.

English Brochure: whpenglishbrochure.doc (50 Kb)
French Brochure: whpfransebrochure.doc (58 Kb)