Posted in: Press Releases

December 6th, 2009

One of the outcomes of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s trip to China and Hong Kong is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to mark the establishment of a bilateral working holiday arrangement to benefit young people of the two places from March 1, 2010.

The Memorandum was signed Saturday, following a meeting between Prime Minister Harper and Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Donald Tsang, at the Government House by Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Mr Stockwell Day, and Hong Kong’s Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung.
 
Canada is the sixth country and the first in North America to establish such bilateral arrangement with Hong Kong. The arrangement
provides an opportunity for young people to broaden their horizons and to gain first-hand living and working experience while they are travelling.

 “It is encouraging that Canada and Hong Kong has entered into this bilateral arrangement,” said Ms Maureen Siu, Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, the representative of the Hong Kong SAR Government in Canada. “It will further strengthen our long-standing relations and make Canada a popular destination for our youngsters.”

The MOU will allow qualified young people aged 18 to 30 from Canada and Hong Kong to travel and take up employment in each other’s territory for up to one year.  There are 200 places available on each side for 2010 under the arrangement. Hong Kong established bilateral working holiday schemes with New Zealand and Australia in 2001, Ireland in 2005, and Germany and Japan in 2009.
 
So far, more than 9,450 Hong Kong youngsters have benefited from participating in the schemes while about 1,280 young people from New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Germany have experienced Hong Kong’s cosmopolitan and vibrant way of life.
 
The Hong Kong Immigration Department or the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong will issue a working holiday visa to a successful applicant from Canada or Hong Kong respectively who meets the following eligibility criteria among others:
 
- The applicant must be either a Canadian citizen possessing a valid Canadian passport, or a HKSAR passport or British National (Overseas) passport holder ordinarily residing in Hong Kong, who is aged between 18 and 30 and intends primarily to holiday in Canada or Hong Kong for a specified period of not more than one year;

- The applicant must not be accompanied by dependent family members;

- The applicant must possess a departure ticket or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket, and sufficient funds for his/her maintenance during the period of initial stay in Canada or Hong Kong; and – The applicant must hold insurance for medical and health care for the duration of stay.
 
Details on visa application procedures for Hong Kong applicants can be found via the website of the Consulate General of Canada at www.hongkong.gc.ca.

Canadian applicants may contact the Hong Kong Immigration Department by telephone on 2824 6111 or download the necessary information from the Department’s website www.immd.gov.hk.
 

Hong Kong and Canada today (December 6) sign a Memorandum of Understanding to mark the establishment of a bilateral working holiday arrangement. Photo shows Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung (right) and Minister of International Trade of Canada, Mr Stockwell Day signing the Memorandum of Understanding. Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang and Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Stephen Harper witness the signing ceremony.

The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang (second right); the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Stephen Harper (second left); the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung (right); and the Minister of International Trade of Canada, Mr Stockwell Day (left) pose for a group photograph after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to mark the establishment of a bilateral working holiday arrangement.

Chinese version on next page.

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